The Beginnings of Islam
Background
• Islam: religion based on the prophet Muhammad
that was formed in the mid 600s AD.
• Muslim: person who accepts the teachings of the prophet
Muhammad
– Prophet: person who is said to speak to God
– Legend/History of Muhammad:
• Went to a cave in Arabia to pray
• God told Mohammed to spread his message
• This message spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula
• Eventually, after Mohammed’s death, the religion spread to
many new parts of the world
The Arabian Peninsula
• Bedouins: nomadic people (people who
travel from place to place in search of food
water, and pasture)
• Caravans: large groups of
traders/travelers assisted by Bedouins
– Used camels as the major form of
transportation
Mecca
• Mecca: important trade city in Arabia
– From this city, and going northwest, major
caravans traveled to Syria, then goods were
shipped out to the Mediterranean
– Trading northeast, caravans traveled to what
is modern Iraq
– Goods included spices, incense, cloth, ivory,
and gold
Bedouin Traveler
The Prophet Muhammad
• Muhammad: born in
Mecca in about
570AD
– Worked on caravans as
a young boy
– Visited Syria and the
Byzantine Empire on
his journeys
Muhammad in
Arabic:
Muslim/Middle
Eastern language
Muhammad’s Mission
• Preached that all people were brothers
and sisters in the community of God
• Kaaba: sacred ancient shrine at Mecca
where many Arabs come to pray
• At first, people were in fear that
Muhammad would gain political power
Muhammad in Medina
• 622AD: Muhammad and his followers were
invited to Yathrib: city north of Mecca
– People there regarded him as a prophet
– This movement became known as Hijra
• 622AD became known as year 1 in Islam, so Muslims are 622
years behind the Christian calendar
• After Hijra, the city of Yathrib was changed to Medina
• 630AD: Muhammad returned to Mecca in triumph
– Muhammad died in 632AD
– Islam has spread all across the Arabian Peninsula
Muslim Belief
• Muezzin: man who calls Muslims to worship –
•
•
calls out that there is no God but Allah (Arabic
for God)
Muslims pray five times per day
Mosque: Muslim place of worship like a church
– Largest mosque: Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey –
became a mosque in 1453 after being taken over by
Ottoman Turks – first built by Justinian as a Christian
church
Five Pillars of Islam
• Muslim belief expressed in sacred duties
1. Declaration of Faith: Muslims must regularly
declare the belief in one God and Muhammad as its
prophet
2. Prayer: Must pray 5 times a day facing the city of
Mecca
3. Almsgiving: Muslims give alms, or money to the
needy
4. Fasting: Muslims fast during the daylight hours in
the month of Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage (hajj): Must make a pilgrimage to Mecca
at least once in their lives if able
The Quran
• Quran: holy book of Islam
– Contains messages that God revealed to Muhammad
– Believed to be best read in Arabic so many learn the
language to read it
– It is like the Torah (Jewish holy book) and Bible
(Christian holy book)
• All books regard Abraham, Adam, Noah, and Moses as
important people
• Muhammad saw himself as the last prophet in the line of
these men as well as with the prophet Jesus
The Role of Women
• Before Islam, women were not considered
equal to men in society
– Quran taught that men/women were
spiritually equal
• Gave women property rights and rights to
education
• Women could not be forced to marry
• Had the right to divorce
Muslim Split
•
Schism or split, occurred is Islam following the death
of Uthman: Muslim leader who was assassinated in
656AD
–
Two groups emerged:
1. Shiites: believed Muslim leader should be direct descendent of
Muhammad
-
Believed that their leader should interpret the message of
Muhammad
2. Sunnis: believed any true Muslim man of Muhammad’s tribe
could lead the community
-
Believed that not even the leader of Islam should interpret
Muhammad’s message
Muslim scholars should explain the Quran
85% of Muslims today are Sunnis