Transcript World History

World History
Chapter 11
Islamic Civilization
Main Idea
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Muhammad established basic beliefs and
practices for Islam
Terms to Define
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Sheikh
Revelation
Ahari’ah
Mosque
Imam
Hajj
People to Meet
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Muhammad
Muslims
Places to Locate
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Arabian Peninsula
Makkah
A New Faith
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South of Asia Minor
Arabian Peninsula
Like the Israelites, Phoenicians, and Chaldeans,
the Arabs were descended from Semitic tribes
Archaeologists traced Arab civilizations to at
least 3000 B.C.
Arab Life
The Setting
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Isolation kept invading tribes away
The Arabian Peninsula is a wedge of land
between the Red Sea and the Persian gulf. It is
made up of two distinct regions
The southwest area with well watered valleys
 The rest of the Peninsula with arid plains and
deserts
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Lives of the Beduin
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In ancient times many of the Arabs were
bedouins who herded sheep, camels, and goats
Lived in tents
Drank milk from their herds
Ate dates
Special occasions, ate mutton
Tribes
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Bedouin lived in tribes
Made up of related families
 Protection
 Leader was a sheikh (or chief) appointed by the
heads of families
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Tribes--War
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Was part of the lifestyle
Went on raids to gain camels and horses as well
gain land and water holes (most precious)
Bedouin believed in retaliation—”eye for an
eye”
Growth of Towns
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By the A.D. 500s, many tribes had settled around
oases or in fertile valleys to pursue either
farming or trade; prosperous markets towns
grew, the most important of which was Makkah
Makkah was en route to Syria, Iraq, and China
Makkah contained the most holy of shrines, the
Kaaba, which contained the statues of the many
Arab deities
Signs of Change
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As business ideas replaced tribal ties in the
trading towns, the old tribal rules were no longer
adequate; the Arabs needed a central
government
They were threatened by Byzantine and Persian
empires
Signs of Change--religion
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Religious ideas were also changing; introduced to
monotheistic religions of Judaism and Christianity,
many Arabs grew dissatisfied with their old beliefs
Holy men known as hanifs (hah*NEEFS) denounced
idols and believed in one god
They rejected Judaism and Christianity, preferring to
find a uniquely Arab form of monotheism
The ferment contributed toward the emergence of
Islam, which means “submission to the will of Allah
(God)”
Muhammad and His Message
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The prophet of Islam Muhammad, was born in
the bustling city of Makkah around A.D. 570
Muslim traditions state that Muhammad was
orphaned at an early age and raised by an uncle
Life of Muhammad
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During his teens, he worked as a caravan leader
Reputation for honest and able person
His employer, a wealthy widow named Khadija
(kuh*DEE*juh) placed him in charge of her
business affairs
When he was 25, she proposed marriage to him
His marriage relieved him of financial worries
and allowed him to focus on the meaning of life
Muhammad Troubled
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He was troubled by greed, idol worship, and
treatment of the poor
He spent time alone praying and fasting in a
cave outside the city
Revelation
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Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad
experienced a revelation (vision) in A.D.—a
voice called him to be the apostle of the one
true deity, Allah (Arabic word for God)
First revelation told him to recite (see quote in text)
 The second revelation commanded Muhammad to
“rise and warn’ the people about divine judgment
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Muhammad Preaches
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I A.D. 613 Muhammad preached to the people
of Makkah that there was only one God and
that people everywhere must worship and obey
him
The rich should share with the poor
 God ,measured people by their devotion and good
deeds
 He told the people of Makkah to live their lives in
preparation for the day of judgement
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Muhammad’s First Converts
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Khadija and his immediate family became the
first Muslims—followers of Islam
Opposition to Islam
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Most Makkans rejected Muhammad’s message
Upset by attacks on images of Kaaba
Makkans afraid lack of pilgrimages would ruin
economy
Makkans persecuted Muslims
Muhammad Persists
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Muhammad persisted in his presching until
threats against his life force him to seek help
outside the city
He found refuge in the small town of Yathrib to
the north in A.D. 622, the first year of the
Muslim calendar
The Islamic Community
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Yathrib became known as Madinat al-Nabi, “the
city of the prophet”
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Or Madinah (muh*DEE*nuh)
