shahada	The profession of faith
salat	Daily prayers
zakat	Alms-giving
saum	Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj	pilgrimage to Mecca

umrah	‘the lesser hajj’

***Hajj -***during the month called Dhu al-Hijjah — Verses 5.97

Mecca is the place where Abraham and Ishmael built the Ka‘bah, an act referred to in Qur’an 3.96 tawaf — the circumambulation of the Ka‘bah

• sa’i -the running between the hills of Safa and Marwah
• Umrah -similar to hajj but can take place at any time of the year. Pilgrims also enter the holy sanctuary of the Grand Mosque of Mecca through a different gate

Hadiths — accounts of the Prophet’s life that determine much of Islamic practice. Some of these texts provide specifics on how to conduct the rituals associated with hajj. Pilgrimage guides also serve as an important aid for Muslims by giving instructions on what prayers and other supplications to perform at particular sites.

The Hira cave, on Jabal al-Nour, is reportedly where the Prophet received his first revelation.

The qiblah (direction of prayer) is often marked by a sticker or other symbol in hotel rooms, so that Muslims can orient themselves for their daily prayers. Shi‘a, who like other Muslims face Mecca to pray, use a prayer stone (turbah) made from clay from a holy Shi‘a city, or place their forehead on the earth, illustrating the importance of the earth as a sacred tableau.

The Qur’an 114 chapters

suras	chapters
ayas	verses

Frontispiece to volume two of a 30-volume Qur’an, late 9th–early 10th century (Syria or Iraq), ink, opaque watercolor and gold on parchment, 17.1 cm (each page) (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

The Qur’an copied by Ibn al-Bawwab in Baghdad in 1000–1001. It includes three double-page frontispieces, two of which have calligraphy along with the gold, blue, black, and brown decorative motifs.

first frontispiece with script in oblong bands; right: second frontispiece with script in interlacing octagons, Qur’an of Ibn al-Bawwab with chapter, verse, word, letter, vocalization, and diacritic counts, 1000–1001 (Iraq, Baghdad), ink and gold pigment on paper, 18.3 x 14.5 cm (Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Is 1431, folios 6 verso and 7 verso)

Bifolio from a Qur’an written in gold. The verse dividers consist of round medallions, while the vocalization and recitation marks are added in red, yellow, green, and blue inks. Possibly copied in Nasrid Granada, late 13th or 14th century, parchment, 27 x 22 cm (folio) (LACMA, M.2002.1.25)

Folio from the Birmingham Qur’an, carbon-dated to the period between 568 and 645 with 95.4% probability. It is written in the so-called ‘Hijazi style’, from Hijaz, the region of Arabia where Mecca and Medina are located. Possibly Arabia, mid-7th century, parchment, 34 x 26 cm (Birmingham, Cadbury Research Library, ms. Mingana Isl. Ar. 1572a)

Folio from an Umayyad Qur’an with gilded verse markers and chapter dividers enhanced with gold. The vocalization consists of red dots. Possibly copied in Syria, late 7th or early 8th century, parchment, 36.5 x 28 cm (Paris, BnF, ms. arabe 330c)