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Chapter 6
The Rise of Islam
Geography
• Lived in the
Arabian Peninsula
▫ desert lands
lacked rivers and
lakes
▫ nomadic
▫ moved constantly
to find water and
food for their
animals
The Arabs
• Organized tribes
• Sheikh: chosen
leader of a tribe
• Farmers and sheep
herders
• Lived on rain-fed
and oasis areas
The Arabs
• Most were
polytheistic
• Traced their
ancestors to
Abraham and his son
Ishmael, who were
believed to have built
at Makkah (Mecca)
the Kaaba, a house of
worship
• Recognized Allah as
the supreme god
The Life of Muhammad
No representation of
Muhammad is in any Islamic art
• Married rich widow =
Khadija
• Was troubled by
growing gap between
rich and poor
• Went to meditate and
was believed to have
received revelations
from God through the
angel Gabriel
The Life of Muhammad
• Believed that Allah
had already revealed
himself through
Moses (Judaism) and
Jesus (Christianity)
• Final revelations
were through
Muhammad
Cave of Hira, site of 1st revelation
The Life of Muhammad
• Qur’an - holy book of
Islam
• Islam - peace through
submission to the will
of Allah
• Contains ethical
guidelines and laws to
follow
• Islam has only one
God, Allah, and
Muhammad is God’s
prophet
Oldest manuscript
9 c. – only 1/3 survives
The Life of Muhammad
• Tried to convince
people of Mecca
but, was
persecuted
• He and his 30
followers moved
to Medina (“city
of the prophet”)
▫ Journey known as
Hijrah
The Life of Muhammad
• Won support from
the Bedouins, of
Medina
• Formed 1st
community of
practicing Muslims
• Muslims saw no
separation between
political and
religious authority
The Life of Muhammad
• Muhammad
becomes political,
religious, and
military leader
• In 630, takes force
of 10,000 soldiers
to conquer Mecca
(place of
persecution)
Muhammad and his companions
advancing on Mecca (angels also shown)
The Teachings of Muhammad
• Monotheistic
• Allah is the allpowerful Creator
• Gives salvation
and hope of an
afterlife
• Muhammad was
the prophet of
Allah
The Five Pillars of Islam
One God
Prayer
Alms
Fasting
• Believing
Allah is the
only God
and
Muhammad
is his
messenger
• Pray 5 times
a day to
Allah
• Give alms to
the poor and
unfortunate
• Fast during
the month
of Ramadan
Pilgrimage
• Make a
pilgrimage
to Makkah
once in a
lifetime
(hajj)
Sharia: Code of Laws
• provides believers with
a set of practical laws
• applies teachings of
the Quran to daily life
• does not separate
religion from politics
• The Hadith warns
against imitating God
by creating pictures of
living things
• Muslims can NOT eat
pork, drink alcoholic
beverages, gamble or
engage in dishonest
behavior
Islamic Civilization & Culture
Sections 3 & 4
Prosperity in the Islamic World
• Prosperity based
on extensive trade
by ship and camel
▫ Camel caravans
went from Morocco
(Northwest Africa)
to the Caspian Sea
• Items traded:
▫ gold, slaves
(Southern Africa)
▫ ivory (East Africa)
▫ sandal wood, spices,
textiles (India)
▫ silk, porcelain
(China)
▫ grain (Egypt)
▫ linens, dates, and
jewels (Iraq)
“The Emerald City”
• Large, magnificent
cities
▫ Baghdad, Cairo,
Damascus, Córdoba
• Palaces & mosques
• Public buildings
w/fountains, baths,
and marketplaces
(bazaars: covered
market)
Islamic Society
• Islam claims that all people are equal in
the eyes of Allah
• However, in the Arab Empire, there was a
well-defined class system
▫ Upper Class: ruling families, wealthy
merchants, and elites
▫ Lower Class: Peasants and slaves
▫ Slaves: captives of war from Africa & Asia;
most served as soldiers; women slaves were
domestic servants
Islamic Society
• Women
Women voting for the 1st time in Iraq (2005)
▫ Quran granted spiritual
and social equality
w/men
▫ Women could own and
inherit land
▫ Still dominated by men
 Male guardian
 Secluded at home
 Kept from social
contacts with men
outside their families
Islamic Society
• Parents arranged
marriages
• Men could have up to
four wives
• Women had a right to
divorce, however, the
right was extended
only to men
• Women cover much
of their body
(traditional Arab
practice)
Science
• Observatory: scientists
studied and named
many stars
• Astrolabe: helped
sailors determine their
location by observing
the position of the
stars
• Medicine: Ibn Sina
wrote a medical
encyclopedia; showed
that unsanitary
conditions contributed
to the spread of
contagious diseases
Literature
• Muslims believed the Qur’an
was their greatest work of
literature
• The Arabian Nights:
collection of folktales, fables,
and romances
▫ Story of Aladdin, Sinbad the
Sailor and Ali Baba and the
forty thieves (“Open
Sesame”)
Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves
Art & Architecture
• The Great Mosque of
Samarra (Iraq)
▫ Minaret: tower from
which the crier,
muezzin, calls the
faithful to prayer 5
times a day
▫ Example
90 feet high
Damascus
“Forest of
Trees” –
hundreds of
columns
Art & Architecture
•Arabesques:
repeated Arabic
letters, plants,
abstract figures,
and geometric
patterns