Download worldlesson15 - The Lesson Builder

World History
OCTOBER 14, 2015
Unit 4 - Regional Civilizations and
Culture: Islam

The Arabian Peninsula has a varied geography
from coastline, desert, and mountains.

The center of the peninsula is covered by the
Arabian desert. Oases in the desert allowed for
people to live and create towns or larger
populations.

The coastlines provide beaches and a
profitable fishing and trade industry.

The mountains outline the interior desert and
border the coastline. The have provided
protection working as a physical boundary
from invasion.

In the modern times, a large supply of oil and
natural gas was discovered that has
significantly contributed to the region’s
economic development.
Rise of Civilization and Islam








The Arabian Peninsula was at the center of the Old Word
Crisscrossed with trade routes for travelers from Europe, Africa, and Asia
Important trade cities developed throughout the region.
Mecca was one of the largest trading centers. It developed on the
west coast line, near the Red Sea.
Mecca also housed a large temple called the Kabah. It is believed to
have been repaired by the people’s ancestor, Abraham. Abraham was
a Jew but the Arabs began to worship many gods.
Temples were erected throughout the city to hundreds of different
gods.
Mecca became an international center of both pilgrimage and trade,
crowded with pagans, Christians, Jews, and others.
Mecca’s prosperity drew negative attention too; Persia and the
Byzantine Empire also noticed Mecca’s growing success and wealth.
Islam

Islam began with a man, the prophet of the religion, Muhammed.

Born in the 6th century, he grew up poor, he got a job with a
wealthy, older widow, Khadijah, who owned a trading business.
Muhammad led her caravans and managed the business.

It is believed that an angel came to Muhammad and told him to
“Recite”, in which he was able to speak many revelations from God.

Muhammad spent the rest of his life preaching to the Arabs. He
taught Arabs to give up their many idols and worship the one God—
the same God that Jews and Christians worshipped. The Arab word
for God is Allah.

Many Meccans felt threatened by Muhammad’s growing popularity
and thought that the new faith would damage the cities tourist
industry.
The Hijrah

In 622, Muhammad escaped Meccan persecutors with his followers
to Medina. Their journey is known as the Hijrah.

The Hijrah marked a turning point in Islam. In Medina he became
the leader, lawmaker, judge, and military commander of the whole
town. When Muslims later adopted a calendar they chose the year
of the Hijrah as year one.

There was several long years of war between Medina and Mecca.
The Meccans attacked Medina, but Muhammad’s forces always
drove them back.

During this period, Muhammad’s political power grew as the
number of followers of Islam.

In 630, he returned to Mecca and waged war against the city. He
successfully defeated the Meccans and became the ruler of the
city and Muslims. Mecca became the holy city of the Muslims.

In 632, Muhammad died.
Muhammad’s Teachings

Muhammad taught the people the principles of Islam and the
religion greatly impacted their society.

The chief belief is the belief in Allah. The word Islam means “submit
to God”

Muslims believe they are free but that they will judged by God for
their actions.

They believe in a line Jewish and Christian prophets.

The teachings of Islam were preserved in the Quran, their holy book.
The Quran tells people to worship only Allah, to practice charity and
justice, and to live in fear of Allah’s judgment.

The basic set of teaching and guiding rules is called the Five Pillars of
Islam.
Government and Religion

In Muslim communities there is no line separating government and
religion—the religious law is the only law, known as the Sharia.

By the 9th century, the Sharia had developed into a comprehensive
framework for Muslim life, covering not only legal issues but also
ethical standards for individual behavior.

There are 1.5 billion Muslims today. The Kabah was destroyed during
Muhammad’s takeover and replaced with a holy mosque, the
Grand Mosque.
After Muhammad’s Death

After Muhammad’s death, thee was a divide between Muslims.

Some Muslims followed Muhammad’s son in law and believed him
to be the successor. They are known as Shiites.

Many others followed Muhammad’s chief advisor and close friend,
Abu Bakr. He was named the first caliph. These Muslims are Sunnis.

Caliphs would go on to rule over the Muslim lands.

Some Muslims tried to declare themselves independent from Abu
Bakr. He used warfare to bring them back.

While bringing back Muslims, he spread Islam across the Arabian
Peninsula and to new lands. The caliphs who followed set their sights
to the north and west, on the empires of the Persians and the
Byzantines.
The Growing Caliphate
Islamic Rule and Influence

The Muslim caliphate grew into a mighty empire. Not everyone
converted to Islam in the lands they conquered but people were
required to pay taxes and extra taxes to be another religion.

The Muslims power, knowledge, and wealth grew.

They were successful scholars who persevered the Ancient works of
the Greeks, Egyptians, Indians, and Romans and they also added to
the world knowledge.

They were excellent map makers

Due to trade and taxes, they became a mighty and rich empire for
hundreds of years.