Download Standard WHI.8a The Origin and Spread of Islam

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Islam
Standard WHI.8a
Where did the Islamic religion originate? Where did it spread? What are the beliefs, traditions, and
customs of Islam?
Vocabulary Builder: consequence (KON si kwens) n. the result or effect of an earlier action;
individual (in duh VIJ oo uhl) adj. private or for one person
The Origin and Spread of Islam
Around 570, Muhammad was born in Mecca, a thriving town in the Arabian Peninsula. In
Muhammad’s time, most people in the region were polytheistic, meaning that they worshipped
many gods. One of the region’s most important religious sites was the Kaaba, an ancient temple
that housed statues of gods and goddesses. The Kaaba, located in Mecca, attracted many visitors.
These visitors helped make Mecca’s merchants wealthy.
As Mecca’s wealth grew, Muhammad became troubled by the greed and other immoral behavior
of the people around him. He often went to a cave in the hills near Mecca to meditate. According
to Muslim belief, when he was about 40 years old he heard the voice of the angel Gabriel call him
to be the prophet, or messenger, of God.
By about 613, Muhammad began to preach in public. He brought a new message to his people.
He taught that there is only one God and that this God requires people to submit, or obey, him.
The Arabic word for submission, Islam, became the name of the religion. In Arabic, the word
for God is Allah. Believers in Islam are called Muslims, and they believe that the words of
Muhammad came directly from Allah.
Muhammad asked the people of Mecca to stop worshipping many gods and to believe in one
God. However, merchants in Mecca worried that people who followed Muhammad’s teachings
would stop coming to the city to pray at the temples of traditional gods, which they thought
would hurt their trade. After being threatened in 622, Muhammad left Mecca. He and his followers traveled to Yathrib, which was later renamed Medina (the “city of the Prophet”). The people
in Medina were willing to convert to Islam and spread the teachings of Muhammad.
When fighting broke out between the Meccans and the Muslims, Muhammad won the battles and
returned to Mecca, eventually making it the holiest city in Islam. After Muhammad’s death in
632, his followers carried the faith across Asia, Northern Africa, and into Spain.
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