Download Islamic Civilization

Islamic Civilization
The Rise of Islam
Daily Life in Early Arabia
• The deserts, coastline, and oases of
Arabia helped shape the Arab way of life*
• Water can only be found at oases, which
are green areas fed by underground
water.**
• Survival was extremely difficult, and early
Arabs organized into tribes, who were very
loyal to one another.
• Sheikh – head of an Arabian tribe.
Daily Life in Early Arabia
Who are the early Bedouins?
• Bedouins are desert
herders who traveled
from oasis to oasis to
water and grave their
camels, goats, and
sheep.
• They rarely ate meat
because their herds
were too valuable
• They ate dried fruit
and nuts and drank
the animal’s milk
Daily Life in Early Arabia
Trade and Towns
• Most Arabs lived in villages located near oases
or in the mountain valley*
• To fend off attacks by Bedouins, they traveled in
caravans, which are groups of traveling
merchants and animals.
Daily Life in Early Arabia
Trade and Towns
• By about AD 500,
Arabian merchants
handled most of the
trade between India and
the Mediterranean
Sea.**
• Makkah***became the
largest and richest of
them all. It was a
crossroads for
merchants, and it was
also an important
religious site. This is the
holiest place in Arabia,
and still plays a vital
role in the Islamic****
Muhammad: Islam’s Prophet
Muhammad’s message
• Muhammad was born in Mecca in AD 570*
• In about AD 610, he said he was visited by an
angel and told to preach Islam. Islam means
“surrendering to the will of Allah.”
• Allah is the Arabic word for God.
• He told people to destroy statues of false gods
and worship only Allah, the one true God.
• Muhammad preached that all men were equal
and that the rich should share their goods.**
Muhammad: Islam’s Prophet
Opposition to Islam
• Initially, people were not
attracted to Islam and
only Muhammad’s family
became Muslims, or
followers of Islam.
• Wealthy merchants and
religious leaders did not
like Muhammad’s
message because they
thought he was trying to
take away their power.*
• Muhammad and his
followers left Makkah in
AD 622.
• They moved north to the
town of Yathrib
• This journey became
known as Hijrah, which is
Arabic for “breaking off
relationships”.
• Muslims made AD 622
the first year of the
Muslim calendar
• Yathrib welcomed
Muhammad’s followers
and was renamed
Madinah, which means
city of the prophet.
Muhammad: Islam’s Prophet
Muhammad’s Government
• The people of Madinah
accepted Muhammad
as God’s prophet and
their ruler.*
• Muhammad used laws
to settle disputes
among the people. He
created an Islamic
state – a government
that uses its political
power to uphold Islam.
Muhammad: Islam’s Prophet
Muhammad’s Government
• Muhammad built an army and they
conquered Makkah in AD 630.
• Muhammad made Makkah the holy city of
Islam.
• Although he died two years later, Islam
was spreading to all of Arabia.
Muhammad: Islam’s Prophet
Islam’s Teachings
• Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have
some beliefs in common.
• Belief in one God*
• Belief that God speaks to people through
prophets.*
-Early Muslim prophets were Abraham,
Moses, Jesus, and finally Muhammad.*
Muhammad: Islam’s Prophet
What is the Quran?
• *These writings became the
Quran, or holy book of Islam*
• The Quran instructs Muslims
about how they should live.
Many are similar to those in
the Bible.***
• Muslims should not eat pork,
drink liquor, or gamble.
• The Quran also has rules
about marriage, divorce,
family life, property rights,
and business practices. ****
The Five Pillars of Islam
• Belief – Muslims must
declare that there is no god
but Allah and that
Muhammad is his prophet
• Prayer – Muslims must pray
five times per day facing
toward Makkah
• Charity – Muslims must give
to the poor
• Fasting – Muslims must not
eat from dawn to dusk
during the sacred holiday of
Ramadan
• Pilgrimage – Muslims must
visit Makkah once in their
life