Download Muhammad- Station 1 - Elizabeth School District

Muhammad- Station 1
Islam was founded in Arabia. Muhammed was the founder of Islam.
A Biography of Muhammad
570 C.E.
Muhammad's Birth and Infancy
Muhammad was born in the year 570 in the town of Mecca, a mountain town in the high desert plateau of western Arabia. His name
derives from the Arabic verb hamada, meaning "to praise, to glorify." He was the first and only son of Abd Allah bin Al-Muttalib and
Amina bint Wahb. Abd Allah died before Muhammad's birth and Muhammad was raised by his mother Amina, who in keeping with
Meccan tradition entrusted her son at an early age to a wet nurse named Halima from the nomadic tribe of the Sa'd ibn Bakr. He grew
up in the hill country, learning their pure Arabic.
575C.E.
Muhammad Becomes an Orphan
When Muhammad was five or six his mother took him to Yathrib, an oasis town a few hundred miles north of Mecca, to stay with
relatives and visit his father's grave there. On the return journey, Amina took ill and died. She was buried in the village of Abwa on the
Mecca-Medina Road. Halima, his nurse, returned to Mecca with the orphaned boy and placed him in the protection of his paternal
grandfather, Abdul Al-Muttalib. In this man's care, Muhammad learned the rudiments of statecraft. Mecca was Arabia's most
important pilgrimage center and Abdul Al-Muttalib its most respected leader. He controlled important pilgrimage concessions and
frequently presided over Mecca's Council of Elders.
580-594 C.E.
Muhammad's Teens
As a young boy, Muhammad worked as a shepherd to help pay his keep (his uncle was of modest means). In his teens he sometimes
traveled with Abu Talib, who was a merchant, accompanying caravans to trade centers. On at least one occasion, he is said to have
traveled as far north as Syria. Older merchants recognized his character and nicknamed him El–Amin, the one you can trust
594 C.E.
Muhammad Acts as Caravan Agent for Wealthy Tradeswoman, Khadija
In his early twenties, Muhammad entered the service of a wealthy Meccan merchant, a widow named Khadija bint Khawalayd. The
two were distant cousins. Muhammad carried her goods to the north and returned with a profit.
595-609 C.E.
Muhammad's Marriage and Family Life
Impressed by Muhammad's honesty and character, Khadija eventually proposed marriage. They were wed in about 595. He was
twenty-five. She was nearly forty.
Muhammad continued to manage Khadija's business affairs, and their next years were pleasant and prosperous. Six children were born
to them, two sons who both died in infancy, and four daughters. Mecca prospered too, becoming a well–off trading center in the hands
of an elite group of clan leaders who were mostly successful traders.
610 C.E.
Muhammad Receives First Revelation
Mecca's new materialism and its traditional idolatry disturbed Muhammad. He began making long retreats to a mountain cave outside
town. There, he fasted and meditated. On one occasion, after a number of indistinct visionary experiences, Muhammad was visited by
an overpowering presence and instructed to recite words of such beauty and force that he and others gradually attributed them to God.
This experience shook Muhammad to the core. It was several years before he dared to talk about it outside his family.
613 C.E.
Muhammad Takes his Message Public
After several similar experiences, Muhammad finally began to reveal the messages he was receiving to his tribe. These were gathered
verse by verse and later would become the Qur'an, Islam's sacred scripture. In the next decade, Muhammad and his followers were
first belittled and ridiculed, then persecuted and physically attacked for departing from traditional Mecca's tribal ways. Muhammad's
message was resolutely monotheistic. For several years, the the Quraysh, Mecca's dominant tribe, levied a ban on trade with
Muhammad's people, subjecting them to near famine conditions. Toward the end of the decade, Muhammad's wife and uncle both
died. Finally, the leaders of Mecca attempted to assassinate Muhammad.
622 C.E.
Muhammad and the Muslims Emigrate to Medina
In 622, Muhammad and his few hundred followers left Mecca and traveled to Yathrib, the oasis town where his father was buried. The
leaders there were suffering through a vicious civil war, and they had invited this man well known for his wisdom to act as their
mediator. Yathrib soon became known as Medina, the City of the Prophet. Muhammad remained here for the next six years, building
the first Muslim community and gradually gathering more and more people to his side.
625-628 C.E.
The Military Period
The Meccans did not take Muhammad's new success lightly. Early skirmishes led to three major battles in the next three years. Of
these the Muslims won the first (the Battle of Badr, March, 624), lost the second (the Battle of Uhud, March, 625), and outlasted the
third, (The Battle of the Trench and the Siege of Medina, April, 627). In March, 628, a treaty was signed between the two sides,
which recognized the Muslims as a new force in Arabia and gave them freedom to move unmolested throughout Arabia. Meccan allies
breached the treaty a year later.
