1. Origins of Islam Chapter 3, Section 2

2. Muhammad’s Early Life Born in Mecca around 570AD. Father died before he was born; Mother died when he was six. Raised by his grandfather and uncle, a caravan owner. At age 25, married Khadijah, a wealthy woman who owned a caravan business.

3. Mecca Caravan trade made Mecca a rich city. The wealthy did not want to share their money with the poor. Muhammad was upset by the changing values in Mecca, so he went to the hills outside the city to pray.

4. A Message for Muhammad When Muhammad was about 40, he was meditating in a cave and an angel appeared to him. The angel told him to teach people about God, and become a prophet. He didn’t tell anyone at first, but later, in 613, he began to spread the word.

5. Questions On your own, create two questions that can be answered by your notes. If there is something you don’t understand, write that question down on your sticky note.

6. Islam The word means “to submit to God” in Arabic. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim. The messages that Muhammad received from God are written in the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam.

7. Muhammad’s Teachings What Muhammad TaughtWhat Arabs Believed Only one God, Allah. This means Islam is “monotheistic” like Judaism and Christianity. Abraham, Moses and Jesus were prophets. Respected the beliefs of Christians and Jews. Worshipped many gods. This is called “polytheism”. Worshipped their gods at shrines. The Kaaba in Mecca was an important shrine, and people made pilgrimages (religious journeys) to visit it.

8. Questions On your own, create two questions that can be answered by your notes. If there is something you don’t understand, write that question down on your sticky note.

9. Problems Arise Arabs worried that the new religion would take away their money. Islam taught that everyone was equal, which the rich people didn’t like. Muhammad wanted the rich to give to the poor.

10. Islam Spreads from Mecca to Medina Islam began to influence people, which made the rulers of Mecca unhappy. They threatened to kill Muhammad. In 622, Muhammad and his followers went to Medina (“the Prophet’s city”). This journey became known as the hegira. Muhammad’s house was the first mosque (building for Muslim prayer).

11. Islam Spreads to the Rest of Arabia In Medina, Muhammad received new revelations about government, society and worship. He taught that Muslims should face Mecca when they pray, because the Kaaba there was built by Abraham for God. In 630 he went back to Mecca, destroyed the shrines in the Kaaba, and became the spiritual leader of the Arabs. Muhammad died in 632.

12. Questions With your partner, choose your 3 BEST questions and write them on the piece of paper. Choose a question that you still don’t understand, and add that to the bottom of the paper.

13. Writing Prompt The religion of Islam was very different from the older religions practiced in Arabia., but it was similar to Judaism and Christianity. Give three examples of how Islam was different from the older religions and three examples of how it was similar Judaism and Christianity.