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Islam
AP World History
Unit 2
Map of Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula
The Middle East during the
7th Century CE
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The Arabian Peninsula.
– The source of Arabs and the Semitic race.
– Mostly desert with few urbanized areas.
– Urban centers, mainly Mecca.
– Mainly tribal society.
– First mention of “Arabs” occurs in 854 BCE.
– Divided into Arabs of the North and Arabs of the
South.
 Dynasties in the south.
– Religions.
 Christianity, Judaism, and polytheism.
Mecca
The Middle East during the
7th Century CE
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The Sassanid or Persian Empire.
– In decline.
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The Byzantine Empire.
– Christianity is the state religion beginning in the
3rd century.
– A foreign occupying power.
– Sectional conflicts with locals.
Understanding the Arabic Language
Written Arabic isn’t spoken.
 Spoken Arabic isn’t written.
 Arabic is the language of the Koran and all
Arabic speakers insist they speak Arabic.
 Arabic has also been divided into 5-6
distinct languages.
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The Muhammad
and
the Islamic Belief
The Life of Muhammad

Born about 570 AD to the leading tribe in Mecca.
– Orphan and raised by an Uncle.
Muhammad was an orphan and was raised by his
uncle.
 He was a hard-working boy, honest and dependable
who began his life as a shepherd and later went into
the trading business.
 He was a caravan manager for a wealthy widow,
Khadija, whom he eventually married.
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– Muhammad was 25 and Khadija was about 40!
– They had at least 6 children and a long and happy
marriage.
The Life of Muhammad
At the age of 40, he claims to receive
visions and messages from Angel Gabriel.
 He is not seen as a god or a savior.
 He is the messenger of God.
 The angel Gabriel commanded Muhammad
to “recite”!
 Citizens of Mecca were hostile to the
message.
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The Life of Muhammad
Muhammad fled north to Yathrib (Medina).
 Muhammad leads 10,000 back to Mecca and
captures the city.
 He destroys the idols in the Kaaba.
 This was known as the Hijra.
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– The Muslim calendar is based on this event.
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Most of Arabia were converted to Islam by the
time of his death in 632.
The Kaaba
Muhammad’s Teachings
Each person is responsible for their own
behavior.
 All are should be humble, show mercy and
give.
 All believers are spiritually equal.
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Muhammad’s Teachings
Allah will judge each person and based
upon their actions, he will send them to
heaven or hell for eternity.
 Muhammad promoted education even
though he could not read or write.
 “The ink of a scholar is holier than the
blood of a martyr”
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– What is Muhammad's point?
Allah
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Muslims have 99 names for Allah or God.
Prophets are the link between people and Allah.
Abraham is the father of the Arab people.
Moses and Jesus are also revered.
Muhammad is the last and the “seal” of the
prophets.
Muslims consider human nature as essentially
good and sin occurs when people forget their
natural goodness.
The Five Pillars of Islam
1st Pillar - Faith

The Creed
– Shahada
 “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his
messenger.”
The Five Pillars of Islam are the duties that every
Muslim is required to practice.
The Five Pillars of Islam
2nd Pillar - Prayer
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Fives times per day facing Mecca.
Holy Day is Friday.
Mosque is Muslim place of worship.
Muezzin calls worshippers to prayer from the
minaret (slender tower).
Iman leads worshipers to prayer.
Worshipers do not need a mosque to pray.
A direct link between the worshiper and God.
No hierarchical authority or priesthood.
Prayer
The Five Pillars of Islam
3rd Pillar - Zakat
Obligatory charitable giving.
 Zakat, means purification in Arabic.
 A belief that all wealth is God’s and it
should be distributed to the poor or state
disasters.
 2.5% purifying tax required minimum.
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The Five Pillars of Islam
4th Pillar - Sawm

Fasting.
– Sawm means fasting in Arabic.
People who are ill, elderly, or traveling are
excused from fasting.
 Occurs from sunrise to sunset during the
holy month of Ramadan
 Nobody is forced into Ramadan.
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The Five Pillars of Islam
5th Pillar - Hajj
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Pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Hajj ends as a Muslim kisses the sacred
stone in the Kaaba.
Must be completed once in a Muslims lifetime.
This Black Stone was left untouched by
Muhammad when the 100 idols were destroyed
in the Kaaba.
The people march around seven times and then
kiss the Black Stone.
Hajj
Sources of Islamic Doctrine
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Quran/Koran (holy book)
– 114 suras, collections of Muhammed’s teachings with
no overall theme.
– Considered sacred word of God and is a complete
guide for life .
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Hadith (tradition)
– Traditional sayings of Muhammad and other early
followers.
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Sharia (way)
– Islamic Law based on Koran.
A Way of Life

