Download World History – Winter Break Assignment The Post Roman World

World History – Winter Break Assignment
The Post Roman World – Middle East
Muhammad & The beginnings of Islam
Muhammad was born in the year 570 C.E., about 100 years after the fall of the Western half of the Roman Empire.
He was born on the Arabian Peninsula in a prosperous merchant town called Mecca. In Mecca, people were divided
along tribal lines, and each tribe worshipped different nature gods. Muhammad was raised as a polytheist, like
everyone else. His parents died when he was very young and he was raised by his uncle. According to most
accounts he spent his youth as a traveling merchant’s assistant and never learned to read or write. At the age of 25,
he married a wealthy merchant’s widow, Khadijah, and entered society as a man of means. It was as this time that
he became aware of the inequalities in society and became a sort of social activist. He didn’t like how materialistic
Meccan society was, or the unjust treatment that he witnessed of the poor and needy. But this is just the beginning
of his story.
At the age of 40, in 610 C.E. Muhammad had retreated to the mountains to meditate and be alone when he received
his first revelation from God. He claimed that the angel Gabriel came to him with messages from God, and forced
him to memorize them until he could recite them back perfectly. These messages became the basis of Islam, and
when written down, they became the holy book of Islam, the Qur’an (sometimes spelled Koran). The book was
compiled by his followers about 40 years after his first revelation. The basic message that Muhammad was given
was that all Arabs should submit to God’s will. The word for God in Arabic is Allah. Muhammad understood Allah
to be the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians, whom he had met in his travels as a merchant’s assistant.
The word Islam means submission to the will of Allah. There was little new in Muhammad’s message which he
began preaching, converting his family first.
Islam
The prophets of Islam were the same as the Jewish prophets, but with the addition of Jesus, who was seen a man, not
Allah but a prophet of Allah, and Muhammad, who was the LAST prophet of Allah. Like Judaism and Christianity,
Islam is a monotheistic religion. Some of the basic beliefs are that Allah is good and all powerful. Muslims (the
word Muslim translates to “one who submits to the will of Allah”) believe that there will be a judgment day for all
people that will result in heaven or hell. (Muslims believe that Muhammad and Jesus will return together to
Jerusalem to fight the forces of evil. This is partially why Jerusalem is a sacred city for Muslims). Muslims believe
that men should be thankful to Allah for making the world, and that Allah expects men to be generous with their
wealth, caring for the poor and downtrodden. Muslims believe that Muhammad, as the last prophet, was sent by
Allah to teach men and warn them about the last judgment.
The Five Pillars of Islam
The Five Pillars of Islam are five things that all good Muslims must do, and they are essential to the faith. The First,
is “The profession of faith.” This is a prayer and a statement of belief. In order to become a Muslim, one must say
and believe the following: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” The Second is that all
Muslims must pray five times a day facing the holy city of Mecca (I’ve explained the holiness of Mecca below).
This is a time for Muslims to stop what they are doing, regroup, recenter their focus on religion, and pray. It only
takes a few moments but it makes prayer a central part of each day. Students are Vernon Hills High School who are
Muslims sometimes go down to the LST to perform their prayers and are given a quiet place to do so. The Third, is
that all Muslims who are able, must give 2.5% of their income to charity each year. This is called zakat. The Fourth
is that all Muslims who are medically able must fast (not eat or drink) from sun-up to sun-down for a month during
the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan was the month over which Muhammad was given Allah’s message. Many
students will eat breakfast before the sun comes up, but they do not eat or drink water all day until sundown when a
big dinner is served. Being hungry during the day reminds Muslims of what it is like to go without. It is to bring
attention to what life is like for those who cannot afford to eat. The Fifth and last of the pillars is that all Muslims
are supposed to try to go to Mecca (called Hajj) at least once in their lifetime. The Hajj happens during the 12th
month of the Islamic calendar (a lunar calendar, so the date changes each year). It is the largest pilgrimage to any
city in the world. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims travel to Mecca during this time each year.
