ORIGINS OF ISLAM

Learning Goals Understand the early life of Prophet Muhammad Know the basis for the Islam faith (Why was it founded) Understand the importance of the Kaaba

Mecca at the Time of Muhammad’s Birth Muhammad was born more than five centuries after Jesus in today’s Saudi Arabia In the 7th century, the Arabian Peninsula was an overlooked area as it contained harsh deserts. It was occupied by Christians, Jews, and nomadic tribes It was ruled by polytheistic clans

Mecca at the Time of Muhammad’s Birth It was ruled by polytheistic clans Mecca had a spring so people settled there It contained the Kaaba: a cube- shaped structure, a pilgrimage site that people travelled to each year

KAABA It was said to be the centre of the earth- the point at which God’s creation began It is believed that it was sent down from heaven and rebuilt by the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. Later it was taken over by polytheistic believers but in 630 CE, Muhammad restored it, cleansing it of its deities leaving only the house.

Muhammad’s Early Life Born in Mecca in 570 CE His parents died young so he was raised by his uncle, Abu Talib who was a trader Muhammad became known as “the trustworthy” and “the righteous” one Later he married Khadijah and had 6 children.

Muhammad Receives the Qur’an Muhammad was troubled by the inequalities in Meccan society and by the fact that the clan members worshipped many Gods. In 610CE the Angel Gabriel visited him and uttered the direct words of Allah while he was in a state of ecstasy, which later he could repeat to others. He continued to receive revelations which were later recorded in the Qur’an

Struggles in Mecca Between 610CE and 622CE there were not a lot of conversions to Islam and Muhammad was persecuted by those around him. In 622CD he was offered a place in Medina to protect himself from persecution in Mecca Known as the hijra, he moved the people of Islam north to Medina In 628CD, Muhammad would make peace with Meccans and began a ritual pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the hajj

Muhammad’s Life Biography Summary video of Muhammad’s life (Part 1) Part two Part three Part four Part five Part six

Islam after Muhammad After Muhammad died, Abu Bakr became the Muslim leader or caliph. It spread rapidly through Arabia Expansion led to conflict with the Persian Sassanid Empire to the east and the Christian Byzantine Empire to the north. With time, Muslims occupied Jerusalem which they held until 1967. Within 150 years of Muhammad’s death, Islam spread westward across northern Africa to Spain, and east towards central Asia Despite conquering areas, they never forced people to convert.