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The Roots of Islam
The Big Idea
In the harsh desert climate of Arabia, Muhammad, a
merchant from Mecca, introduced a major world religion
called Islam.
Main Ideas
• Arabia is mostly a desert land, where two ways of life,
nomadic and sedentary, developed.
• A new religion called Islam, founded by the prophet
Muhammad, spread throughout Arabia in the 600s.
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Main Idea 1:
Arabia is mostly a desert land, where two
ways of life, nomadic and sedentary,
developed.
• The Arabian Peninsula lies near the intersection of Africa,
Asia, and Europe.
• Arabia lies in a region with hot, dry air.
• The climate has created a band of deserts across Arabia
and northern Africa.
– The desert has limited water, which is located mainly in
oases. An oasis is a wet, fertile area in a desert.
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Two Ways of Life
• In a nomadic life, people moved from place to place within
tribes for protection and as the seasons changed.
• Sedentary people settled in oases, where they could farm.
These settlements often became towns.
• Towns became centers of trade. Many had a market or
bazaar where goods were traded.
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Main Idea 2:
A new religion called Islam, founded by the
prophet Muhammad, spread throughout
Arabia in the 600s.
• A man named Muhammad taught a new religion to the
people of Arabia.
• Muslims believe that God spoke to Muhammad through an
angel and made him a prophet.
• The messages he received were the basis for Islam and
were collected in the holy book of Islam called the Qur’an.
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Muhammad’s Teachings
• Muhammad taught that there is only one God, Allah,
which means “the God” in Arabic. This is similar to
Christianity and Judaism.
• Muhammad’s teachings were new to Arabs, who
worshipped many gods. This teaching upset some people.
• Muhammad said the rich and poor should be equal. Many
wealthy merchants did not like this idea.
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Islam Spreads in Arabia
Islam spread from Mecca to Medina.
– Rulers of Mecca began to threaten Muhammad with
violence as Islam started to influence more people.
– Muhammad left Mecca and went to Medina.
– This departure became known in Muslim history as the
hegira, or journey.
– Islam thrived in Medina, and other Arab tribes in the
region accepted Islam.
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Islam Spreads from Medina
to the Rest of Arabia
• Muhammad’s house became the first mosque, or building
for Muslim prayer.
• Muslim communities in Medina grew stronger, and other
Arab tribes accepted Islam.
• Mecca finally accepted Islam as its religion in 630.
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Islamic Beliefs and Practices
The Big Idea
Sacred texts called the Qur’an and the Sunnah guide Muslims
in their religion, daily life, and laws.
Main Ideas
• The Qur’an guides Muslims’ lives.
• The Sunnah tells Muslims of important duties expected of
them.
• Islamic law is based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
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Main Idea 1:
The Qur’an guides Muslims’ lives.
• The world has a definite end, and on that final day, God will
judge all people.
• The Qur’an sets out guidelines for moral behavior, acts of
worship, and rules for social life
– Muslims were encouraged to free slaves.
– Women could own property, earn money, and receive an
education.
• The Qur’an discusses Jihad, which means to make an effort, or
to struggle. Jihad refers to the inner struggle people go through
in their effort to obey God and behave according to Islamic
ways.
– Jihad can also mean the struggle to defend the Muslim
community, or historically, to convert people to Islam. The
word has also been translated as “holy war.”
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Main Idea 2:
The Sunnah tells Muslims of important duties
expected of them.
• The hadith is the written record of Muhammad’s words
and actions. It is the basis for the Sunnah.
• The Sunnah provides a model for the duties and way of
life expected of Muslims.
• The first duties of a Muslim are known as the Five Pillars of
Islam, which are five acts of worship required of all
Muslims.
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The Five Pillars of Islam
1. Saying “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his
prophet”
2. Praying five times a day
3. Giving to the poor and needy
4. Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
5. Traveling to Mecca at least once on a hajj
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Main Idea 3:
Islamic law is based on the Qur’an and the
Sunnah.
The Qur’an and the Sunnah
form the basis of Islamic
law, or Shariah.
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Shariah is a system based on
Islamic sources and human
reason that judges the
rightness of actions taken.
Islamic Empires
The Big Idea
After the early spread of Islam, three large Islamic empires
formed–the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal.
Main Ideas
• Muslim armies conquered many lands into which Islam
slowly spread.
• Trade helped Islam spread into new areas.
• Three Muslim empires controlled much of Europe, Asia,
and Africa from the 1400s to the 1800s.
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Main Idea 1:
Muslim armies conquered many lands into
which Islam slowly spread.
• After Muhammad’s death, Abu Bakr became the first
caliph, the title that Muslims use for the highest leader of
Islam.
• Caliphs were not religious leaders, but political and
military leaders.
• Abu Bakr directed a series of battles against Arab tribes
who did not follow Muhammad’s teachings.
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Growth of the Empire
• Muslim armies battled
tribes that did not follow
Muhammad’s teachings.
• The Muslim armies
united Arabia, then
defeated the Persian
and Byzantine empires.
• Conquered people could
not build new churches
or dress like Muslims.
• Christians and Jews
could continue to
practice their own
religion.
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• After years of fighting
Muslim armies, many
Berbers, a native people of
North Africa, converted to
Islam and joined forces
with the Arabs.
