Download The Islamic Civilization Outline KEY Revised

PPT I. The Islamic Civilization
A. Arab Life In the 600s
1) People on the Arabian Peninsula built an empire in Southwest Asia.
2) The empire was based on the religion of Islam.
3) The land in Arabia is mostly desert, and temperatures in summer can rise above 122° F (50° C). The
desert had no cities and few towns. The very hot weather and the dry, sandy land made it difficult to
live in the desert.
4) The towns that existed were built around water. In the desert, water can be found only at an oasis. An
oasis is a spring or water hole.
5) A group of Arab people called Bedouin, however, learned to live in the difficult environment.
6) They were nomads, or people who traveled from place to place. The Bedouin rode camels from oasis
to oasis to feed and water their herds of camels, goats, and sheep.
7) To survive the harsh climate, the Bedouin formed tribes or groups.
8) The leader of a tribe was called a sheikh. Tribes fought over land and water. Some tribes settled
around oases and set up villages and towns and farmed, raised animals, and traded goods.
9) Some merchants carried goods across the desert. Many traveled in caravans, or groups of merchants
and animals. Caravans protected the merchants from attacks by thieves.
B. Mohammed and His Message; Beginning of Islam
1) The Islamic civilization originated among the nomadic traders who inhabited and traveled throughout
the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula in the early 7 th century A.D. It would begin with a man named
Mohammed.
2) Mohammed was born in Mecca, or “Makkah” in A.D. 570.
3) Mohammed was troubled by the way of life in Mecca, especially by the lifestyles of wealthy citizens; he
saw greed, dishonesty, and neglect of the poor, and Mohammed prayed about this.
4) In AD 610, according to tradition, he was called by God to preach Islam. The word Islam means “to
surrender to the will of Allah.” Mohammed preached that there was only one God, Allah.
5) He also taught that Allah valued people’s good deeds instead of their wealth; and he said rich people
should share their wealth with the poor. Many people started following Mohammed, especially the
poor.
6) Rich merchants and leaders of the existing religions did not accept Muhammad’s teachings. They
believed Mohammed was trying to take away their power.
7) They left Mecca and went to Yathrib. The people of Yathrib accepted Mohammed as a prophet of God;
and changed the name of the town to Medina, or “Madinah”, which means “the city of the prophet.”
8) In Medina, Mohammed was a political and religious leader. Muhammad used government power to
support Islam. He formed an army and took over Mecca and made it a holy city of Islam.
9) Islam is based upon the principles of the religion of Islam, as revealed to the prophet Mohammed and
set down in Islam's holy book, the Qur'an (Koran).
10) Like Judaism and Christianity that came before it, Islam is a monotheistic religion.
11) Muhammad died in 632. He left no directions about choosing the leader who should come after him.
12) A group of Muslim leaders selected a new kind of leader. They called this leader the caliph, or the
successor. The caliph was the successor to Muhammad.
13) Islam also recognizes Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to be prophets. While Mohammed is considered to
be Allah's greatest prophet, he is not a god and is not worshipped.
14) Islam teaches that Allah is just and rewards man according to his deeds. The Qur'an (Koran) contains
the sacred writings of Islam.
15) To guide believers, Islam also has a set of laws called the shari’ah. Shari’ah applies the teachings of the
Quran to family, business, and government.
16) The shari’ah says Muslims may not gamble or eat pork.
C. Five Pillars of Islam- the foundation of Islam
1) Faith-belief in one god, Allah, and that Mohammed is His prophet;
2) Prayer- five times daily while facing Mecca;
3) Pilgrimage: make at least one pilgrimage (haij) to Mecca if economically and physically possible;
4) Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, the month when Mohammed received the Qur'an from
Allah; and
5) Alms - donate regularly to charity through the Zakat, a 2.5% charity tax, and through additional
donations to the needy.
D. Islam in All Aspects of Life
1) Believers in Islam are known as Muslims, accept the teachings of the Qur'an in every aspect of their
lives; there is no separation of church and state.
2) There are two major denominations of Islam, Shiite (approx. 10%) and Sunni (approx. 90%). They are
based on what a Muslim believes is the legitimate line of succession to authority over the Muslim empire
after the death of Mohammed.
3) Within 100 years of Mohammed's death, Muslims conquered the Middle East, Persia, the Arabian
Peninsula, and northern Africa and installed Islam as the religion of the region.
4) In later centuries, Islam spread through normal trade activities and peaceful means across the Indian
Ocean, Central Asia, and West Africa and into part of Europe through armed conquest into the Balkans
and the Iberian Peninsula.