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Unit 3
Origins
Mecca: important trading city along caravan routes;
500 CE
New religion emerges: “Islam” “submission”
Within 100 years, Islam grew to control area larger
than the Roman Empire
Islam vs. Muslim
Mohammed: The Prophet
Born 570 CE; worked as a merchant in Mecca
Had a vision of the angel Gabriel; commanded him to
convert polytheistic Arab tribes to belief in a single God:
Allah
Allah was the same God worshipped by Jews and
Christians (all began with story of Abraham)
Mohammed fled to Medina in 622 because many were
growing jealous and resentful of his influence
This event marks starting point on Muslim calendar
By the time of his death, most tribes on Arabian peninsula
had converted to Islam
The Quran (Koran)
Beliefs
Believed to be the direct words spoken to Mohammed by Allah
(different from Christianity)
Contains references to Jews, Christians, and Jesus
The Five Pillars of Islam
Confession of faith
Prayer: 5x per day, facing Mecca
Charity/Alms giving
Fasting: during month of Ramadam
Pilgrimage: to Mecca, once during life if possible
Jihad
Sometimes called the sixth pillar
You must struggle for Allah; some extremists interpret Jihad as
an order to wage a “holy war” against other religions
Rise of the Muslim Empire
After Muhammed’s death, Arabs begin military
campaigns to take over neighboring areas
Mid 600s: Arabian Peninsula united under Arabs
8th century: Muslim forces conquer
Sassanid Empire (present day Iran and Iraq)
Northern Africa
Southern Asia
Present-day Spain
Attempt to take Byzantine capitol of Constantinople, but
are successfully repelled
Islam and teachings of Muhammed become popular in
many parts of new Arab empire
Islamic Empire ca. 750 CE
The Arab Caliphate
New central government developed to administer growing
Arab empire
Caliphate = head caliph and officials directly under him
Political and religious leader of Empire; Mohammed is
considered original Caliph
Following Mohammed’s death, dispute between who
would be the next Caliph
One group believed the Caliph should be the most highly
qualified, spiritual individual regardless of birth Sunni
Muslims
Another group believed that Caliphs should only be direct
descendents of Mohammed Shi’ite Muslims
The Arab Caliphate
Reasons for success
Muslims did NOT force a new way of life upon subjects
Relay network established throughout empire to facilitate
communication
As empire grew and changed, new departments of
government were established to deal with problems
2 Major Caliphates
Umayyad (661-750)
Abbassid (750-1258)
Know about these for test
Islamic Society
Trade & Commerce
Huge opportunities for trade as empire expanded
Muslim Empire eventually gained control of most of the
world’s major trade routes
Believed to have introduced economic concepts such as
joint-stock companies
Cultural Achievements
Navigation
Education
Mathematics
Medicine
Literature