Unit 3: Islamic Diffusion

In this Unit…  Chapter 6: The World of Islam  Chapter 8.4: India After the Guptas  Chapter 15: The Muslim Empires

In this Chapter…  Lesson 1: The Rise of Islam  Lesson 2: The Arab Empire and Its Successors  Lesson 3: Islamic Civilization  Lesson 4: The Culture of Islam

Essential Question How did Islam rise to become one of the world’s most prominent religions?

Vocabulary  Arabian Peninsula  Allah  Makkah (Mecca)  Muhammad  Quran  Islam  Muslims  Madinah (Medina)  Hijrah  Hajj  Five Pillars of Islam  Shari’ah

Arab? Islam? Muslim? Islamic?  Arab – someone who speaks Arabic  Islam – the faith founded by Muhammad  Muslim – someone who practices the religion of Islam  Islamic – describing an object (ie. Islamic country, Islamic calendar, Islamic law)

The Arab World

Islam religion started by Muhammad and his teachings/revelations from Allah religion started by Muhammad and his teachings/revelations from Allah Means “submission” –people must throw themselves upon the mercy of God (submit) in order to be saved Means “submission” –people must throw themselves upon the mercy of God (submit) in order to be saved “Muslim” – people who practice the religion of Islam “Muslim” – people who practice the religion of Islam

Arabia Before Muhammad  Bedouin tribes – nomadic animal herders Worshipped pagan gods Worshipped pagan gods Constantly at war (scarcity of water, resources) Constantly at war (scarcity of water, resources)  Mecca Popular because of the Kaaba (tribes worshipped pagan gods) Popular because of the Kaaba (tribes worshipped pagan gods) Prosperous – Kaaba made it a center of trade Prosperous – Kaaba made it a center of trade

Beginnings  Started about 613 AD when Muhammad was about 40 years old in the city of Mecca, a desert plateau city in the western Arabian Peninsula that was a trading crossroads.  Mecca at that time was home to many religions, including Judaism and Christianity, but mostly to polytheistic religions.

Why didn’t Arabs like Muhammad's message?  Threatened their gods/way of life monotheism, non-violence monotheism, non-violence  Threatened their power and wealth Kaaba brought trade and prosperity Kaaba brought trade and prosperity Rich had to give to poor Rich had to give to poor

Life of Muhammad

 Muhammad was born in 570 AD in Mecca.  He was orphaned at about age six, and taken in by his Grandfather, a local political leader.  In 578, the grandfather died, and he lived with his merchant uncle, who sometimes took him along on his caravan travels.  When he was 25, he married Khadeja, a 40 year-old wealthy widow merchant. He handled her business dealings and prospered.

 Mecca was becoming more prosperous, too, but the society with its idolatry bothered Muhammad.  He often retreated to a cave in the mountains for solitude and meditation.  It was in the cave that he got his first revelation. He would continue to receive revelations for 23 years.  According to Islam, Muhammad was told their scriptural teachings for the Quran by an angel (Gabriel) of God. Although it is believed by many today that he was illiterate, Muhammad made sure what he heard was written.

When Muhammad tried to spread his new teachings in Mecca, he was ridiculed by the tribal polytheistic leaders, and cut off from trade. His wife and uncle died, and the persecution nearly became an execution. According to Islam, in 620 AD, Muhammad was on a winged horse (at where the present-day Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem –atop the mount where the Jewish Temple had been). He was ascended into the heavens, met the prophets and saw God.

 The Dome of the Rock was built over the rock thought to be where Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son, and also where Muhammad left on his winged horse. The dome is a monument or shrine as much as a mosque, and sits on the mount where the Temple of Solomon stood.

 In 622 he was asked to come settle a civil war dispute for a tribe in Yathrib. He packed up a few hundred followers and went.  Muhammad became more powerful, and Yathrib was named Medina “The City of the Prophet.”

 Over the next few years, he drew even more followers.  By 625 he had an army that fought battles with the powerful Mecca in various places.  In 630 they conquered Mecca.  Within a couple of years, the Arabian peninsula had converted to Islam.

The Abraham Connection

In Judaism, their scripture says that Abraham was told by God that he would have to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Although he was prepared to show his faith and go through with it, God stopped him and provided an animal for sacrifice instead. Abraham was the great patriarch of Judaism.

 In Christianity, the same story is told about Abraham. The covenant made with him refers to Jesus as his descendant and Messiah. So in Christianity, the willingness to sacrifice a son is a story of foreshadowing.

 In Islam, Abraham goes through the same test, but it is with his son Ishmael. Ishmael in Jewish and Christian scripture was not the favored son, but instead, his son with his wife’s handmaiden, Hagar. In Islam, Ishmael was the firstborn son to Abraham, and the mother was Hagar. *Muhammad is a prophet like Abraham, and he is Abraham’s descendant. In Islam, Muhammad is the most honored of several prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

 Adam Noah Shem Abraham SarahHagar Isaac (Jewish Faith) Ishmael (Islamic Faith)

Islam  An Abrahamic Religion  Muslims are strict monotheists.  They believe in the Judeo- Christian God, which they call Allah.  Muslims believe that the Torah and the Bible, like the Qur’an, is the word of God. Peoples of the Book

The Prophetic Tradition Adam Noah Abraham Moses Jesus Muhammad

 Faith  Daily prayer  Almsgiving  Fast  Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) Five Pillars of Islam

Testament of Faith  There is ONE God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet 1 1

Daily Prayer  Pray five times a day  facing Mecca  In Arabic The mandatory prayers performed 5 times a day: * dawn * noon * late afternoon * sunset * before going to bed Wash before praying. Face Mecca and use a prayer rug. 2 2

Almsgiving  Charity to the poor and aged  2.5% of possessions 3 3

Fast  during the month of Ramadan 9 th month of the Islamic Calendar (mid July to mid August) 9 th month of the Islamic Calendar (mid July to mid August)  NO food – sunrise to sunset  Refrain from violence, harsh language, gossip, etc. 4 4

Hajj  “pilgrimage” to Mecca  All Muslims who are able must make the journey  About 2-3 million make the journey each year 5 5