Section 1: The World of Islam

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Chapter 26

• Section 1 The World of Islam

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LEQ (s)

• What are the basic teachings of Islam?
• Why did Islam spread rapidly?
• Why did Islam split into different branches?
• What were some achievements of Islamic
  civilization?
• Define hejira, hajj, and caliph.

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Background History

• Muhammad grew up in a time of violence and
  lawlessness
• Troubled by evil and corruption, he often
  withdrew to a cave to fast and pray
• According to Muslim belief, one day, while
  praying, Muhammad heard a voice call out, telling
  him to Proclaim.
• The voice was from the angel Gabriel sent by God.
• Muhammad was to be a prophet of God

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Background History cont.

• Muhammad was encouraged by his wife Khadija, to
  tell people about the religion of Islam
• The words Gabriel spoke to Muhammad over the next
  12 years become the Koran (also written Quran),
  the holy book of Islam.
• In the 600s and 700s A.D., Islam spread across
  the Middle East and beyond, into Africa, Asia,
  and Europe

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The Rise of Islam

• Islam emerged in the Arabian Peninsula, which is
  a crossroads for trade
• The city of Mecca and Yathrib (later renamed
  Medina) were two important trade cities in the
  area
• Mecca was home to the Kaaba, a sacred shrine that
  housed many images of Arab gods
• Many pilgrims came to the area to worship as well
• The Kaaba housed a sacred Black stone, that Arabs
  believed was sent from heaven

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The prophet Muhammad

• Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 (A.D)
• His parents died when he was a child and he was
  raised by an uncle
• As a young man he worked for a wealthy widow
  named Khadija
• He lead trade caravans across the desert to
  Palestine and Syria. At 25 he married Khadija.

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The prophet Muhammad cont.

• At age 40, Muhammad heard the voice of Gabriel
  and was told to proclaim
• Khadija encouraged Muhammad to teach the word of
  God
• Muhammads message angered the towns merchants
  and innkeepers because they believed that giving
  up their traditional gods would end their pilgrim
  traffic
• The pagan shop keepers believed that this would
  eventually hurt their profits
• 622 A.D. after Khadijas death, Muhammad and
  his followers were forced to leave Mecca
• Muhammad was accepted in Yathrib, which was
  renamed Medina, or city of the prophet
• The migration of Muhammad and his followers from
  Mecca to Medina is known as the hejira
• the hejira represents the first year in the
  Muslim calendar
• Muhammad and his followers returned to Medina in
  630 A.D.
• His army recaptured the city and rededicated the
  black stone to God
• By 632 A.D., Muhammad had carried Islam across
  the Arabian Peninsula

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Teachings of Islam

• Islam means submission, a Muslim is someone who
  submits to God
• The Five Pillars of Islam are
• 1. the belief in one God, and Muhammad is his
  prophet (Abraham, Moses, and Jesus are also
  important prophets in Islam)
• 2. Prayer, five times a day facing Mecca
• 3. Charity
• 4. Fasting in the Holy month of Ramadan
• 5. Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca

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The Koran

• The sacred book of Islam is the Koran (Quran)
• For a period of time, the Koran was forbidden to
  be translated from Arabic
• Arabic became a universal language, which united
  Muslims around the world
• Muhammad met many Jews and Christians on his
  travels. All three religions are monotheistic.
• Muhammad believes that Allah is the same God of
  the Jews and Christians
• All three of the religions believe in a final day
  of judgment
• Muhammad accepted the original teachings of the
  Jewish and Christian scriptures as Gods word.
  He called Jews and Christians people of the
  book and they had a special status as protected
  people. Muslims were required to treat them with
  tolerance.
• Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam has values
  such as honoring your parents, being honest and
  kind, protecting the weak and helpless, and that
  all people are equal

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Expansion of Islam

• In the next century after Muhammads death, the
  Muslim Arabs had conquered an empire that reached
  from the Indus River to the Atlantic Ocean (732
  A.D.)
• The Muslim armies were extremely successful due
  to their united beliefs
• Islam taught that Muslim warriors who died in the
  service of Islam would win a place in paradise
• The idea of Jihad also motivated many Muslim
  soldiers
• The lure of riches to be won in the conquered
  lands was another powerful incentive

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Other reasons of Success

• In some places, the Arabs were welcomed
• The Byzantine and Persian empires ruled diverse
  peoples who resented foreign control
• The Arabs were sometimes looked upon as
  liberators
• The Islamic belief of equality was appealing to
  people as well
• The Muslims were tolerant conquerors and they did
  not force people of the book to convert to
  Islam
• However, they had to pay a special nonbeliever
  tax

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Divisions with Islam

• 30 years after Muhammads death, a serious
  dispute permanently split Islam into two separate
  branches the Sunni and Shiite
• The dispute concerned who would become caliph or
  successor to the prophet
• The fourth caliph after Muhammad was named Ali
  (Muhammads cousin and son-in-law)
• In 661, Ali was murdered and a rival leader
  established the Umayyad dynasty
• Alis son challenged the Umayyad and he too was
  murdered
• These murders caused the followers of Ali, the
  Shiites, to break away
• The Shiites claimed that only descendants of Ali
  could become caliphs
• The majority of Muslims are Sunni and they
  believe that any devout Muslim could become a
  caliph

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The Arab Empire

• Under the Umayyads and Abbasisds, the Arab Empire
  enjoyed periods of stable, orderly government
• Umayyad dynasty (661-750), made Damascus, Syria
  the capital of their empire
• Arabs held the highest government positions and
  Arabic was the official language of the empire
• Non-Arab Muslims, such as the Persians resented
  the discrimination
• Muslim Persians insisted that being a Muslim is
  more important that being Arab
• 750 A.D., the Shiites and other groups overthrew
  the Umayyads and set up the Abbassid dynasty

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Abbassid Dynasty (750 -1258)

• The new capital was made at Baghdad (means
  God-given) on the banks of the Tigris rivers
• Known for their public work projects such as
  mosques, irrigation systems, libraries,
  hospitals, public baths, and schools.
• Abbassid dynasty lasted roughly 500 years despite
  some kingdoms that broke away
• Despite political divisions, religion and culture
  united the peoples of the Muslim world

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Golden Age of Muslim Civilization

• Blended cultures of Greek, Persian, and Indian
• They traded as far as Scandinavia, East Africa,
  and China
• Muslims started business practices such as
  issuing letters of credit and receipts, which are
  later adopted by Europeans
• 830 A.D., Muslim scholar Al-Mamun set up a
  library of ancient texts from around the known
  world
• Muslim scholars have preserved many subjects for
  European use such as medical information,
  astronomy, music, poetry, and philosophy.