The Rise of Islam The Rise of Islam The beginning of the Muslim Empire

The Prophet Muhammad Founder of Islam (Why no pictures of him?) Born in 570 in the city of Mecca in what is today Saudi Arabia He was raised by his uncle and worked among the Bedouins sheep herders where he was introduced to Judaism Later he became a successful merchant At the age of forty Muhammad had a vision Muhammad believed he heard the voice of the angel Gabriel telling him to spread the word of God and convert the world Muhammad accepted his role as the messenger of God and established the religion of Islam (Which is Arabic for submission)

Muhammad Cont. At 1 st the Arabic people rejected Muhammad and Islam. Muhammad was even forced to leave his home in Mecca In time Muhammad gained more and more followers, eventually returned to Mecca with an army and converted the city to Islam Muhammad worked to unite and convert the Arabs for the rest of his life At Muhammad’s death in 632 one of his early converts Abu Bakr was elected the first Caliph (successor to Muhammad)

Beliefs Muslims believe that there have been other prophets such as Abraham, Moses and Jesus but they feel that Muhammad was the last and greatest of the prophets All Muslim beliefs are contained in a book called the Quran (Koran) The Quran contains all rules and beliefs of Islam as well as a detailed guide on how to live your life

Beliefs Cont. Over time Muslim Scholars developed a body of laws and rules from the Quran called the Sharia The Sharia regulates every aspect of Islamic life, moral conduct, family life, business practices, and government

The Message of Islam Islam is a monotheistic religion which believes that there is one all powerful God whose name is Allah Muslims believe that there will be a judgment day and in the idea of heaven and hell All Muslims accept five basic pillars of faith –A declaration of faith and belief (Shahada) –Daily prayer facing the Holy city of Mecca (Salat) –Charity for the poor (Zakah) –Fasting from sunrise to sundown during the holy month of Ramadan (Sawm) –A holy pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

Golden Age of Islam Between the years Muslim rulers built a vast trading Empire extending from China to Spain This network spread Muslim culture throughout the world and made the Sultans very rich This extensive money economy led the Arabic people to develop banks, credit, insurance, and the idea of checks (the English word check comes from the Arabic word Sakk) The ability of the Muslims to create a money economy allowed for the growth of the arts

Golden Age of Islam Cont. Muslim arts, architecture, and literature flourished The most famous of these Arabic works is The Thousand and One Arabian Nights from which the story of Aladdin comes The Islamic world also became a great center of learning Muslims made great advancements in Philosophy, Mathematics, and Astronomy. The Algebra that you study today was first pioneered by al-Khwarizmi (Aljabr is Arabic for algebra)

Islam and Medicine The Islamic world was also a great center for medical studies Islamic governments set up hospitals and provided health care to those who could not get to the cities Hundreds of years before Europeans began to understand such things Islamic doctors understood germs and diseases

The Spread of Islam Under the 1 st four Caliphs the Muslim armies would spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, N. Africa, Spain, Byzantine, and all of the ME Along with new rule the Islamic Armies brought the message of Islam and Arabic culture to these lands

Spread Cont. Reasons for their success –They were excellent horsemen and had a great cavalry –They were a tough people used to harsh conditions after living in the desert for generations –Finally their belief that if they died in the service of Allah they would go straight to heaven – How do Extremists use this? –Jihad – Holy War – Struggle in the name of Allah

Spread Cont Islam soon began to have division After Muhammad’s death 2 divisions emerged between the Sunni and Shiite Sunni’s believe that Muhammad’s successor should be chosen from the leaders of the Muslim community Shiite’s believe that Muhammad’s successor should be either his son or his daughter This struggle between the Sunni and the Shiite continues today