Chapter 3 Matching Exercise

alternate khalifa: Successor to the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community.

A Muslim’s standing or precedence in the community, which often determined one’s salary (ata) and position.

Spiritual leader of a Muslim community.

State or crown lands.

Credibility

(Arabic: consultation): A committee or council, as well as the concept of “mutual consultation,” which the Quran prescribes as the preferred method for decision-making in government.

(Arabic: the way or path): Islamic law.

A collection of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad that are considered the most important religious guide for Muslims apart from the Quran. Essentially the documentation of the Sunna or custom of the Prophet.

A senior military position in the Abbasid caliphate that came to surpass the civilian bureaucracy, effectively relegating the caliphs to ceremonial figureheads by 936. The term is translated as “commander of commanders.”

singular misr: Garrison towns established by Muslim armies in conquered lands. Many of these established the foundation for or actually became major cities throughout the region over time.

singular Sharif: Literally meaning “noble,” it is a title often given to those who are descended from the family of the Prophet Muhammad, the Hashimites. It is also something of an honorific title given to tribal or religious leaders. In this book it is also a reference to the so-called latecomers in the early Islamic period, a group of tribal shaykhs and other nobles from Arabia who migrated to Iraq, but because they converted to Islam later than earlier groups felt somewhat disadvantaged, especially in terms of salary (ata) and position, which they resented.

Land tax paid based on the area of one’s holdings and types of crops cultivated.