 AD 570- Mohammed is born in Mecca  Mecca- on west coast of Arabia, trading and pilgrimage town, Ka’aba (cube)  AD 595- Mohammed marries Kadijah, a wealthy business woman, after working for her  AD 610- Mohammed becomes interested in religion- meditates in cave- has visions of Archangel Gabriel telling him he would be a messenger of God- begins to preach monotheism in Mecca

 Mohammed and followers are persecuted in Mecca- many followers killed  AD 622- Hegira- “flight” or “migration” from Mecca to Medina with followers  After Hegira, religion comes to be called Islam, “to surrender to God” and followers Muslim, “the surrendering ones”

 Mohammed begins to lead raids against Meccan caravans  His victories begin to attract many Bedouin followers  Within 10 years, most Bedouins are Muslim  AD 630- Mohammed and an army of 10,000 followers take Mecca  Mohammed destroys all idols in the Ka’aba except for the Black Stone  Most of Arabian Peninsula is Muslim by this point

 Iberian Peninsula  North Africa (Carthaginians & Berbers)  Egypt  Palestine  Mesopotamia  Lands of the Persian Empire  Arabia

 Passion in Faith (Jihad)  Arabia overpopulated  Resistance weak (Byzantium & Persia at war)

 Two classes based on Arab ethnicity for Muslims  Lower classes of other religions with greater tolerance of Jews and Christians (People of the Book) in the early years  Became less of an Empire of Believers and more like past empires (political and financial goals)

 Caliphs- successors to the prophet  Orthodox Caliphate  Umayyad Caliphate  Abbasid Caliphate

 AD  Four Caliphs- all knew the prophet personally or were related to him  Islam’s wars of conquest launched under these Caliphs

 Abu Bakr- 1 st Caliph, ordered writing of the Koran  Omar- Conquered Syria, Egypt, most of Persia- stabbed to death by a Christian slave  Uthman- killed by rebel muslims  Ali- assassinated

 AD  Umayyads killed the Prophet’s grandson, Husayn, during their rise to power  Fleets attack Constantinople- held off by Greek Fire  Conquered Berbers of north Africa  Berbers help to invade Spain in AD 711  Spain conquered in 7 years (AD 718)  Conquered to the Indus River in the east  Rebellion kills all but one of the Umayyads, who escapes to Spain

 AD  Came to power through rebellion against Umayyads  Leader of revolt descended from Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle  Emphasized link to the Prophet  Supported by Persians  Beginning of Sunni- Shi’a split

 Shi’ite- Early support of Abbasids, believed Husayn had been rightful heir and that descendants of the Prophet should lead Islam  Sunni- “orthodox” – hostility with Shi’ites

 Faith- Shahadah  Prayer- Salah- 5 times a day facing Mecca  Fasting- Sawm- during Ramadam  Alms- Zakah  Pilgrimage- Hajj- to Mecca once in life

 Belief in God  Belief in His Angels  Belief in His Books- Scrolls, Torah, Psalms, Gospels (Injeel), Koran  Belief in His Prophets/Messengers  Belief in the Day of Judgement  Belief in God’s Divine Decree