The Spread of Islam and Islamic leadership
Muhammad first tried to spread his message in Mecca. Mecca, religiously, had always been an important city. In
the center of the city was a large brick building called the Kaaba. This structure housed statues of the different
nature gods worshipped in the city. Embedded in the side of the building was a large black stone, thought to be a
meteorite. As a people who worshipped nature gods, this stone was seen as a gift from the gods. In order to be
taken seriously, Muhammad knew that he would have to win over the people of Mecca. At first the Meccans were
World History – Winter Break Assignment
The Post Roman World – Middle East
not receptive to his message. Jews and Christians who lived there and recognized the message did not want to
convert, and Meccan authorities came to see Muhammad as a trouble maker. In a wealthy trade city, telling
merchants to be generous with their wealth was an idea that many objected to. The authorities tried to quiet
Muhammad. Therefore in 622 C.E., Muhammad and his followers left Mecca and went to a city north of there
called Medina. This journey to Medina is called the hegira (pronounced heh-jee-rah), which means “breaking of
former ties.” It was a pivotal event for Islam, because in Medina, Muhammad finally gained a large following. This
was the true foundation of the Islamic faith. The hegira also marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
The First Islamic Community, and the start of Islamic law
In Medina Muhammad created the first Islamic community. He established his own legal system and strict
rules governing diet (no pork, no alcohol to excess – though most Muslims do not drink at all). He also established
a strict system of morality. Muslims were not to gamble or loan money expecting to make a profit. Instead, they
should loan money to help out fellow Muslims. Infanticide (the intentional killing of babies), which had long been a
practice for dealing with unwanted pregnancies, especially those that resulted in baby girls, was prohibited. All
Muslims were commanded to learn to read the Qu’ran in Arabic, the language it was written in. Eventually, this
would create a community where all Muslims, regardless of what country they lived in, could communicate with
each other in Arabic. The last new concept that came from Muhammad’s time in Medina was the idea of Jihad. The
word Jihad translates to “holy struggle.” While most people today translate it was “holy war” that is not entirely
accurate. A holy struggle can take place within a person when they are doubting their faith. A woman in childbirth
is said to be in Jihad. These examples are the more common use of Jihad among Muslims. Holy war, is another
type of Jihad but it came with strict prohibitions. Muslims could only engage in holy war if they were being
prevented from practicing their faith. It was to be defensive, not offensive. And in Jihad, civilian lives were to be
protected. Farms and animals were to respected and left uninjured. In short, what the modern world calls Jihad
(primarily terrorist actions) would have been frowned upon by Muhammad, as they are by most modern Muslims.
They are innately un-Islamic. The first real Jihad was waged against Mecca because the Meccan authorities refused
to let Muhammad preach the word of Allah and had chased him out of town. In 624 C.E. Muhammad’s army
conquered Mecca.
The following passage about Jihad are from the Qur’an:
Fight in the cause of God against those who fight against you, but do not begin
hostilities. Surely, God love snot the aggressors. Once they start the fighting,
kill them wherever you meet them, and drive them out from where they have
driven you out, for aggression is more heinous than killing. But fight them until
all aggression ceases and religion is professed for the pleasure of God
alone. If they desist, then be mindful that no retaliation is permissible
except against aggressors.
Conquest of Mecca and the Kaaba
In Mecca, Muhammad destroyed all of the idols kept in Kaaba,
explaining that the structure had been built by the patriarch of
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Abraham, and his son Ishmael. It
was a holy place. The black stone, was said to have come from the
Garden of Eden and was placed on the Kaaba by Abraham & Ishmael
as well. Legend says the stone was white when it fell to earth, but
turned black by absorbing the sins of man. This is the destination of
the Haaj, the fifth pillar, described above. The Kaaba is located inside
a mosque (holy building of Islam) called al-Masjidu’l-Haram, and is
The black stone in the Kaaba
the holiest place in Islam. It is towards the Kaaba that Muslims face
when they pray, and it is around the Kaaba that the ritual is performed by Muslims during Haaj
and other holidays. Meccans came to accept Islam, and Mecca became the center of Islam.
