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| the branch that consists of the majority of that religion’s adherents. Sunnite Muslims regard their sect as the mainstream and traditionalist branch of Islām. The Sunnites recognize the first four caliphs as Muḥammad’s rightful successors, whereas the Shīʿites believe that Muslim leadership belonged to Muḥammad’s son-in-law, ʿAlī, and his descendants alone. |
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| smaller of the two major branches of Islam. Political faction that supported the power of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (the fourth caliph) and, later, of his descendants. |
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| a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the mainstream Twelvers. The Ismāʿīlī get their name from their acceptance of Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar as the appointed spiritual successor (Imām) to Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq, wherein they differ from the Twelvers, who accept Mūsà al-Kāżim, younger brother of Ismāʿīl, as the true Imām. Most active as a religio-political movement in the 9th–13th century through its subsects, the Fāṭimids, the Qarāmiṭah (Qarmatians), and the Assassins. |
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| series of stories that are often comical told from the wandering narrator that usually comes into contact with a trickster figure |
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| political and religious dynasty that dominated an empire in North Africa and subsequently in the Middle East from ad 909 to 1171 and tried unsuccessfully to oust the ʿAbbāsid caliphs as leaders of the Islāmic world. It took its name from Fāṭimah, the daughter of the Prophet Muḥammad, from whom the Fāṭimids claimed descent. |
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| the head of the Muslim community; the title is used in the Qurʾān several times to refer to leaders and to Abraham. |
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| type of pottery ware decorated with metallic lustres by techniques dating at least from the 9th century |
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| the sermon, delivered especially at a Friday service |
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collection or anthology of poetry of selected works of one poet
highly poetic manuscripts that depict epic stories that become part of the Persian liturgical history |
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| Damascene brass (Damascene silver) |
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| relating to or denoting a process of inlaying a metal object with gold or silver decoration. |
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| the native Egyptian Christians |
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| means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts |
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| member of a Central Asian ethnographic group of closely related tribal peoples who live mainly on the Mongolian Plateau and share a common language and nomadic tradition. Owing to wars and migrations, Mongols are found throughout Central Asia. |
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| military expeditions, beginning in the late 11th century, that were organized by Western Christians in response to centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their objectives were to check the spread of Islam, to retake control of the Holy Land, to conquer pagan areas, and to recapture formerly Christian territories |
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| also called Talisman, an object, either natural or man-made, believed to be endowed with special powers to protect or bring good fortune. |
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