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MUHAMMAD
and the
RISE OF
ISLAM
Essential Question:
Who was Muhammad
and how did Islam
unite the Arab people?
Overview of Islam
Around the year 600 CE, a
new monotheistic religion
called Islam began on the
Arabian peninsula
This new faith was founded
by the Prophet Muhammad
His followers, called
Muslims, spread Islam
throughout the Middle East,
Africa, Asia, and Europe
Overview of Islam
By the year 750
CE, Muslim
leaders had
built an Islamic
Empire
Overview of Islam
Muslim scholars focused on
The Islamic
learning and developed
Empire connected
numerous cultural
diverse people
achievements that are still
through religion
used today
and trade
Overview of Islam
Today, Islam is the
world’s fastest growing
religion; it has more than
1 billion followers
throughout the world
(second only to
Christianity)
MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS
What was Arabia like before Muhammad?
Arabia, the Birthplace of Islam
The Arabian
Peninsula
is a desert
region with little
fertile soil or
farming
Most Arabs lived
in desert tribes
which were
centered around
families and
were ruled by
clans
Arabia, the Birthplace of Islam
Arabia was not
united under a
single government,
but Arabs did have
a common
language (Arabic)
Most Arabs were
polytheistic, having
an Animist-type
religion; some
followed Christianity
or Judaism
Arabia was the intersection of three continents (Africa,
Arabia,
Birthplace
Islam
Asia, and
Europe) the
so it was
an importantof
region
for trade;
they were also exposed to much cultural diffusion
One of the wealthiest
trade cities in Arabia
was Mecca
Mecca was also a
religious city
The Ka’aba (“The
Cube”) was a 43 foot
high cube structure
that held statues of
hundreds of gods
Arabs made
pilgrimages to Mecca
to visit the Ka’aba;
violence between the
warring Arab tribes
was forbidden within
20 miles of the Ka’aba
This law of nonviolence helped make
Mecca an even more
valuable trade city
(since merchants
could peacefully do
business there)
Who was Muhammad?
Early Life of the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad was born in Mecca in
570 CE; part of a poor clan, he was
orphaned at a young age and
raised by his grandparents
Early Life of the Prophet Muhammad
As an adult,
Muhammad became
an honest and
successful merchant
He married a
wealthy widow and
started a family
What happened to Muhammad in 610 CE?
Muhammad and Islam
Muhammad’s work
brought him into contact
with Jewish and Christian
merchants, so he was
exposed to their religions
Muhammad had a vision of
the angel Gabriel in 610
CE; he was told by Gabriel
that he was a prophet sent
to Earth by God
Muhammad and Islam
He began preaching a new monotheistic religion that
worshipped the same God as the God of the Jews and
Christians, but in a different way
This religion Muhammad originated was called Islam,
which means “submission to the will of God”
The Monotheistic Religions
As this “family tree”
illustrates, the leading
figures of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam
are distantly related as
descendants of
Abraham (the “father”
of the Hebrews)
Basic Ideas of Islam
Followers of Islam are
called Muslims, which
means “one who has
submitted to God”
Muslims believe in the
“one true God” (same
as Jews and Christians)
and call God “Allah”
MUSLIM SYMBOL FOR “ALLAH”
Basic Ideas of Islam
Muslims believe that
The words and teachings of
Muhammad was the last of Muhammad are recorded in
God’s prophets, so his word the Qur’an (or Koran), the
is final and unchangeable
sacred book of Islam
How did people in Arabia respond to
Muhammad’s new religion?
The Hijrah
By the year 613,
Muhammad began
preaching his new ideas in
the city of Mecca
Many people were
attracted to Islam
However, some people
feared Muhammad’s
popularity; they felt that
Islam would spread
elsewhere and Mecca
would lose its status as the
only holy city in Arabia
The Hijrah
Some Meccans violently
attacked Muhammad
and his followers
After several years of
attacks, Muhammad
and his followers fled
Mecca and went to the
city of Medina
This migration of the
Muslims to Medina was
called the Hijrah
The Hijrah
In Medina, Muhammad gained
many more new converts
These new Muslims put Islam
above their families and clans
One thing Muhammad taught
Muslims was respect for Jews
and Christians (who he called
“People of the Book”)
How did Muhammad react to violence
by non-Muslims in Mecca?
What did Muhammad do after he gained
converts and returned to Mecca?
Muhammad’s Return To Mecca
In the year 630,
Muhammad
returned to Mecca;
he had 10,000
soldiers with him
and he conquered
the city
Muhammad’s Return To Mecca
He destroyed all of the
statues of gods in the
Ka’aba, leaving only the
statue for Allah
This time, the people of Mecca
all converted to Islam
Muhammad’s Return To Mecca
Muhammad died in the year 632
What happened to Islam
after Muhammad’s death?
The Islamic Empire
After Muhammad, the
new Muslim leaders
created an empire
centered on Islam
The Islamic Empire
was based in Arabia
and their well-trained
soldiers conquered
neighboring regions
The Islamic Empire
The massive empire
they conquered led
to great wealth for
Muslims and
opportunities to
spread Islam
Compare the roles of Jesus, Moses, and Muhammad in
the development of the 3 major monotheistic religions:
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Match the terms from the word bank with the
appropriate prophet.
Jesus
Muhammad
Moses