Origin of the Islamic State
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Muhammad was a skilled politician as well as religious
leader
In the Madinah Compact, he laid the foundations of
the Islamic state
Loyalty to Islamic community was placed above the
tribe
Disputes settled by Muhammad
Divine law of Islam recorded in the holy scriptures
known as the Quran
Jew and Christians were extended protection who
accepted Islam’s political authority
Acceptance of Islam
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Makkans invaded Yathrib and were defeated by
Muslims
Makkans accepted Islam
Muslims destroyed idols in the Kaaba
Turned the shrine into a place of worship which
was believed to have been built by the prophet
Makkah became the spiritual capital of Islam,
and Madinah remained its political capital
Muhammad Dies
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By A.D. 631, Islam had extended throughout the
Arabian Peninsula supported by an army of
tribes
After a brief illness, Muhammad died at
Madinah in A.D. 632
Left behind religious community based on sacred
writings
 Left behind his life as an example or interpretive
guide for Muslims to follow
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Beliefs and Practices of Islam
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Beliefs and practices are based on his revelations
Beliefs remain remarkably stable after centuries
The Quran
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According to Muslim tradition, the angel Gabriel
revealed divine messages to Muhammad over a 22-year
period
Faithful Muslims wrote down or memorized these
passages
Not compiled into a collection until Muhammad died
It took 20 years to compile all messages into the Quran
The Quran, for all Muslims, is the final authority in
matters of faith and lifestyle
The Quran
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Believed to be God’s message
Expressed in stories, teachings, and exhortations
Noah’s ark and Jonah in the belly of the
whale—variations of those found in the Bible
Values
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Similar to Judaism and Christianity
Muslims are commanded to
Honor parents
 Show kindness to neighbors
 Protect orphans and widows
 Give to the poor
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Must not
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Murder, steal, lie, or commit adultry
Values (cont)
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Forbids gambling, eating pork, drinking
alcoholic beverages
Rules over marriages divorce, family life,
property inheritance and business practices
Law
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Law and religion are not separated
Generations of legal scholars have organized
Islamic moral principle into a body of law
known as the “shari’ah”
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These are based on the Quran and the Hadith
(sayings of Muhammad)
Five Pillars of Islam
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Faith
Prayer
Alms
Fasting
Pilgrimage
Faith
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Confession of faith: “There is no god but God,
Muhammad is the messenger of God”
Affirms the oneness of an all-powerful, just, and
merciful God
All Muslims are required to submit to God’s will as
given in the Quran
Stresses Muhammad as a prophet, not divine being
Muslims believe Muhammad was last and greatest of
several prophets
Muslims see their life as a preparation for the Day of
Judgement—judged according to their actions
Faith-(cont)
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Allah is the same god as the God of the Jews and
Christians
Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus are considered
prophets
Muslims respect Jews and Christians as “People of the
Book”
Muslims believe Arabs are descendents of Abraham
through his son Ishmael and Jews are descendents of
Abraham through his son Isaac
The Quran states that Jesus transmitted God’s message
and performed miracles
Prayer
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Muslims express their devotion in prayers
offered five times each day: sunrise, noon,
afternoon, sunset, and evening
Worshippers face Makkah—kneeling, bowing,
and touching one’s forehead to the ground as a
sign of submission to God
At noon on Friday, many Muslims worship
together at a mosque—place of worship—or at
a school, court of law or shelter
Faith--Imam
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An imam, prayer leader, guides believers in
prayer—sermon sometimes follows
Any male Muslim with the proper religious
education can serve as an imam
Alms
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Wealthy should assist the poor and weak
Almsgiving is practiced privately though
contributions to the needy and publicly through
a state tax that supports schools and aids the
poor
Fasting
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Fasting occurs during the month of Ramadan
(the ninth month of the Muslim calendar),
during which Muhammad received his first
revelation; during Ramadan, Muslims neither eat
nor drink from sunrise to sunset
At the end, there is a 3-day celebration for the
end of the fast
Pilgrimage
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Every able bodied who can afford the trip is expected
to make pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime
Those who perform the hajj are respected in the
community
Takes place 2 months and 10 days after Ramadan and
involves 3 days of ceremony, prayer, and sacrifice
Worship at shrines in Makkah and Madinah
Seen where ideas come together from different parts of
the world