| A | B |
|---|
| Muhammad | Founder of Islam |
| Islam | monotheistic religion |
| Muslim | Followers of Islam |
| Mecca | most holy city to Islam located in present day Saudi Arabia |
| Arabian Peninsula | Where Islam started |
| Arabic | Language that helped facilitate trade and unite Muslims |
| Qu'ran (Koran) | Holy text for Muslim |
| Five Pillars | Basic duties Muslims accept |
| diffusion | spread |
| Sunni | leader of Islam should be chosen by the Muslim community |
| Shi'a | Only successors to Muhammad should lead Islam |
| Baghdad | became capital of the Islamic Empire; later fell to the Mongols |
| Dome of the Rock | most holy site in Jerusalem; believed by Muslims to be a place where Muhammad ascended into heaven |
| Ali | last successor of Muhammad whose death caused the Sunni/Shi'a split |