630 C.E.
The Conquest of Mecca
By now, the balance of power had shifted radically away from once-powerful Mecca, toward Muhammad and the Muslims.
In January, 630, they marched on Mecca and were joined by tribe after tribe along the way. They entered Mecca without bloodshed
and the Meccans, seeing the tide had turned, joined them.
630-632 C.E.
Muhammad's Final Years
Muhammad returned to live in Medina. In the next three years, he consolidated most of the Arabian Peninsula under Islam. In
March, 632, he returned to Mecca one last time to perform a pilgrimage, and tens of thousands of Muslims joined him.
After the pilgrimage, he returned to Medina. Three months later on June 8, 632 he died there, after a brief illness. He is buried in the
mosque in Medina. Within a hundred years Muhammad's teaching and way of life had spread from the remote corners of Arabia as far
east as Indo-China and as far west as Morocco, France and Spain.
The Quran-Station 2
The religion of the Muslims is outlined in a holy book called the Quran (Koran). The Quran outlines the
duties of a Muslim; provides information about how Muslims should live and dress; offers stories about
the rise of Christianity and Judaism as well as stories about the prophets of those religions and Islam.
For Muslims, Islam is a way of life. However, there is a difference between Islam and Muslim culture.
Explain that Muslims in various countries have their own cultural traditions, which determine such things
as the forms of dress. In some cultures men might cover their heads with a turban; in others, the head
might be covered with a smaller hat called a kufi. All male Muslims must have a beard; all women must
cover themselves.
The Qur'an is the holy book for Muslims, revealed in stages to the Prophet Muhammad over 23 years.
Qur'anic revelations are regarded by Muslims as the sacred word of God, intended to correct any errors
in previous holy books such as the Old and New Testaments.
Origin
The Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by God in Arabic. Some Qur'anic fragments have
been dated as far back as the eighth, and possibly even the seventh, century. The oldest existing copy
of the full text is from the ninth century. Although early variants of the Qur'an are known to have
existed, Muslims believe that the text we have today was established shortly after the death of the
Prophet by the Caliph Uthman.
Contents
There are 114 chapters in the Qur'an, which is written in the old Arabic dialect. All the chapters except
one begin with the sentence Bismillahir rahmanir raheem, 'In the name of Allah the most merciful and
the most kind'. This is the thought with which Muslims should start every action. The longest chapter of
the Qur'an is Surah Baqarah (The Cow) with 286 verses and the shortest is Surah AlKawther(abundance) which has 3 verses. The arrangement of surahs does not correspond to the
chronological order in which they were revealed. The Qur'an is sometimes divided into 30 roughly equal
parts, known as juz'. These divisions make it easier for Muslims to read the Qur'an during the course of
a month and many will read one juz' each day, particularly during the month of Ramadan.
Translations
Translations of the Qur'an exist in over 40 languages but Muslims are still taught to learn and recite it
in Arabic, even if this is not their native language and they cannot converse in it. Translations are
regarded by Muslims as new versions of the holy book, rather than as translations in the conventional
sense.
Memorizing the Qur'an
At the time of the revelation of the Qur'an, books were not readily available and so it was common for
people to learn it by heart. Committing the Qur'an to memory acted as a great aid for its preservation
and any person who is able to accomplish this is known as a hafiz.
Respect
The Qur'an is treated with immense respect by Muslims because it is the sacred word of God. While the
Qur'an is recited aloud, Muslims should behave with reverence and refrain from speaking, eating or
drinking, or making distracting noise.
Sunnah and Hadith
In addition to the Qur'an, the other sacred sources are the Sunnah, the practice and examples of the
Prophet Muhammad's life, and the Hadith, reports of what the prophet Muhammad said or approved.
Both the Hadith and Sunnah must adhere to a strict chain of narration that ensures its authenticity,
taking into account factors such as the character of people in the chain and continuity in narration.
Reports that fail to meet such criteria will be disregarded.
One famous example is that of the scholar of Hadith literature, Imam Bukhari, who traveled several
hundred miles on horseback to acquire a Hadith. When he arrived, he saw the man that knew the Hadith
deceiving his donkey into thinking there was grain in a sack in order to induce him to move forward.
Imam Bukhari promptly left without approaching the man because he was not willing to allow any
individual with a questionable personality to join a chain of narration or contribute knowledge that would
define the practice of the religion.
Sunnis and Shias: Islam's ancient schism- Station 4
What are the differences between Sunnis and Shias?
