Download Islam - Saint Joseph High School

Islam
Rise of Islam
11-18-08
Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
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Crossroads of 3 continents
(Europe, Asia & Africa)
People living there are
called Arabs
Like Hebrews and
Assyrians are Semitic
speaking
Nomads (Bedouins) who
moved constantly to find
water (oasis)
Organization
► Because
of harsh living
conditions became
very organized society
► Leaders called sheikh –
literally means a man
of old age
► Also developed great
fighting skills
Religion
► Most
early Arabs were polytheistic
► City of Mecca – simple house of worship called a
Ka’aba associated with Abraham
Religion
The Arabs trace their
ancestry to Abraham and
his son Ishmael
► Ishmael was believed to
have built the Ka’aba
► While many believed in
Allah (the Arabic word for
God) – they also had tribal
gods
► Christians and Jews living
in Arab lands lead to many
becoming monotheistic
►
The Prophet Muhammad
► Born
into a powerful Meccan family
► Father dies at the age of 5
► Becomes a respected trader
► Marries a wealthy widow
Revelations
► At
about the age of 40
he has visions
► According to Islamic
traditions the
teachings were given
to him by the angel
Gabriel
► After much soul
searching believes that
Allah has spoken to
him through Gabriel
Last of the prophets
► Muhammad
believes he is the last of the
prophets
► Allah is the one and only God and all other
gods must be abandoned
► Foundations of Islam (submission)
► Followers are called Muslims (one who has
submitted)
Preaching
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After the revelation he started to preach in Mecca
Feared that he would cause people to neglect the Arab
gods – and Mecca would lose its place of pilgrimage
Many followers beaten or stoned
The Hijrah
► Muhammad
leaves
Mecca
► Resettles north of
Mecca in Yathrib
► Many people move
there to be with
Muhammad
► City renamed Medina –
city of the Prophet
Support & War
► Muhammad
begins to win support from
people of Medina as well as Bedouins
► Muslims see no separation between politics
and religion (full submission)
► Muhammad becomes a political leader
► Fighting begins between the Muslims and
the Meccans
► Sure of Defeat Mecca surrenders
Victory
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Muhammad goes to the Ka’aba and says:
 Truth has come and falsehood has vanished.
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Has the idols of the temple destroyed
Declares the Ka’aba a sacred shrine of Islam
Most people in Mecca declare alliegence to Muhammad and
convert
Muhammad final days
► He
unites much of the Arabian Peninsula under
Islam
► He falls ill shortly after and dies
Teachings of Muhammad
Way of Life
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Muslims do not separate their personal and religious lives
Must live in regulation while serving community
Forbidden to eat pork, drink wine or like beverages
Way of Life
► No
priests or central
religious authorities
► Worship God directly
► They do have a scholar
class called ulama
► Teachers who study
the works and deeds
of Muhammad and
apply them to
everyday life
Where does the Koran (Qur’an) Come From
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Original and primary is
Allah
Allah expresses his will
through the angel Gabriel
Revealed it to Muhammad
as the Qur’an (Koran)
While Muhammad lived his
followers listened to him
preach and pray
After his death what they
had memorized was
written down
Translations
► While
Koran is written
in Arabic it has been
translated
► However Muslims
consider only the
Arabic to be the true
word of God
► This spread Arabic as a
language
In groups of 5
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Find 5 actual similarities
between Islam and
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Hinduism
Buddhism
Christianity
Judaism
Find 5 stark differences
between Islam and
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Hinduism
Buddhism
Christianity
Judaism
Similarities and Differences to other Religions
► Islam
Pages 191-194
► Hinduism Page 77
► Buddhism Pages 78-79
► Judaism Pages 56-60
► Christianity Pages 169-174
► Also look at pages 214-219
Similarities and Differences to other Religions
► Islam
Pages 233-237
► Hinduism Page 62-64
► Buddhism Pages 64-66
► Judaism Pages 72-76
► Christianity Pages 153-157
► Also look at pages 250-264
Spread of Islam
11-20-08
Successor
► Muhammad
had not
named a successor
► Also had not instructed
followers how to
choose one
► They elect a new
leader a “caliph” –
which means deputy
► 632 Abu-Bakr
Abu-Bakr
► Promised
