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THE RISE OF ISLAM The Arabian People • Arabs are a nomadic people who live in the Arabian Peninsula – The Arabian Peninsula is a harsh land with a vast desert interior – Must move constantly to find water • In the desert, small bands of bedouins moved their herds between scattered oases – Bedouin = nomadic Arab people • Organized into loosely connected, independent tribes – Led by a sheik, chosen from a leading family by a council of elders • Farming was limited, but participated heavily in trade – Trade routes converged at the Arabian Peninsula – Domesticated camels to expand the caravan trade • One of the most important trade towns was called Mecca – Mecca contained a structure called the Kaaba, an ancient building that was considered sacred Muhammad • Muhammad was born in Mecca and had a successful career as a merchant – He married and had six children, however only one daughter lived to become an adult • While traveling on business, Muhammad met followers of Judaism and Christianity – These faiths influenced his thinking • Muhammad was a religious man who often left his home to live in a cave for extended periods – One of the times at the cave, Muhammad awoke to find himself in the presence of an angel, who commanded him to speak messages from Allah – Decides God has chosen him to be a prophet to spread messages • Allah was the one and only true God • Instructions on how to live to please Allah and live in paradise after death – Begins to preach in public and gains a number of followers • Some Meccans, however, did not accept his teachings • Muhammad moves from Mecca to Yathrib, which came to be called Medina, “the Prophet’s city” – This journey came to be known as the hegira, or hijra – The year the hegira took place became year one on the Islamic calendar (622) • This new faith was called Islam, meaning “achieving peace through submission to God” – Followers were called Muslims and claim ancestry to Abraham and his son • Eventually Muhammad defeats the people of Mecca and his influence becomes great Basic Religious Teachings • Monotheistic, the Qur’an is the sacred text of Islam – Written down by the followers of Muhammad – Muslims believe that only in its original Arabic language can one know the full meaning of the Qur’an – The Qur’an also lays out five basic acts that are central to Islam • The Five Pillars of Islam – Belief – profession of faith • “There is no god but God (Allah) and Muhammad is the messenger of God” • Also makes clear that Muhammad is a prophet, not a deity – Prayer – perform five daily prayers, always facing Mecca – Giving of alms or charity • Muslims are supposed to give a certain percentage of their income to the poor and needy – Fasting = going without food or drink • Do this from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan, the month when Muhammad began to report the messages • Muslims believe that fasting is a way to show that God is more important than one’s own body – Pilgrimage, called the hajj, to Mecca • Pilgrims gather by the thousands to pray in the city’s large mosque • Mosque = building in which Muslims worship – Obeying Allah’s will means following the Five Pillars • Guidelines for good behavior outlined in the Qur’an – Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol or eat pork – Must wash themselves before praying and prohibits lying, stealing, and murder – Jihad = “struggle for the faith” • Struggle to defend Muslim communities or to convert people to Islam – Islam is a peaceful religion • The Qur’an teaches that Allah is the same God that the Jews and Christians worship – Muhammad considered Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to be messengers of God, but saw himself as the last prophet – Both the Jewish and Christian bibles came from God, but the Qur’an was the final message from God to humanity – Muslims are to respect Jews and Christians as “people of the book” Spread of Islam • When Muhammad died, he had not named a successor – Abu Bakr was chosen – one of Muhammad’s closest companions and one of the first converts, he gained the title caliph = successor to Muhammad • Creation of an Arab Empire – Warred against neighboring people and expanded – Conquered most of the Middle East and part of North Africa and even Spain – The expansion into Europe was stopped at the Battle of Tours in 732 by Charles Martel – Attacked Constantinople, but was defeated • The attack on Constantinople led to the Crusades – Crusades = a holy war to regain the holy land – Many Crusades will be fought against Muslim power – The Crusades will have little impact on Southwest Asia except to breed centuries of mistrust between Christians and Muslims • Split in Islam – After the death of Abu Bakr, the title of caliph passed to the Umayyad dynasty, who made the office of caliph hereditary – Some Muslims, however, favored Ali, who was Muhammad’s son-in-law – A civil war broke out and Ali was killed – Leads to a split in Islam into two groups: • Sunni – “way of the prophet”, say that the Umayyads are the true caliphs – most Muslims are this • Shiite – “party of Ali”, say that the descendants of Ali are the true caliphs – mostly found in Iran and a part of Iraq Muslim Society • Family – Men were the head of the family and could have several wives – Had to protect the rights of women and children • Women – According to the Qur’an, women are equal to men before Allah • • – Women had more rights in the early days of Islam, but that came to an end with a later Muslim dynasty, the Abbasid – Women had to have a male guardian and were expected to stay at home and out of sight – Kept from social contact with men outside their families, had to be covered at all times Slavery – Slavery was common throughout Muslim lands – The Qur’an required slaves to be treated fairly – Slaves were given some legal rights, which included the right to buy their freedom – Setting slaves free was praised as a religious act The Arab Empire was prosperous due to extensive trade – The bazaar = a covered market – was a vital part of every Muslim city