The Kaaba during Haaj
The Rightly Guided Caliphs (632-661 C.E.)
In 632 C.E., Muhammad died. He did not name an heir to lead the new Islamic community so through
Arab tradition, a new leader was elected. This leader was called the rightly guided Caliph. Almost immediately
there was friction in the new Muslim community. Some people felt that only people who were of Muhammad’s
bloodline should be able to lead the Islamic community. Others felt it should be the person best suited for the job.
World History – Winter Break Assignment
The Post Roman World – Middle East
The first elected leader was Abu Bakr, the father-in-law of Muhammad. Those who agreed with the election of the
Rightly Guided Caliph, regardless of his bloodline, were called Sunni. Those who only wanted Muhammad’s
bloodline to rule were called Shiite. Shiite translates to “party of Ali;” Ali was Muhammad’s cousin. There four
rightly guided caliphs, each leading the religious community as well as the expansion of the empire: Abu Bark,
Umar, Uthman, and Ali.
Sunnis and Shiities
Today, there are still two groups in the Islamic community. Sunnis make up about 85% of the world’s
Muslim population. Shiite are about 15% of the world’s Muslim population and are the majority in Iran, Iraq,
Azerbaijan and Bahrain. The differences between these groups began as slight but grew over time to include certain
religious differences. Through most of history, Sunni and Shiite Muslims lived side by side without conflict. The
current conflicts that exist between them in the Middle East, primarily in Iraq, are political in nature, not religious.
Saddam Hussein was a Sunni and persecuted the Shiite majority when he ruled Iraq. The Sunni population,
although the minority, are still trying to hold on to power while the Shiite are trying to assert their majority status.
Both groups follow Sharia law (Islamic law based on the Qur’an), although only Sunni add on the Hadith
to that (recordings of things Muhammad said and did in his lifetime). The Shiite also follow a line of Imams
(religious leaders) that they believe to be appointed by God. These Imams are seen as sinless and are honored like
saints. The 12th Imam disappeared without explanation in the 10th century. The Shiite believe he is a messiah who
will return with Jesus when the world is in chaos, and restore peace.
The Expansion of the Islamic Empire and the Islamic Faith
The Islamic empire spread through conquest, as all empires, do. However, the faith was not spread by the
sword. In the 7th century, the Islamic empire added on lands in the east by conquering the Sassanids (a group trying
to recreate the Persian Empire). It also spread to the West by claiming Mesopotamia and the Levant (Israel,
Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, etc.) by defeating the Byzantine Empire. In the 8 th century, they added Egypt and the rest of
North Africa, as well as Spain. In 732 they were stopped from advancing further into Europe by the Franks, a
Christian empire, led by Charles Martel of the Carolingian Dynasty. At Tours, a city in France, they were defeated,
and retreated back behind the Pyrenees mountains, leaving the border between the Muslim and Christian worlds
between Spain and France.
When new lands were conquered, Islam was offered a choice for conversion, but it was not encouraged,
and certainly not forced. Christians and Jews, were named in the Qur’an as “People of the book.” The following
passage about Christians and Jews is from the Qur’an:
Verily, they who believe and who follow the Jewish religion, and the
Christians… whoever of these believeth in God and the Last Day, and does that
which is right shall have their reward with the Lord. Fear shall not come upon
them, neither shall they be grieved.
We believe in God and what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down
to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, and what was given
Moses, Jesus and the prophets by their Lord. We do not differentiate between
them, and are committed to live at peace with Him.
Jews and Christians were allowed to freely practice their religion in Muslim lands, but could not try to convert
others. They also had to pay an extra tax, equal to the 2.5% that all Muslims gave to charity. As a matter of fact,
when conquered peoples started converting to Islam, the Muslim leaders were not sure what to do about this and at
first treated converts as second class citizens.