Muslim community he would uphold
Muhammad’s vision
► But abandoned tribes stood up to him
► Refused to pay taxes
► Some declared selves prophets
► Abu-Bakr used military force to reassert the
authority of Muhammad’s successors
► Establishes a effective mobile army for jihad (a fair
defensive war in the name of God)
Rightly Guided Caliphs
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The first three elected
caliphs – Umar, Uthman
and Ali
They all personally knew
Muhammad
Supported his mission
Used Koran to guide
leadership
However many left faith
after Muhammad’s Death
Spread
The Empire’s Success
► Reasons
of the success
of the Arabic empire
 Were able to attract
many people to Islam
 Muslims did not have to
pay certain taxes
 Did have religious
tolerance
► Still
had difficulty
maintaining rule and
civil war
The Umayyads
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Came into power set up a
hereditary system of
succession
Moved the capital to
Damascus
Made controlling
conquered territories
easier
Made the Arab Muslims
feel it was too far away
The Umayyads
► Leaders
abandoned the simple life
► Instead surrounded selves with wealth and
ceremony
► Lead to division in Muslim community
Sunni-Shi’a Split
► In
interest of peace
many Muslims
accepted Umayyad
rule
► This group eventually
becomes the Sunni –
followers of
Muhammad’s example
► One
group resisted
► They believed that the
caliph, should be
related to Muhammad
► This group becomes
the Shi’a – the party of
Ali
Sufi
►A
third group resisted
the Umayyads
► Pursued a life of
poverty and devotion
to a spiritual path
► Contact with God
through meditation
► Kept the focus on the
Koran
Sufi
► These
men become missionaries in newly
conquered lands
► Also their scholarship was lead to much of
traditional learning and law
► They studied the traditions of Muhammad,
Arabic language, and developed schools
► This established the standards of Islamic
conduct
Abbasids
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The splitting of their empire lead to the quick downfall of
the Umayyads
In 750 a rebel group overthrew them – Abbasids
When they took power the murdered the remaining
members of the Umayyad dynasty
Spain
► Spain
had been conquered by the Berbers led by
Tariq – Gibraltar (Jabal Tariq) is named for him
► They settled into Spain and started a Muslim state
called al-Andalus
Abbasids Consolidate Power
► Strength
lay in former Persian lands (Iraq and
Iran)
► Move the capital to Baghdad
► Gives leaders access to key trade routes
► Developed a strong bureaucracy – to govern
► Treasury – Chancery – Army Department
► Diplomats sent into Europe
► To pay taxed land, imports, exports and wealth of
non-Muslims
Abbasids
► Lasted
from 750-1258
► Increased their
authority by consulting
religious leaders
► But failed to keep
control of whole
empire
► Independent Muslim
states spring up
Fatamid Dynasty
► Named
for Muhammad’s daughter Fatima
► Takes much of N. Africa and Egypt
► However the Abbasid Empire remains united
even without complete control
► United through trade, language, and religion
Muslim Achievement
11-24-08
Muslim Urban Centers
► Baghdad,
Cairo,
Cordoba &
Damascus
► Baghdad
 Circular Design
 Filled with shops
 1,000,000
Four Social Classes
► By
the Eighth and Ninth centuries Muslim
society had four classes
 Upper Class – People who were Muslims at Birth
 Second Class – Converts to Islam
 Third Class – Protected People (Christians, Jews
& Zoroastrians)
 Lowest Class - Slaves
Women
► Koran
states “Men are the managers of
women’s affairs… Righteous women are
therefore obedient”
► Men and women are also equal
► Muslim women had more rights than
European women
► Women would work, could own property
and had marriage rights
► Earliest days of Islam women could be
educated
Preservation of Knowledge
► House
of Wisdom –
library in Baghdad
► Contained many
ancient texts including
Greek and Latin texts
translated into Arabic
► Much of the writings of
the Ancient world were
preserved for this
reason
Math and Science
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Adopted the “Arabic” number system
Developed Algebra
Astronomy
 Aware that the earth was round
 Astrolabe – instrument used by sailors to determine position by looking at
the stars
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Developed medicine – medical encyclopedia
Literature
► The
Rubaiyat of Omar
Khayyam
► Poetry about the
meaning of life
► Arabian Knights –
folktales, fables and
romances
Art and Architecture
► Mosque
at Samarra
 Iraq
 Minaret – tower
 Muezzin – crier who
calls the faithful to
prayer
► Mosque
at Cordoba
 Southern Spain
 Forest of arches