The Rise of Islam
 Allah
 Muhammad
 Islam
 Muslim
 Hijrah
 Mosque
 Hajj
 Qur’an
 Sunna
 Shari’a
 Most of the land on the Arabian Peninsula consists of
desert
 Few oasis’ and a small strip of land in southern Arabia
can support agriculture
 Area was populated by nomadic herders
 600’s many began to settle around the oasis’ and
market towns along the western coast of Arabia
 Crossroads of Trade and Ideas:
 600’s trade routes connected Arabia to the major ocean
and trade routes around the world
 Goods from the Persian and Byzantine Empires were
bought and traded throughout Arabia
 Trade routes also brought information and ideas from
the outside world to Arabia
 Mecca
 City in Western Arabia
 Caravans of pilgrims stop in Mecca to worship at Ka’aba
 Ancient shrine of worship
 Arabs associate this house with Abraham; Hebrew
prophet and believer in one God.
 Over the years the Ka’aba was home to nearly 360 idols
from many different tribes
 Belief in one God (Allah), existed in Arabia
 Muhammad (570 AD)
 Born into a wealthy Meccan family
 Orphaned at age of 6; raised by grandfather and uncle
 At 25; became a trader and manager for a wealthy
business women named Khadijah- later would marry
 Took great interest in religion, spent time alone in
prayer and meditaion
 Revelations
 Age 40 Muhammad’s life would change forever;
 While meditating in a cave near Mecca he heard a voice
call to him
 According to Muslim faith it was the voice of the angel
Gabriel; who told Muhammad he was the messenger of Allah
 Muhammad became convinced that the voice who spoke
to him was that of Allah
 Began to teach that Allah was the only God and that all
other gods should be abandoned
 Islam was created.
 Revelations
 Islam: means “submission to the will of Allah”
 A Muslim is someone who believes in Islam
 Muslim: means “one who is submitted”
 613 Muhammad began to preach in Mecca to mixed
reviews
 Some feared that his monotheistic beliefs would ruin Mecca’s
pilgrimage
 The Hijrah
 (622 AD) After his followers were attacked Muhammad
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left Mecca
He moved to the town of Yathrib, 200 miles north of
Mecca
The migration was known as Hijrah
The town of Yathrib became known as Medina
In Medina Muhammad united the Arabs and Jews living
their as one community
 Returning to Mecca
 Growing tension between Mecca and Medina led to
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Muhammad gaining military control
630 AD Muhammad and 10,000 of his followers
marched to Mecca
The Meccans surrendered
Muhammad destroyed the idols in the Ka’aba and
converted many Islam
2 years later Muhammad died at 62
Great strides in uniting the Arabian Pennisula under
Islam
 There is only one God
 There is good and evil
 Each individual is responsible for his/her own life
 The Five Pillars
 Faith- “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is
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the messenger of Allah”
Prayer- Five times a day they must face Mecca and pray.
They may gather in a mosque or where ever
Alms- All Muslims must give to the poor; through a
religious tax
Fasting- During Ramadan Muslims fast from dawn till
sunset. Reminder spiritual needs are more than physical
needs
Pilgrimage- those that are physically and financially
capable must make a hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca
 A Way of Life:
 Five pillars ensure Muslims live their religion while
serving the community
 Other beliefs, morals ,and laws make up Muslim Society
 Forbidden to eat pork, drink intoxicating beverages
 Friday afternoon set aside for communal worship
 No religious hierarchy; everyone prays directly to Allah
 Ulama- scholar class; religious teachers who apply the
words and deeds of Muhammad to everyday life
 Sources of Authority
 Original source is Allah speaking to Muhammad
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through Gabriel the angel
While Muhammad lived the followers memorized his
revelations
Collected into a book called the Qur’an- Muslim Holy
Book
Qur’an is written in Arabic; only version to be
considered true word of Allah
Arabic language used to help unify the Muslim people
 Sources of Authority
 Sunna- Muhammad’s example was the proper way of
living
 Shari’a- system of law that regulates the family life,
moral conduct, business and community life of the
Muslims
 Links to Judaism and Christianity
 Muslims believe that Allah is the same God that is
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worshiped in Christianity and Judaism
Muslims view Jesus as a prophet, not the son of God
Muslims refer to Christians and Jews as “people of the
book” – They all have holy books
Muslims trace their ancestry to Abraham, just like the
Jews and Christians
Shari’a law requires Muslim leaders to extend religious
tolerance to Christians and Jews.