The Islamic system of law is called Sharia.
– Regulated moral conduct.
– Family life.
– Business practices.
– Government.
– Other aspects of a Muslim community.
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Unlike the law codes that evolved in the
West, the Sharia does not separate
religious matters from criminal or civil law.
Right and Status of Women
Eliminated many pre-Islamic
discriminatory practices.
 Gave women rights (inheritance) and
equality to men.
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– Both were made from a single soul.
Limited the number of wives a man can
marry.
 Treat women with kindness and respect
their rights as equal to men.
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The Hijab
(head scarf)
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Modest dress apply to women and men
equally.
– According to the Quran and Hadith.
Women are required to cover their bodies
so that their figure is not revealed.
 Women are not required to cover their
faces.
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Islamic Expansion
and Changes
after Muhammad
The Elected Successors to Muhammad
The Caliphs

Abu-Bakr, 632-634.
– The first elected official.
– Wise leader and crisis manager
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Omar Ibn Elkhattab, 634-644.
– A first-rate statesman.
– Honest, modest, and just.
– Conquered the Levant, including Egypt, Iraq, and Persia.
 Damascus (635) and Jerusalem (638) surrender peacefully.
– A modern state, including a treasury, communication,
and defense.
– Engraved currency.
The Elected Successors to Muhammad
The Caliphs
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Othman bin Affan, 644-656.
– Collected and compiled the Quran.
– Emergence of power struggle.
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Ali Bin Abitalib, 656-661.
– Power struggle escalated to armed conflict.
– Emergence of political parties.
– End of democracy.
– Umayyad Dynasty in Damascus, (661-680)
The Schism:
The Division of Islam
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Reasons for the division:
– Succession to Caliphate.
 Successors of Muhammad.
– Incorporation of non-Koranic elements into Islam.
– Worldliness of Caliphs.
 Discrimination against non-Arab Muslims.
The Umayyad Dynasty
661-750
Empire center and capital move to Damascus
 Expansion.
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– All of North Africa, Western Europe, large portion of
Central Asia, and over to the Great Wall of China.
– Conquer of Spain and Portugal in 711.
– Expansion into Western Europe was blocked in France
by Charles Martial in 732.
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Power Struggle continues, but the Caliphs brutally
eliminate all rivals.
– Emergence of the Shia in Southern Iraq.
The Umayyad Dynasty
661-750
Addelmalek builds Al-Aqsa Mosque and the
Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem in 691.
 Massive translation of Greek and Indian
writings.
 Arabinzation of the empire.
 Increase in architecture, arts, agriculture,
and science.
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The Abbasids Dynasty
750-1258
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The center of the empire moves to Iraq and Iran.
Baghdad built in 762 CE.
Baghdad becomes the glamorous center of the world
– Population over 2 million.
– Science, art, architecture, learning, and wealth.
– Lighted streets, public baths, public libraries and hospitals.
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Other dynasties emerge in Egypt, Spain, and parts of the
Levant.
A 2nd Umayyad dynasty emerges in Spain in the 9th
century.
– Qurtoba (Cordova) competes with Baghdad.
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Cairo built 968 CE.
Muslim Conquest
The Byzantine and Persian empires were weak
from years of fighting each other.
 People in the Fertile Crescent welcomed Arab
conquerors as liberators.
 The Arabs used bold and efficient fighting
methods, which overwhelmed traditional armies.
 The common faith of Islam united a patchwork
of tribes into a determined, unified state.
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The Decline of the Muslim Empire
Around 850, the caliphs became unable to
maintain centralized control and the
empire fragmented.
 In the 900s, Seljuk Turks invaded the
Middle East and built a large empire in the
Fertile Crescent.
 In the 1200s and 1300s, Mongol invaders
dominated the Middle East.
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Sunni and Shiite
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Sunni
– 90% of Muslims
– Follow the Quran and the Hadith as they are written
and as interpreted by the Sunni scholars.
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Shiite
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Also known at Shia.
Came to be as a sect after 680 A.D.
Believe in the Quran and Hadith, like Sunni
However, they place Ali very high as a holy figure, and
think ‘main stream’
– Islam discriminated against him
– Today Shiite are mainly in Iran (90%), Iraq (55%) and
Lebanon (40%)
Islam’s Relationship with
Other Religions
Relationship with Other Religions
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Like the Torah, the Quran permits retaliation.
– “eye for eye, tooth for tooth”.
– But like the Bible, it says “it is meritorious to forgo
revenge in a spirit of charity.
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Acknowledges Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon,
Zachariah, Jesus, John the Baptist, and many
others.
– Referred to as “the good prophets of God”
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The Quran has a special place for Jesus and Mary.
– Accepts that Mary’s conception is from God’s soul.
– Rejects the divinity of Jesus
 No trinity.
– Jesus was not killed.
Relationship with Other Religions
Islam did not impose itself by the sword.
 Muslims have to respect Jews and Christians
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– They are the "People of the Book," who worship the same
God.
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In one of his last public sermons Muhammad said
– “God tells all human beings, "O people! We have formed
you into nations and tribes so that you may know one
another" . Do not conquer, convert, subjugate, revile or
slaughter but to reach out toward others with intelligence
and understanding”
Relationship with Other Religions
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The Levant remained mainly Christian for
almost 200 years.
– The Levant is the Biblical Holy Land from Syria to
Egypt.
– No one was forced to convert to Islam.
The right of all faiths to worship was
respected.
 Sites of worship, holy places, and shrines of
all faiths were protected.
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