Transcript Section 2:The Rise and Spread of Islam

Section 2:The Rise and Spread of
Islam
A man, Muhammad, became the leader
of the Islamic religion
 Muhammad was born on the Arabian
Peninsula

 The Arabian Peninsula = mostly desert
○ Mecca, the city where Muhammad lived was
located on the edge of the desert

Mecca = great location for trade
 Camel trains brought perfumes, Ivory,
spices, silk and precious metals such as
gold
 Some merchants traveled north to Syria to
sell goods
 Others traveled across the desert to Iraq to
trade

Bedouins and Merchants
 In the Arabian desert there were many
groups of nomadic Bedouins
○ They herded sheep, camels, and goats
 They also acted a guides for trade caravans
○ Sometimes they would rob the caravan
○ Deals were made to prevent the robberies
 Religion was used to seal the deal
 Merchants welcomed the Bedouins into their holy
place called the Kabah located in the center of
Mecca
○ The Kabah held a black stone, a meteorite
which was sacred to the Merchants
○ The Kabah also held many object sacred to
the Meccans and Bedouins

Muhammad’s life
 He was orphaned at the age of 7 and lived
with his uncle until adulthood
 He went to work in Mecca in the Caravan
trade
○ He traveled to Syria (part of the Byzantine
Empire)
○ At 25 he married a wealthy widow named
Khadijah
 When not working he would walk in the hills outside
of Mecca

Muhammad’s mission
 An angle visits and gives Muhammad a
mission
○ He traveled around and “Proclaimed” that
there was only one true God
 People who accepted this became Muslims which
means “person who submits”
 The religion became known as Islam which means
“Submission to God”

Meccans were angry
 They did not like Muhammads teachings
○ They feared their gods would be mad and the
importance of their city lost
○ They also did not like that Muhammad saw all
people as brothers and sisters so they threw
garbage at Muhammad and his followers
 Forced to flee the city Muhammad made his
way north to the city of Yathrib which
welcomed him and his followers
○ People of Yathrib believed Muhammad to be a
prophet and a wise man
 This move from Mecca to Yathrib was known
as the hijra meaning “migration”
 After the hijra the city changed its name to
Medina which means “city of the Prophet

The spread of Islam
 People did not like the Byzantine and
Persian Empires because their rulers were
mean
○ The new religion promised a new way of life
that made sense
 Muhammad & his followers were traders so
they traveled all over telling people about
their religion
 Muhammad united the Arabs into one
community and once they were working
together they were very powerful!