Download Unit 3 The Islamic World

UNIT 3 THE ISLAMIC WORLD
CHAPTER 3 THE RISE OF ISLAM
GEOGRAPHY AND LIFE IN ARABIA
GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF ARABIA
Arabia is mostly a desert land
 Arabia is made up of 3 deserts, the Syrian
Desert, the Nafud Desert, and the Rub’ Al-Khali
 Arabia is also surrounded by water on three
sides, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and
the Red Sea
 This makes it a peninsula called the Arabian
Peninsula.

DESERT






Hot & Dry
Huge and sandy
Sand dunes: hills of sand
shaped by the wind
Limited water
No permanent lakes of
rivers.
Cover much of Arabia’s
interior.
OASIS


Wet, fertile, soil area in the
desert
Form where underground
water bubbles to the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF ARABIA
NOMADIC



Lived in tents and raised
herds of sheep, goats, and
camels.
Traveled with their herds
across the deserts
Belonged to a tribe that
offered protection from
desert dangers.
DESERT LIFESTYLES
SEDENTARY





Settled people
Lived in or around oasis
Most people lived in towns
Merchants and craftspeople
lived and traded in towns
Centers for caravans.
ACTIVITY:

Instructions: Create a collage that depicts the
two main features of Arabia’s geography—
desert and oasis---and the two main lifestyles
of Arabia---nomadic and sedentary.
OASIS
DESERT
Climate
Lifestyle
Benefits
Drawbacks
BELLWORK 10/23/12
SECTION 1 GEOGRAPHY & LIFE IN ARABIA
A CROSSROADS LOCATION
The Arabian Peninsula is located in the
southwest corner of Asia
 It lies near the intersection of three continents
– Asia, Africa, & Europe.
 Trade routes passing through the region have
linked the three continents for thousands of
years.

PHYSICAL FEATURES
Region has hot and dry air which has created
many deserts.
 Sand Dunes: hills of sand shaped by the wind
that can rise to 800 feet high and stretch for
hundreds of miles.
 Oasis: a wet, fertile area in a desert.

DESERT CLIMATE
Arabia is one of the hottest, driest places in the
world
 Hard for plants and animals to survive.

TWO WAYS OF LIFE

To live in Arabia’s difficult desert environment,
people developed two main ways of life.
 Nomadic:
moving from place to place
 Nomads
lived in tents and raised herds of sheep, goats,
and camels.
 Traveled with herds across the desert, moving along
regular routes as seasons changed, to get food and
water for their animals.
 Sedentary:
 Settled
settled, life in towns
in oasis, where they farmed
 Most people in Arabia lived in towns
TRADE CENTERS

Merchants and craftspeople worked with
people in the caravan trade.
 Caravan:
is a group of traders that travel together.
Most towns had a souk: market or bazaar in
which nomads traded animal products and
desert herbs for goods.
 Merchants would sell spices, gold, leather, and
other goods.

SECTION 2 ORIGINS OF ISLAM
Objective Questions
WHO WAS MUHAMMAD?
WHAT RELIGION DID HE ESTABLISH AND WHY?
MUHAMMAD BECOMES A PROPHET
A man by the name of Muhammad introduced
a new religion to the people of Arabia
 Not much is known about Muhammad, but
what we do know comes from religious writings.

MUHAMMAD’S EARLY LIFE






Born into an important family in Mecca around 570 AD
Both his parents died before Muhammad was age 6.
Raised by his grandfather and uncle.
Traveled with his uncle’s caravans
Managed a caravan business and married the owner,
Khadijah.
Muhammad noticed that many rich people in Mecca did
not share their wealth with the poor as they were
supposed to.
A MESSAGE FOR MUHAMMAD



When Muhammad was 40, he went into a cave to meditate.
According to Islamic teachings, an angel appeared and told
Muhammad to become a prophet of God’s word.
Muhammad was scared but in 613 AD did start to tell other
people the messages from God.





