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CHAPTER 9
The Arab Empires
Lesson 1–The First Muslims
Lesson 2–The Arab Empire and Caliphates
Lesson 3–Prosperity in the Islamic World
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
• Islam began in the 7th century A.D. in the Arabian
Peninsula
• It spread very quickly , and in a little over a century it
extended from Spain almost to India . Many different
cultures and peoples along with many great cities were
included in this Islamic civilization.
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
Early Arabs were
polytheistic
nomads
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
•The Arabs were Semitic nomads who lived in the
Arabian peninsula.
•They moved constantly to find food and water for
their herds of animals.
• Survival was difficult because of the harsh
surroundings (what??? Desert)
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
•organized into tribes to help each other.
•Each tribe was headed by a Sheikh
•who was chosen by a council of elders.
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
These Arabs:
1. lived as farmers and sheepherders where water
was available
2. camels made it possible to live in the deserts .
3. they were then able to expand the caravan trade
and stop living as nomads.
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
These Arabs:
4. towns and cities grew up along the trade routes
5. they carried goods between the Indian Ocean
and the Mediterranean Sea, where the Silk
Roads ended
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
• Even though the Arabs were polytheistic, they had a
supreme god named ALLAH (Arabic for god) but they had
other tribal gods as well.
• Each tribe had a sacred stone to symbolize their god, but
all the tribes worshiped Allah's stone
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
• a massive meteorite , which was placed in a central shrine in
Mecca (Makkah) that was known as the Kaaba .
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
•Mecca was located on the Arabian peninsula.
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
•This area was valuable to trade , because camel
caravans travelled continuously across this route.
Communities along this route prospered.
•This eventually led to tensions between the wealthy
merchants and the poor people, including slaves.
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
The Life of Muhammad
It was into this setting that Muhammad , the founder of
Islam was born. He:
1. was from a merchant family
2. married a rich widow (Kadijah - who was the first Muslim
convert)
3. was bothered by the gap between the greed of the
wealthy elite and the generosity of most other people
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
•4. according to Islamic teachings: he received
revelations from the angel Gabriel while
meditating and the religion of Islam was created
because of this revelation
•5. he believed that earlier revelations had come to
Moses and Jesus, but that the final revelation was to
be through him
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
•QURAN : this is the Islamic holy book where the
revelations were recorded
•ISLAM: means " peace through submission to the
will of Allah."
•MUSLIM: those who practice Islam
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
The people in Makkah (Mecca) did not accept the Prophet Muhammad
or his teachings at first.
In 622 AD, Muhammad and some of his closest followers left there and
went to the nearby city of Yathrib (later known as Medinah).
This journey is called the HIJRAH and it represents year ONE on the
Islamic calendar, which is still in use today.
Many people in Medinah and many Arabs in the desert (Bedouins)
supported Muhammad. They became the first community of
practicing Muslims. They saw no separation between political and
religious authority, so Muhammad was the leader of both areas.
By 630 AD, Muhammad had 10,000 followers. So at this time, they:
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
:
Returned to Makkah - most of the city
quickly surrendered to Islam
Muhammad visited the Kaaba and
declared it a sacred shrine for Islam
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
:Islamic Teachings of
Muhammad
1. monotheistic: believe that Allah is one, powerful,
creator god
2. emphasizes salvation and hope of an afterlife
3. to achieve eternal life one must: obey the will of
Allah
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
:Islamic Teachings of
Muhammad
4. Muhammad is a: human prophet, not a god
5. Quran: a guideline for personal behavior
and for civil law in Islamic states
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
:
Islamic Teachings of Muhammad
The Five Pillars of Islam:
Vow: a statement of faith in Allah
Prayer: Muslims pray five times a day, facing Makkah
Charity: giving alms to the poor
Fasting: (Ramadan) Muslims do not eat or drink from
sun-up to sun-down
Hajj: a pilgrimage to Makkah at least once per
lifetime
THE FIRST MUSLIMS
There are firm rules for behavior such as:
1. No gambling
2. No eating pork
3. No drinking of alcoholic beverages
•Islam is a way of life . Muslim scholars developed a
Law Code known as SHARIA. It is based on the
Quran and on Muhammad's example.
•It regulates all aspects of daily Muslim life. This
includes family, business, morality and government.
It has had and still has great influence in the Islamic
world.