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Origins of Islam
Arabia Before Islam
• Harsh Environment
– No permanent rivers
– Rub’ al-Khali Desert covers much of the peninsula
– Difficult climate limited population
– People depended on oasis
– Many people live in S.W. corner
– Peninsula is surrounded by water
• Sailors crossed the seas to trade with E. Africa
• Living in Arabia
– Arabs
• Nomads-no fixed home
– Known as Bedouins
– Belong to tribes
– Worshiped gods and
spirits
– Herded sheep, goats,
camels
– Traveled from Oasis to
oasis
– Skilled warriors
• Sedentary- settled
– Belong to tribes
– Worshiped gods and
spirits
– Lived as farmers and
merchants
– Set up shop in oasis
towns along Arabia’s
main trade route
– Trade brought wealth
and attracted settlers
– Mecca became a trading
center
– Muhammad born in
Mecca around 570
» First person to
preach religion of
islam
The Rise of Islam
• Muslims= practice Islam, and believe
Muhammad was the prophet of their religion
(the messenger of God)
• Mecca
– Was a religious center before Muhammad
– Kaaba- shrine where Arabs came to worship their
gods
• Muhammad’s Early Life
– Critical of Meccan society
– Saw greed corruption and violence
– Muslims believe that one night in 610 the angel
Gabriel appeared before Muhammad in
– Muslims believe that Gabriel brought more
message from God
– Muhammad passed on those message
• Later message were written down in Quran (Islam’s
holy book)
• Preaching a new message
– Muhammad began to preach on the streets of Mecca
– Told Arabs to worship only one god and to change many behaviors
• The Hijra (migration)
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622 Muhammad and his followers fled Mecca
Moved to Medina
Muhammad became the political and military leader
Muhammad defeated Mecca
630 returned to Mecca and banned worship of old religion
Kabba became place for Muslim pilgrimage
Quickly Muslims united most of Arabia
Continued to expand their rule across SW Asia and other parts of the
world after Muhammad’s death