The messages Muhammad received form the basis of the religion
called Islam.
The word Islam means “to submit to God.”
A follower of Islam is called a Muslim.
Muslims believe Muhammad continued receiving messages from
God for the rest of his life.
These messages were collected in the Qur’an, the holy book of
Islam.
MUHAMMAD’S TEACHINGS
Not all of Muhammad’s early teachings were
new; in fact, some were much like the
teachings of Judaism and Christianity.
 But Muhammad’s teachings did challenge and
upset the people of Arabia.
 A Belief in One God: “Allah” much like
Christianity and Judaism, monotheistic religion.
 Recognized the same prophets as Christianity
and Judaism.

A CHALLENGE TO OLD IDEAS







Most Arabs were not Jews or Christians, so Muhammad’s teachings
were not accepted.
Believed in many gods, polytheism, and worshipped them in shrines.
Did not like being told to stop worshipping their gods and goddesses.
Muhammad’s new religion seemed like a threat to people who made
money, especially merchants.
Rich and poor were supposed to be equal according to Muhammad.
People should give money to help the poor. Many wealthy merchants
didn’t want to help the poor. Instead, they wanted to keep all of their
money.
Because of this, Muhammad’s teachings were rejected.
ISLAM SPREADS IN ARABIA

From Mecca to Medina
Slowly, more people began to listen to Muhammad.
 In his hometown of Mecca, Muhammad had to watch
out for attacks on him and his followers from the
wealthy rulers, who did not agree with his teachings.
 In 622 AD, Muhammad, his family, and his followers left
Mecca and traveled to Medina, “the Prophet’s city”.
 This departure from Mecca to Medina has become
known in Muslim history as the hegira.

FROM MEDINA TO THE REST OF ARABIA
Muhammad’s house became the first mosque,
place for Muslim prayer.
 Muhammad said that Muslims should face Mecca
when they pray instead of Jerusalem.
 Muslims recognize the importance of the Kaaba,
which was a house of worship built in Mecca.
 As time passed, other Arab tribes adopted
Muhammad’s teachings and eventually,
Muhammad was allowed back into Mecca.
 Muhammad died in 632 AD in Medina.

SECTION 3 ISLAMIC BELIEFS & PRACTICES
THE QUR’AN
After Muhammad’s death, his followers wrote
down his teachings in a book, the Qur’an.
 The central teaching in the Qur’an is that there
is only one God – Allah – and the Muhammad
is his prophet.
 Islam teaches that the world has a beginning
and an end and those who follow God’s orders
will be granted life in paradise, much like the
Bible.

THE QUR’AN
The Qur’an guides Muslims behavior, for example,
Muslims must wash themselves before they pray,
and they cannot eat pork or drink alcohol.
 The Qur’an also encourages Muslims to free
slaves.
 It also describes rights for women, including the
right to own property, earn money, and get an
education.
 However, most Muslim women still have fewer
rights than men.

THE QUR’AN

Jihad: “to make an effort, or to struggle.”
 Refers
to the inner struggle people go through in
their effort to obey God.
 Also can mean the struggle to defend the Muslim
community.
 The word has been also translated as “holy war”.
THE SUNNAH
The Qur’an is not the only source of Islamic
teachings.
 The Sunnah refers to the way Muhammad lived,
which provides a model for the duties and the
way of life expected of Muslims.

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

Five acts of worship required of all Muslims.
 “There
is no god but God, and Muhammad is his
prophet.”
 Muslims must pray 5 times a day: before sunrise,
at midday, in late afternoon, right after sunset, and
before going to bed.
 Yearly donation to charity
 Fasting, going without food and drink, Ramadan.
 Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their
lives.
ISLAMIC LAW
Shariah, Islamic Law, is a system based on
Islamic sources and human reason that judges
the rightness of actions an individual or
community might take.
 Shariah sets rewards for good behavior and
punishment for crimes.
 It is the basis for law in Muslim countries until
modern times.
