Rise of Islam

Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula

Most of the Peninsula is desert which, determined how its inhabitants lived

The Bedouin people were nomads living in the desert of the Arabian Peninsula

With little rain and few rivers the Bedouin has developed a special way of life.

Centered around areas that had permanent sources of underground water.

This fertile area is called an oasis.

The dromedary (one-humped camel)• Main source of

transportation

The dromedary can: • Work for long periods of

time without water.• This made life easier.

Bedouins had loose tribal association with other clans

Informal rules posed as a way to govern the social order.

It was the responsibility of the victim to catching and punishing thieves and murderers • undefined legal system

Created fierce independence, a resistance to authority, and an ability to withstand hardship

Two cities played an important role in the development of Islam: Mecca and Medina

Mecca is a holy city. Worship centered around the shrine

called the Kaaba.• Statues of male and female gods and a

special black stone believed to be from heaven.

Inhabitants of Mecca and Medina are:• part merchant and part nomad

They would leave the desert for part the year and became traders in the city

Those who remained in the desert had difficulty finding food to feed their families.

They need a new leader • Mohammed

Muhammed (570 to 632) was the prophet a new faith.• He was born in Mecca.• He was a merchant who crossed

the desert with caravans carrying good to distant parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

He learned a lot about Greek culture, Christian ideas and the Hebrew religion.

Muhammed Began the Islam Faith

At the age of 40,Muhammed was chosen to preach a new faith

He taught that there is one God (Allah) and that one person (Muhammed) was his prophet.

Allah = God Islam teaches:

• kindness, humility, patience, and charity. Koran = the holy book (collection of religious

ideas) and basis for Islamic law and government. • Rules of conduct:

How to treat children Slaves Animals

Religion was slow to gain popularity Muhammed thought that Mecca would be a good

place to spread his ideas. In Medina, Muhammed began to win converts to

his faith Followers of the Muslim Faith count the year 622

as Year One. The flight from Mecca to Medina is called the

Hegira Followers of the Muslim Faith count the year 622

as Year One.

The Jews blow a trumpet and the Christians ring bells.

Summon people to pray each day. • Used his slave, Bilal.

Stand on the roof and call the Muslims together.

Call to prayer 5 times a day. Bilal cries out: “Allah is great. There is no

God but Allah. Mohammed is the prophet of Allah. Come to prayer. Come to salvation. Allah is great. There is no God but Allah.”

The Five Pillars of Islam

Muslim creed in Arabic: • “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is His

Prophet.”

It is the duty of every Muslim to pray 5 times daily.

They are required to fast from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.• Ramadan is the 9th month in which Mohammed received

his revelations.

Every Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during his or her lifetime.

Every devout Muslim must give charity (alms) to the poor.

Kaaba= Center of worship in Mecca.

Any Muslim can lead people at prayer.• Those who are highly educated in

Muslim teachings and laws, called mullahs are treated with great respect and are considered holy.

All worshippers are considered equal.• no organized clergy

Conquests of Islam • Muhammed’s forces took the city of

Medina and defeated the Bedouin tribes.

By his death in 632 C.E.

• Conquered a large part of Arabia and had set an example for future jihads.

• Conquered Arabia, Persia, Egypt, northern Africa, Spain, and Portugal.

In the Muslim faith, the afterlife is determined by Allah.

Kismet your time of death and one’s fate in the afterlife is predetermined.

After Muhammed, the Muslim world was ruled by Caliphs• Total power • Could not change religious

teaching

The first 4 Caliphs • Abu-Bekr, Omar, Othman,

Ali

Traditional electing Caliphs ended after Ali

Umayyad, proclaimed himself caliph and established the Umayyad Caliphate with Damascus as its capital.

Inherited power past from father to son, from 661 to 750 C.E.

Overthrown by Abu al-Abbas.

Under the Abbasid Caliphate, the Islamic Empire reached its peak.

A new capital was established at Baghdad.

Abbasid Caliphate

His heroic deeds are described in the stories called the Arabian Nights• The tales of Aladdin and His

Lamp and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

According to legend, the narrator of these stories had to tell one story a night to the caliph for a 1001 nights or be put to death.