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Islam: Empires of Faith Video Viewing Guide
Video 1
3:45 Many cultures have been shaped by Islamic civilization
 How? Consider this as you view the film
4:00 Muhammad-early years
 570 CE – Birth near Mecca into the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. His father died
before his birth, and his mother died a few years later.
 Infancy – sent to live with Bedouin relatives. Bedouin culture involved strong kinship ties with
clan and family.
 Fortunate to be raised by an uncle, Abu Talib, involved with trade. Without family ties, he
wouldn’t have survived.
10:00 Bedouin belief system
 An oral culture - shared stories, recited poetry – poetry was the “sinew” that held the tribes
together. This helped to express values. Words held a mystical importance.
10:45 The Ka’ba
 An ancient shrine in Mecca – wood, black stone, and cloth. Pre- Islamic site of a sanctuary in
Mecca where tribal differences could be put aside. It was believed to be built by Abraham.
 Polytheistic beliefs centered around nature – water, wind, fire gods
11:35 Trade items
 Trade was facilitated by the Ka’ba. Mecca was the center for trade with a mix of cultures and
religions. This allowed access to monotheistic ideas from Christians and Jews. Mecca was
founded by the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh tribe.
13:40 Muhammad's characteristics
 Strong leader – able to propose solutions. This will be an important characteristic when he
begins to spread the Islamic faith.
 Married Khadijah – the widow of a wealthy merchant.
15:10 Muhammad's vision
 Grew increasingly distracted and dissatisfied with material gain
 Spend time in the hills and wilderness surrounding Mecca.
 He had a profound and disturbing encounter with the Angel Gabriel
16:40 Muhammad's proclamation
 The first of many revelations was “There is no God, but God” emphasizing the indivisible
divine unity of a single God.
18:00 With Islam came a new order, a new way of life
 Muhammad gained a small following and emphasized unity with no tribal divisions.
 He preached a strong social justice message with universal appeal
18:40 Verbal expression was the commanding cultural force
 The symbolic depth of pre-Islamic poetry and verbal expression of the Bedouin assisted
Muhammad in conveying his message.
19:20 The Koran (Qu’ran)
 Revealed orally (Muhammad was illiterate), written down early on in Arabic to preserve the
original message. It contains a revelation of spiritual, ethical, and social guidelines.

Imagery is important paralleling traditional Bedouin poetry. The use of constantly shifting
pronouns is present
 Images are not favored.
24:00 Unrest between tribal leaders and Muhammad
 The Umayyads felt threatened by Muhammad. They tried to run him out of town, planned an
assassination. His uncle refused to start a tribal war and helped to remove Muhammad and
his followers from Mecca.
26:10 A new tribe is formed
 He created a community of faithful believers – the umma. They were bound by faith not
blood, transcended traditional Bedouin kinship ties.
27:50 New Muslim calendar – 622CE
 The escape to Yathrib (renamed “Medina” the city of the prophet) is known as the Hijira and
marks year 1 on the Muslim calendar.
 Muhammad accepted other “people of the book” (became known as dhimmis) and accepted
Moses and Jesus as prophets.
 The call to prayer is the first pillar of Islam “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his
Prophet.”
31:30 Enemies gather forces to wipe out Muslims
 Muhammad gathered arms and was greatly outnumbered 300 of his followers to 1000 heavily
armed Meccans
 Held out for three years, and by 630 CE Muhammad prepared to return to Mecca – 10,000
strong.
37:30 Bedouin's response to the fall of Mecca
 Muhammad did not carry out bloody revenge. Instead he destroyed the idols and iconoclasm
by smashing tribal gods into the dust. Symbollically wiping out the previous culture and
uniting the tribes under the banner of Islam.
38:55 Muhammad dies
 632 CE – the eleventh year of the Muslim calendar.
 Many of the tribes that initially converted renounced the new faith.
39:45 Who should succeed Muhammad
 A divergence of opinion arose. A new leader was designated as the caliph (political and
religious successor to Muhammad). Abu Bakr was chosen. This decision led to a split
between those who believed the successor did not have to be related to Muhammad – the
Sunni branch of Islam and those who felt the successor should be a relative of Muhammad –
the Shi’a branch of Islam.
40:45 Strength of Islam
 Again, universal appeal. Brought together a diverse group of people.
 Within 50 years, Islam spread rapidly.
 Within 200 years It spread from Spain to China connecting North Africa, the Middle East, and
the northern portion of South Asia, encompassing the Sassanian (Persian) Empire, and taking
over parts of the Byzantine Empire.
41:20 Muslim's lead a conquest of ideas
 Preserved and transmitted learning from the classical period. Took ideas from the Greek
philosophers; the Indian numeral system which became Arabic numerals; Byzantine
architecture.
42:45 Architectural accomplishments
 The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
 Great Mosque of Damascus in Syria