Muslims are split into two main branches, the Sunnis and Shias. The split originates in a dispute soon after the death of the Prophet
Muhammad over who should lead the Muslim community.
The great majority of Muslims are Sunnis - estimates suggest the figure is somewhere between 85% and 90%.
Members of the two sects have co-existed for centuries and share many fundamental beliefs and practices.
Though they may not interact much outside the public sphere, there are always exceptions. In urban Iraq, for instance, intermarriage
between Sunnis and Shia was, until recently, quite common.
The differences lie in the fields of doctrine, ritual, law, theology and religious organization.
Their leaders also often seem to be in competition.
From Lebanon and Syria to Iraq and Pakistan, many recent conflicts have emphasized the sectarian divide, tearing communities apart.
Who are the Sunnis?
Sunni Muslims regard themselves as the orthodox and traditionalist branch of Islam.
The word Sunni comes from "Ahl al-Sunna", the people of the tradition. The tradition in this case refers to practices based on
precedent or reports of the actions of the Prophet Muhammad and those close to him.
Sunnis venerate all the prophets mentioned in the Koran, but particularly Muhammad as the final prophet. All subsequent Muslim
leaders are seen as temporal figures.
Egypt is home to some of Sunni Islam's oldest centers of learning
In contrast to Shias, Sunni religious teachers and leaders have historically come under state control.
The Sunni tradition also emphasizes a codified system of Islamic law and adherence to four schools of law.
Who are the Shias?
In early Islamic history the Shia were a political faction - literally "Shiat Ali" or the party of Ali.
The Shia claimed the right of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and his descendants to lead the Islamic community.
Ali was killed as a result of intrigues, violence and civil wars which marred his caliphate. His sons, Hassan and Hussein, were denied
what they thought was their legitimate right of accession to caliphate. Hassan is believed to have been poisoned by Muawiyah, the
first caliph (leader of Muslims) of the Umayyad dynasty.
His brother, Hussein, was killed on the battlefield along with members of his family, after being invited by supporters to Kufa (the
seat of caliphate of Ali) where they promised to swear allegiance to him.
These events gave rise to the Shia concept of martyrdom and the rituals of grieving.
There is a distinctive messianic element to the faith and Shias have a hierarchy of clerics who practice independent and ongoing
interpretation of Islamic texts.
Estimates of the number of Shia range from 120 to 170 million, roughly one-tenth of all Muslims.
Shia Muslims are in the majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Azerbaijan and, according to some estimates, Yemen. There are large Shia
communities in Afghanistan, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Name__________________________
Date_________________
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Station 1: Timeline
Label the following dates on the timeline provided. Make sure that you include the LETTER and
a BRIEF DESCRIPTION on your timeline.
A. Muhammad meets Khadija
B. Muhammad spreads his message
C. The conquest of Mecca
D. The birth of the prophet Muhammad
E. Muhammad dies
F. Muhammad receives his first revelation
G. Muhammad emigrates to Medina
H. Muhammad orphaned
Station 2 Questions
1. Who wrote the Quran? How long did it take?
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2. What are the juz’? Why is the number of them significant?
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3. Why do you think that Muslims are taught to learn and recite the Quran in Arabic, even if it is not their native
language?
4. What are the Sunnah and the Hadith?
The Islamic State- Station 3
The largest numbers of Muslims live in Indonesia, not the Middle East.
Although Muslims live in various countries, from China to Trinidad and Zimbabwe, most of the people in the
Middle East are Muslims. However, all Arabs are not Muslims; some practice Judaism, Christianity, and Druze.
The word Islam means "peace."
Start reading at the sub heading entitled “Islam Expands” on page 269 in your text book. Read through page 271.
1. What is the name of the three Caliphs who took over after Muhammad’s death? What did all three of them have
in common?
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2. What are the two reasons the book gives as to why early Muslim armies had success expanding?
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3. What did the Qur’an forbid? What did this mean for newly conquered peoples?
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4. What is the name of the family that came into power after the death of Ali? Where did they move the capitol
to? Why did they do this?
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5. What is the name of the rebel group that overthrew the Umayyad dynasty? In what year did this happen?
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6. How far into Europe did Muslim armies reach? What was the name of the battle and year which stopped the
Muslim armies?
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7. The Abbasids created a strong bureaucracy, what is another Empire/civilization that we have learned about that
also had a strong bureaucracy?
Sunni vs. Shia Venn Diagram-Station 4
Read the article titled “Sunnis and Shias: Islam’s Ancient Schism”. After reading the article you are to fill out
the Venn Diagram you have been provided. Include at least 4 similarities and 4 individual characteristics of
each sect within the Muslim religion (if done properly you will have 12 distinct facts in your Venn Diagram).