The Rise of Islam

What is Islam?

Overview of Islam

Today, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion with more than 1 billion followers throughout the world

What is Islam?

• Islam is a monotheistic religion that began in city of Mecca located on the Arabian Peninsula near the Byzantine Empire

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Why Important?

• Islam is one of the world’s most popular religions
• There are current conflicts in the Middle East because of different religious beliefs

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Arabian Peninsula

• The Arabian Peninsula lies near the intersection of three continents, so it is called a “crossroads” location.
• Africa
• Asia
• Europe
• Arabia’s location has shaped its physical features.

The Arabian Peninsula

• The Arabian Peninsula is a harsh desert with hot, dry air.
• The climate makes it hard for plants and animals to survive.
• Huge sand dunes, or hills of sand shaped by the wind, cover large parts of Arabia.
• Water exists mainly in oases, wet, fertile areas that are scattered across the deserts.

Live in the Arabian Peninsula

• A nomadic life, people moved from place to place within tribes for protection and as the seasons changed.
• People formed Bedouin’s (Arab Nomad) which are tribes organize into clans.
• Sedentary people settled in oases, where they could farm. These settlements often became towns.
• Towns became centers of trade.
• Many had a souk, a market or bazaar, where goods were traded.

Souk and Bazaar

Pre-Islamic Arabia

• Polytheistic religion – Worshipped many gods
• Strong familial ties
• Polygamy – Men were allowed to have several wives
• Their Ideals of courage and loyalty to family would become part of culture.

Pre-Islamic Arabia

• If people can’t farm they have to trade
• Each tribe had a different polytheistic god or deity
• Tribes traded: Horses, Thoroughbred Camels, Ostriches, & Tanned Hides

Rise of Islam

• By 500’s, Arabia was fragmented
• Rivalry among Bedouin
• Christianity and Judaism increased in influence
• Religious disunity
• People began to call for unity among the Arabs
• Believed a common religion was needed
• Muhammad, a merchant from Mecca, will introduced a major world religion called Islam.

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Muhammad

• Muhammad was born in the oasis town of Mecca in 570 A.D
• Born to a Merchant family and raised by relatives

-father and mother died by age six

-raised by an impoverished uncle

• He became a successful merchant
• He married at 25 (Khadija) and started a family

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Mecca

Mecca was the center for several trading markets

Muhammad

• Muhammad was a very successful merchant during his life
• He became known for his honesty in business
• Devoted father and husband
• He was always troubled by the moral evils of society and the division among people

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Muhammad Becomes �a �Prophet

• Muhammad was troubled by the greed that he saw in Mecca
• He spent a lot of time meditating in caves in the hills near Mecca
• According to Muslim belief 🡪 When Muhammad was 40, he heard the voice of an angel (Gabriel) calling him to be the messenger of God

Muhammad Becomes God’s Messenger

• Muhammad’s teachings had similarities to Judaism and Christianity, but they also presented new ideas.
• Muhammad taught that there was only one God, Allah, which means “the God” in Arabic. This is similar to Christianity and Judaism.
• Muslims also recognize many of the same prophets as Christians and Jews.
• Muslims don’t believe that Jesus was the son of God.
• Muhammad said the rich and poor should be equal. Many wealthy merchants did not like this idea.

Muhammad Becomes God’s Messenger

• Muhammad devoted his life to spreading Islam after he heard the message
• He urged Arabs to give up their religion and follow the true God (Allah)
• At first, very few people listened to Muhammad
• Merchants in Mecca were angry that his teachings rejected the traditional Arab gods

A Turning Point

• Rulers of Mecca began to threaten Muhammad and his followers with violence as Islam started to influence more people.
• 622 🡪 Muhammad was faced with the threat of murder
• Muhammad and his followers left Mecca and went to Medina.
• This departure became known in Muslim history as the hegira, or journey.
• Islam thrived in Medina, and other Arab tribes in the region accepted Islam.

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A Turning Point

• The Hijra was a turning point for Islam because in Medina the Muslim convents agreed with Muhammad
• In Medina acceptance grows and thousands of Arabs adopt Islam
• Mohamed builds an army dedicated to Allah

Kaaba

• 630 🡪 After fighting battles with Arab tribes Muhammad returned to Mecca
• Mohamed and his followers returned to Mecca to free the Kaaba, the temple he believed should be dedicated to one true God
• Rededicated the Kaaba to Allah (God), making it the most holy place of Islam.

Islam Spreads

• Islam unified the fighting Bedouin tribes
• One God meant One People
• Islam was accepting of all people – young and old, rich and poor, men and women
• Gave them a common ground and no reason to continue fighting

Quran

• The Quran - Sacred text of Islam
• States people are responsible for their actions
• Muslims believe that God (Allah) has sent other prophets: Jesus, Abraham, Moses… but Muhammad is the last and greatest of all.

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Rise of Islam

• Followers of Islam are called Muslim
• Their holy text is the Quran
• Chief Prophet: Muhammad