islam

Islam

Teachings and History of the

Religion

11/6/2014 copyright 2006 BrainyBetty.com

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The Beginning

• Muhammad

– Born in Mecca in 570 AD

– Often meditated in the hills near the city

– One day, the angel Gabriel came to him and

spoke, giving him teachings

– The Koran: the words the angel Gabriel

spoke to Muhammad, the holy book of Islam


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The Beginning


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The Beginning

• Muhammad was forced to leave in 622 AD for his teachings

• Went to Yathrib (Medina today)

• Hejira: Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina, marked the beginning of the expansion of Islam

• Gathered an army in Medina

• He returned to Mecca in 630 and took over the city


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Teachings of Islam

• The Five Pillars of Islam

1. Proclaim belief in one God, Allah, and his

prophet Muhammad

2. Pray 5 times a day, facing Mecca

3. Charity to the poor and elderly

4. Fast during the month of Ramadan (holy

month)

5. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in life


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• The 6th pillar?

– Jihad: has at least two meanings

1. An inner battle to achieve peace

2. An outer battle to defend Islam

Teachings of Islam


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• The Koran and its teachings

– The book must be handled carefully

– People of the Book: Jews and Christians

• Muslims are required to treat them with tolerance

• Share all the Jewish prophets

• Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, but not the

messiah

– Muhammad is the last prophet, and all that he said was

fully correct

Teachings of Islam


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Teachings of Islam

• The Koran and its teachings

– Muslims must live lawful, moral lives

– Everyone is equal

• Islam borrows much from Judaism and

Christianity, while adding its own elements


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History of Islam

• Caliph: leader of Islam

– Politics and religion are one in Islam

• Sunnis and Shiites

– These two sects stem from a disagreement

about the caliph

• Who should become caliph after Muhammad?


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• Sunnis and Shiites

– Shiites: Believed Muhammad’s son-in-law,

Ali, was the successor

• Only descendents of Ali could be caliph

– Sunnis: Believe any true Muslim can be caliph

History of Islam


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• Early Islamic dynasties sent armies

throughout the Middle East, converting

along the way

History of Islam


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• Umayyad

Dynasty

– A period of

cultural

discrimination

– Capital was

Damascus, Syria

– Arab culture

flourished

• Religion and arts

encouraged

History of Islam


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• Abbassid

Dynasty

– Religious and

cultural

tolerance

– Capital at

Baghdad

– peace

History of Islam


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• Throughout history, a respect for learning

allowed Islamic civilization to grow and

prosper

– Islam was the major rival to Western

Civilization by the time of imperialism

History of Islam


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Spread of Islam


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• Foreign Invaders

– The borders of the Muslim empire were

always changing

– Starting in the year 1000, waves of foreign

invaders flooded the Middle East, but were

never able to fully take over the civilization

• Strong Muslim armies

• Most invaders were either already Muslim, or

converted to Islam

History of Islam


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• Seljuks

– Turkish Muslims

– Lived in the Iranian Plateau

– Captured Baghdad and weakened the current

Byzantine empire

History of Islam


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• Mongols

– Came from Central Asia

– Took Baghdad from the Seljuks and destroyed

it in 1258 AD

– Continued to raid the Muslim civilization for

100 years

– Many eventually converted to Islam and

blended into Middle Eastern culture

History of Islam


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• The Crusades

– Crusade: holy war

– Christian Pope called a crusade against

Muslims in 1095 AD

– The goal was to capture Palestine, “the holy

land”

– There were 6 crusades

– Some were successful, others failed

– Had only a limited effect on the Middle East

History of Islam


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• Ottoman Empire

– Turkish speaking

Muslims

– Sunnis

– Captured

Constantinople in

1453 to end the

Byzantine

Empire; renamed

the city Istanbul

History of Islam


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History of Islam

• Ottoman Empire

– Government

• Flexible

• Sultan: Ottoman

leader with

absolute power

• Millets: non-Muslim

communities


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• Safavid Empire

– In present day Iran

– Shiites

– Rivals to the Ottomans

– Islamic Republic of Iran today is mostly Shiite

History of Islam


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Islam in 750 AD


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Islam Today


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Review

• Beginning of Islam: Muhammad

• Teachings of the Koran

– 5 Pillars of Islam: a 6th pillar?

• History and Spread of Islam

– Umayyad and Abbassid Dynasties

– Seljuks, Mongols, Crusades

– Ottoman and Safavid Empires

• Vocabulary: Koran, hejira, hajj, jihad, People of the Book, caliph, Sunni, Shiite, crusade, sultan, millets

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