Library: Islam by Credo Reference: People & Places

Religious Figures

Abraham: Topic Page
As the founder of Judaism, he is said to have instituted the rite of circumcision as a sign of the covenant between God and the Jews, who are descended from Isaac, son of Abraham's old age.
Abu Bakr (573 - 634)
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1st caliph, friend, father-in-law, and successor of Muhammad. He was probably Muhammad's first convert outside the Prophet's family and alone accompanied Muhammad on the Hegira.
Allah
From The Dictionary of World Philosophy
A proper Arabic name of God through which humans call God personally. This name was used before the appearance of the Quran – for example, the name of Mohammed’s father was ‘Abd Allāh; that is, “servant of God” – and is not used merely by Muslims. Arabic speaking Christians of the Oriental churches call God by saying Allāh.
Ishmael
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Son of Abraham and Hagar; ancestor of 12 tribes in N Arabia. Through Sara's jealousy he and his mother were sent into the desert, where the angel of the Lord encountered them at a spring.
Moses: Topic Page
Hebrew lawgiver, probably b. Egypt. The prototype of the prophets, he led his people in the 13th cent. B.C. out of bondage in Egypt.
Muhammad (570 - 632): Topic Page
c.570-632 Arab prophet and religious leader who founded Islam . He was born in Mecca. At the age of 25 he began working as a trading agent.

Religious Titles

Aga Khan: Topic Page
The title of the religious leader and imam of the Ismaili Nizari sect of Islam, originally bestowed by the Persian shah Fath Ali on Hasan Ali Shah, 1800–1881, the 46th Ismaili imam.
Ayatollah
From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
A title given to any of a class of Shi'ite religious leaders in Iran.
Caliphate: Topic Page
The rulership of Islam; caliphkălʹĭfˌ, the spiritual head and temporal ruler of the Islamic state. In principle, Islam is theocratic: when Muhammad died, a caliph [Arab.,=successor] was chosen to rule in his place.
Imam: Topic Page
In Islam, a recognized leader or a religious teacher. Among the Sunni the term refers to the leader in the Friday prayer at the mosque; any pious Muslim may function as imam.
Muezzin
From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
The crier who calls the faithful to prayer five times a day.
Mufti
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
In Islamic law, attorney or judicial/religious scholar who writes his opinion (fatwa) on legal subjects for private clients or to assist judges in deciding cases.
Mullah
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Muslim title applied to a scholar or religious leader, especially in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. It means ‘lord’ and has also been used in North Africa as an honorific attached to the name of a king, sultan, or member of the nobility.

Significant Places

An-Najaf
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
City (1987 pop. 309,010), S central Iraq, on a lake near the Euphrates River. The city is also called Mashad Ali, after the tomb (in a mosque) of Ali, son-in-law of Muhammad the Prophet.
Dome of the Rock
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia
Islamic shrine in Jerusalem dating from the 7th century AD that surrounds a great rock altar (an outcrop of rock) that was part of Solomon's Temple of Jerusalem.
Hagia Sophia: Topic Page
[Gr.,=Holy Wisdom] or Santa Sophia, Turkish Aya Sofia, originally a Christian church at Constantinople (now Istanbul), later a mosque, and now converted into a museum.
Haram al-Sharif
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia
Holy site in Jerusalem where the Muslim shrine, the Dome of the Rock, and the al-Aqsa mosque are situated.
Jerusalem: Topic Page
The capital of Israel, Jerusalem is an administrative, religious, educational, cultural, and market center.
Kaaba
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
The central, cubic, stone structure, covered by a black cloth, within the Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The sacred nature of the site predates Islam: tradition says that the Kaaba was built by Adam and rebuilt by Abraham and the descendants of Noah.
Karbala
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia
Holy city of the Shiite Muslims and administrative centre of the governorate of the same name, in Iraq, 96 km/60 mi southwest of Baghdad; population (2007 est) 449,000.
Mecca: Topic Page
City in Saudi Arabia and, as birthplace of Muhammad, the holiest city of the Islamic world and a place of annual pilgrimage.
Medina: Topic Page
Saudi Arabian city, about 355 km/220 mi north of Mecca; population (2004) 918,900. It is the second holiest city in the Islamic world after Mecca, and contains the tomb of Muhammad, a focus for Muslim pilgrims during the hajj (annual pilgrimage).
Mosque: Topic Page
A Muslim place of worship, usually having one or more minarets and often decorated with elaborate tracery and texts from the Koran.
Taj Mahal: Topic Page
It is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian Islamic architecture.
The Blue Mosque
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia
The Blue Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed I, in Istanbul, Turkey. Renowned for its distinctively coloured tilework and six fluted minarets, the Blue Mosque was built in the early 17th century by the architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha.
Sheikh Luft Allah Mosque
From Architectural Excellence: 500 Iconic Buildings
This outstandingly beautiful mosque in Isfahan — the holy city that became the capital of the Safavid Empire in 1592 — was built on the orders of Abbas the Great — the fifth Safavid shah of what was then Persia — to honor his father-in-law, who was also a renowned cleric.
The Prophet's Mosque
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
House of worship built on the site of Muhammad's house in Medina, considered one of the three holiest places of Islam.
The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque and Kampong Ayer (Water Village), Brunei. The mosque was built in 1958 at the edge of an artificial lagoon, and has a gold-plated dome.