1. The Birth of Islam

2. The Arabian Peninsula Mostly desert
Towns/cities/trade routes on outside

3. Bedouins
Nomadic Arabs
Lived in the desert
A desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes, or clans, known in Arabic as ʿašāʾir (عَشَائِر)

4. Pre-Mohammed
Kaaba – Sacred
Allah – Supreme God

5. Muhammad Born about 570 C.E. Successful Merchant
Married Khadijah (former boss)
Traveled and interacted with Jews + Christians
Prayed in caves a lot
610 C.E. Angel appears to him

7. Revelations… or messages from the Angel
Angel Gabriel gives Muhammad messages for humans from god
Allah – only true/all powerful god

8. Spreading the Revelations
Begins to preach in public
Many in Mecca fearful of him
Flees Mecca 619 C.E.

9. A Growing Following Settles in Medina 622 C.E.
Mecca and Medina fight, by 630 Mohammad controls Mecca

10. The Qur’an (or Koran) Mohammad couldn’t read or write
Teachings were written down, became the Qur’an

11. The 5 Pillars
Profess faith – “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of god”
5 daily prayers facing Mecca
Charity (Alms) to the poor
Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj – if physically/financially able, must travel to Mecca

12. 632 C.E. Muhammad Died Abu Bakr – becomes first caliph (or successor)
Keeps strong military
Expands Muslim rule to the North

14. Caliphate – area ruled by caliph

15. Division Ali Uthman Cousin of Muhammad From Umayyad converted clan
Umayyads only went to Islam when they had no choice
Muhammad’s enemies

16. Conflict Uthman made caliph Killed Ali becomes caliph
civil war – Ali killed
Umayyad Dynasty

18. Two Groups of Muslims Shia Sunnis Party of Ali way of the prophet
Refused to accept Umayyads
Believed Allah had blessed Ali’s family
Majority of Muslims accepted the Umayyad

19. Umayyads Unpopular Shia continue to Oppose Abbasid family lead revolts – 740s C.E. Abbasid Dynasty

20. The Abbasids Made Islam more universal
Spread Islam from Southeast Asia to West Africa
“Golden Age of Islam”
“The Translation” – gathering of as much knowledge as possible, and preservation of ancient writings

21. The Abbasids spread Islam to Western Africaii

22. And to India and Southeast Asia
jjj

23. By the 800s Abbasids begin losing control

24. The Abbasids lost their empire bit by bit:
Poor management of empire led to revolts
Constant struggle of succession
Over-use of resources
By ~950 C.E. Egypt + Syria broke away
…and invaders sack Baghdad

25. The 1st Crusade
Christians from Europe invade and Capture Jerusalem
Islamic Armies retake all lost territory by 1291

26. So, massive mounted armies could not overthrow Muslim rule.
Unless they were…
Wait for it…

27. …The Mongols!
uuu

28. Baghdad is sacked in 1258
This marks the end of the Abbasid Golden Age period
The end of a single Islamic Empire
Egypt and other small parts of the empire survive

29. ;ll