Download Islam: the rise of

By Colt Bradley, Arjun Adiha, and Drew Harrelson
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Bedouins – Nomadic people in the Arabian Peninsula that herded camels and goats for
survival. Early converts of the Islam religion.
Shaykhs – Leaders of the tribes and clans of Bedouin society. These were the people with the
most wealth and power in the clans (largest herd, most wives, and most children).
Mecca – City near the mountainous part of the Arabian Peninsula along the Red Sea. Founded
by the Umayyad clan of Quraysh and was the site of Ka’ba. Muhammad’s first home and the
major pilgrimage point of the Islam religion.
Medina – Town located northeast of Mecca and was considered a rival. The place where
Muhammad stayed while being attacked by the people of Mecca.
Ka’ba (or kaaba) – Most religious shrine in Arabia. Locates in Mecca and caused a truce at
certain parts of the year between clans for praying. Important shrine for the Islamic religion.
Quran – The written account of the revelations the Muhammad received. The holy book of
Islam.
Zakat – Tax for charity that was obligatory for all Muslims.
Jihad – A struggle usually for the defense of the Islamic religion.
Ridda – Wars that followed the death of Muhammad to get rid of other prophets. Restored the
unity of Islam.
Abu Bakr – Good friend of Muhammad and was named the first caliph.
Uthman – Third caliph and member of Umayyad clan. Murder by mutinous warriors
returning from Egypt. Death set off a civil war in Islam.
Mu’awiya – Leader of the Umayyad clan and was the first Umayyad caliph (leader of political
order in Islam) after the first civil war with Ali.
Sunnis – People who thought political and theological division in Islam would be good and
supported the Umayyad clan.
Shi’i – Known as Shi’ites and were a political and theological division within Islam. Followed
Ali.
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Organization - Bedouin
 Dominated most of the dry environment
 Nomadic herders
 Kin-related clans formed tribes
▪ Tribal contact only in war or crises
▪ Environment forced people to rely on clans - lifeline
▪ Life controlled by councils
▪ shaykhs – leaders of the tribe/clan
 Conflict
▪ Slightest action could lead to war and revenge
▪ These fights left them weak and venerable
 Mecca - in the mountains near the Red Sea
▪ Founded by the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh tribe
▪ Site of Ka’ba - made this city important
▪ Trading town
 Medina - northeast of Mecca
▪ A.k.a the city of prophet Muhammad
▪ Established in oasis
▪ Trading town (smaller scale)
▪ Controlled by 2 Bedouin and 3 Jewish clans
 Women
▪ Ancestry traced through mother’s side
▪ Multiple patners - but expected to have one husband
▪ Still not equal as men
 Men
▪ Only men could be warriors (the best job around the
village)
▪ Polygamy allowed
▪ Paid dowry
 Culture
▪ Arab culture not developed
▪ Mainly poetry - handed down orally - no writing
existed
 Religion
▪ Polytheism and animism
▪ Some recognized Allah, but not really paid respect
▪ Connected to nature and morality
▪ Not taken seriously
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The towns of the South were destroyed.
Mecca and Medina relied on Bedouins to keep trade open.
Byzantine and Sasanian Empires
 Started to control the northern edges of Arabia
 Judaism and Christianity entered and prophets appeared saying to
start to worship one god.
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Muhammad was born
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New religion from his revelations
Fed off influences from the monotheistic religions that had entered
Born in Quraysh tribe and lived with relatives in a respected clan
Educated to be a merchant at young age by his uncle
▪ Went on first caravan journey to Syria
▪ Allowed him to see Christian and Jewish faiths, which were very important to
his teachings.
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Elements that gave Islam a universal attraction
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Monotheism
Legal Codes
Egalitarianism
Strong sense of community
Five Pillars
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Confession of Faith
Pray 5 times a day facing Mecca
Fast during Ramadan
Zakat
Hajj
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Worked as trader for Khadijah in Mecca at the age of 20.
 Caravan routes allowed him to see the clan rivalries
 Some clans were rich, while others were poor. This was a big
part of his teachings.
 Also allowed him to view monotheistic religions being
practiced.
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Muhammad started to become dissatisfied with the
material items.
 Meditated in the hills surrounding Mecca resulting in his first
revelation in 610
 Wrote down his ideas in the Qur’an
 Qur’an became the basis for the new religion
 Began to preach and convert people of Mecca and the
Umayyad clan.
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The Umayyad clan began to dislike his
preaching and persecuted Muhammad
 Muhammad fled to Medina to stay safe and solve
conflicts there
 Ali made this possible by becoming a scapegoat
for Muhammad
 Hijra, the flight from Mecca to Medina, marks
the first year of the Islam calendar
 Medina’s citizens became followers after seeing
Muhammad’s power
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The strengthening of the Islamic religion
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Overtook caravans and fought wars against the Quraysh
Beat the Quraysh in 628 and had around 10,000 converts
Proved to people of the power by smashing the idols on the shrine
The people of Mecca joined the Islamic tradition after the defeat
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Gave unity to the Arab tribes
Strong Religion continues to grow
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Monotheistic religion that didn’t belong to one tribe in particular
Equal to Christianity and Judaism, so it got more converts due to its Arab origin
More uncompromising that other monotheistic faiths because there were no intermediates (saints)
Organized the tribes because the Umma, community of followers, went back to the old tribal
boundaries
Allowed the clans to concentrate on using their military skills against others on the
outside instead of on each other, which spread the religion
Normal Bedouins gained power in the conquered states, spreading influence
Brought an ethical system into the society, strengthening their trust in the religion
Zakat was introduced, drawing in the poor
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Qur’an became a part of law
 Showed how important the religion was
becoming
 Followed this law to prepare for the Last
Judgement
 The Qur’an controlled the social interaction
between the followers
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Islam is the world’s second most practiced
religion
United the Middle East and gave it direction
Helped to Develop the Arabic Language
Created and defined many Arab traditions
Arabic
Pronunciation
Meaning
‫الحمد هلل‬
Alhamdulillah
Praise to Allah
‫الشكر هلل‬
Ashokrulillah
Thanks to Allah
‫ال إله إال هللا‬
La ilaha illa Allah
There is no God but Allah
‫أستغفر هللا‬
Astaghfiru lillah
I seek forgiveness form
Allah
‫السالم عليكم‬
Assalamu Alaikom
Peace be upon you
‫مة السإل‬
Mah salaam
Take care (with safety)
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Alhamdulillah