Interestingly enough, Islam has become the world’s fastest growing religion and is the second largest
religion in the world today. Because of this, the majority of the world’s Muslims are not Arab! The biggest
population of Muslims can be found in Indonesia, an island chain is southeast Asia.
The First Islamic Dynasty – the Umayyad Dynasty (661-750 C.E.)
In 661 C.E. the fourth Caliph, Ali, Muhammad’s cousin & son-in-law was assassinated. For a short time
there was confusion and chaos until a military general who was the governor of Syria, Muawiyah created a new
caliphate. He started the Umayyad Dynasty and made the caliphate hereditary. The Umayyads were the first
Muslim leaders to live in splendor. They donned the robes of royalty and lived a luxurious lifestyle. They also
moved the capital from Mecca to Damascus (although Mecca was still the holiest city). The Sunnis supported the
Umayyad caliphate while the Shiites were disgusted with the opulence of the regime. On top of the fact that the
World History – Winter Break Assignment
The Post Roman World – Middle East
Umayyads were not of Muhammad’s bloodline, they were living a wealthy lifestyle that the Shiite felt Muhammad
would have rejected. Because of their lavish lifestyles and because they treated non-Arab Muslims as second class
citizens, the Umayyad Dynasty was overthrown by the Abbasid Dynasty. The members of the Umayyad Dynasty
who survived the overthrow fled to Spain, called Al-Andalus, and ruled only Spain until 1031 C.E.
The Abbasid Dynasty, 750-1258 C.E.
The Abbasid Dynasty moved the capital of the Muslim world once again, this time to Baghdad in
Mesopotamia. There, under their leadership, a Golden Age of Islam began. While Europe was in the Dark Ages, the
Islamic world was the academic center of the world. Muslim scholars had kept Greek works of philosophy &
science alive. They translated the works of Plato and Aristotle into Arabic, which allowed them to be widely read
and commented upon. Once the European Dark Ages ended, this is how Europeans were reintroduced to the Greek
and Roman works, through traders and the preservation of texts in the Muslim world. The University is a Muslim
creation. The world’s oldest University is the Azhar Mosque University in Cairo Egypt, founded in the 9 th century.
Many new scientific discoveries came from the Middle East in this time period as well. Optics and spherical
trigonometry were created and studied. In medicine, doctors in Baghdad were performing cataract removals at their
state of the art hospitals. Every major city had a hospital, physicians, pharmacists, and nurses. Part of this is due to
the fact that the Qur’an places a strong emphasis on the value of education and gaining knowledge. Allah is all
knowing, so the quest for knowledge was seen as a way to further known God. The Golden Age lasted about 150
years, ending in 1258 when the Mongols sacked Baghdad under the authority of Genghis Khan. When this
happened, the Islamic world fractured into more locally controlled territories until the rise of the Ottoman Empire in
the 14th and 15th centuries.
Below: The Muslim Empire by 750, the start of the Abbasid Dynasty
Your assignment for Winter Break, complete the following IDs:
1. Muhammad
13.
2. Qur’an
14.
3. Gabriele
15.
4. How Islam is related to Judaism and
16.
Christianity
17.
5. The meaning of the word Islam
18.
6. The meaning of the word Muslim
19.
7. The Five Pillars of Islam
20.
8. Medina/Hegira
21.
9. Laws governing the first religious
22.
community
23.
10. The importance of Arabic
24.
11. Jihad
25.
12. Kaaba
Mecca
Rightly Guided Caliphs
Sunni
Shiite
Sharia Law
Hadith
Expansion of Islam
The Battle of Tours
Treatment of Jews and Christians
The Umayyad Dynasty
The Abbasid Dynasty
Golden Age of Islam/ Baghdad
Impact of the Golden Age of Europe
World History – Winter Break Assignment
The Post Roman World – Middle East