• A combined Berber and
Arab army invaded Spain
and conquered it in AD
711.
Main Idea 2:
Trade helped Islam
spread into new areas.
• Along with their trade goods, Arab merchants took Islamic
beliefs to new lands.
• Islam spread to India, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
• Trade brought new products to Muslim lands.
– Travelers learned how to make paper from the Chinese.
– Merchants brought crops of cotton, rice, and oranges
from India, China, and Southeast Asia.
– Muslim merchants set up trade businesses in Africa.
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A Mix of Cultures
• As Islam spread through
trade, warfare, and
treaties, Arabs came into
contact with people who
had different beliefs and
lifestyles.
• Language and religion
helped unify many groups
that became part of the
Islamic world.
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• Muslims generally
practiced tolerance, or
acceptance, with regard to
these people.
• Jews and Christians, in
particular, could keep their
beliefs.
Growth of Cities
Baghdad
• Capital of Islamic Empire
• One of the world’s richest
cities through trade and
farming.
• Center of culture and
learning
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Cordoba
• By the AD 900s, was the
largest and most advanced
city in Europe
• Showplace of Muslim
civilization
Main Idea 3:
Three Muslim empires controlled much of
Europe, Asia, and Africa from the 1400s to
the 1800s.
• The great era of Arab Muslim expansion
lasted until the 1100s.
• Three non-Arab Muslim groups built
large, powerful empires that took control
of much of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
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Ottoman Empire
• Ottomans were Muslim
Turkish warriors who took
territory in the mid-1200s.
• During Suleyman’s rule,
the Ottoman Empire
reached its height.
• The Ottomans were aided
by slave soldiers called
Janissaries.
• Ottomans took control of
the eastern Mediterranean
and pushed farther into
Europe from 1520–1566.
• They had new gunpowder
weapons.
• Mehmed II and Suleyman I
led conquests that turned
the Ottomans into a world
power.
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• They would control these
areas until the early
1800s.
The Safavid Empire Begins
• Safavids were Persian Muslims.
• A conflict arose over who should be caliph among the
Safavids, Ottomans, and other Muslims.
• Islam split into two groups.
– The Shia thought that only members of Muhammad’s
family could become caliphs.
– The Sunni thought it did not matter as long as they
were good Muslims and strong leaders.
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The Safavid Empire
• The Safavid Empire began in 1501 when the Safavid
leader Esma‘il conquered Persia and made himself shah,
or king.
• He made Shiism, the beliefs of the Shia, the official
religion of the empire.
• ‘Abbas became shah in 1588. He became the greatest
Safavid leader.
– He defeated the Uzbeks and took back lands that had been
lost to the Ottomans.
• The Safavids blended Persian and Muslim traditions.
• The Safavid Empire lasted until the mid-1700s.
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The Mughal Empire
• The Mughal Empire was located in northern India and was
comprised of Turkish Muslims from Central Asia.
• Babur established the Mughal Empire, but it grew mostly
under an emperor named Akbar.
• Akbar’s tolerant policies allowed Muslims and Hindus to
live in peace.
• In the late 1600s, an emperor reversed the tolerant
policies, which led to conflicts and the end of the empire.
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Cultural Achievements
The Big Idea
Muslim scholars and artists made important contributions to
science, art, and literature.
Main Ideas
• Muslim scholars made lasting contributions to the fields of
science and philosophy.
• In literature and the arts, Muslim achievements included
beautiful poetry, memorable short stories, and splendid
architecture.
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Main Idea 1:
Muslim scholars made lasting contributions
to the fields of science and philosophy.
• Muslim scholars made advances in astronomy, geography,
math, and science.
• Many ancient writings were translated into Arabic.
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Cultural Achievements
• Geography
– Geographers made more accurate maps than before and
developed better ways of calculating distances.
• Math
– They combined the Indian number system, including the use
of zero, with the Greek science of mathematics.
– One mathematician laid the foundations for modern algebra.
• Astronomy
– They made improvements to the astrolabe, which the Greeks
had invented to chart the positions of the stars.
– Many cities had observatories where people could study the
sun, moon, and stars.
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More Scholarly Advances
• Medicine
– The Muslims’ greatest scientific achievements may have come
in medicine.
– Muslims started the first pharmacy school to teach people
how to make medicine.
– A doctor discovered how to treat smallpox.
– Another doctor, known in the west as Avicenna, wrote a
medical encyclopedia.
• Philosophy
– Muslim philosophy focused on spiritual issues, which led to a
movement called Sufism, and on rational thought.
– Sufism teaches that people can find God’s love by having a
personal relationship with God.
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Main Idea 2:
In literature and the arts, Muslim
achievements included beautiful poetry,
memorable short stories, and splendid
architecture.
• Literature
– Two forms of literature were popular in the Muslim
world—poetry and short stories.
• Architecture
– The greatest architectural achievements were mosques.
They often had a dome and minarets—narrow towers
from which Muslims are called to prayer.
– Patrons, or sponsors, used their wealth to pay for
elaborately decorated mosques.
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More Islamic Influences
Art
– Because they could not represent people or animals in
paintings due to their religion, Muslim artists turned
calligraphy, or decorative writing, into an art form.
– They used this technique to decorate buildings and
mosques.
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