The Arabian Peninsula and the
Growth of Islam
BEAUTY AND HERITAGE OF ARABIA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBhkKum4NiQ
MOSQUES AROUND THE WORLD: I picked this video for the awesome PICTURES and
music!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-576emfhkuU
SOUTH ARABIA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkjOIz0gx0o
Vocabulary Set 1
1. Arabian
Peninsula
2. Muhammad
3. Oasis
4. Allah
5. Monotheism
6. Nomad
7. Ka’aba
8. Islam
9. Muslim
10. Hijrah
11. Qur’an
12. Sunnah
13. Mosque
14. Caliph
1. Shi’a Muslim
2. Sunni
3.
4.
5.
6.
Muslim
Arid
Mecca
Medina
5 Pillars of
Islam
The Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula
• GEOGRAPHY
– The geography of the
Arabian Peninsula
encouraged:
• Nomadic way of life
• Trade
• Arid- Little rain, little
farmland, covered by
deserts
The Arabian Peninsula
• Oasis – Desert area that
contains water
– Trade supplies
– Farming
The Arabian Peninsula
• Nomad- People who
move place to place
w/out settling
permanently
– Seeking water/grazing
land for herds
– Example: The Bedouins
Nomad Example: The Bedouins
• Strong, adaptable
desert people
• Defend from raids by
other clans
• Fighting skills – used
as core of Muslim
armies later on
The Arabian Peninsula
• Geography continued
• Crossroads- Where 2 or
more roads meet
• Arabia is the crossroads
of trade routes:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Asia
Africa
Europe
Mediterranean Sea
Red Sea
Arabian Sea
Persian Gulf
The Growth of Islam
• RELIGION
The origins of Islam and the
life and teachings of
Muhammad
[Standard 7.2.2]
•
Islam – A religion based on the
teachings of the prophet (a person
who speaks for god) Muhammad
– Islam = “peace through submission to
the will of Allah”
•
Muslim – A person who practices
Islam
•
Allah – Arabic word for God
•
Mosque – Muslim place of worship
•
Ka’aba – Ancient shrine (a black cube)
in the center of Mecca
– Arab tradition says it was built by
Abraham and Ishmael as a temple to
Allah
The Growth of Islam
Islam and the prophet
Muhammad
• Muhammad (510-632)
–
– Prophet who founded
and spread Islam
– Strong and charismatic
– Religious, political and
military leader
• United diverse Arabian
Peninsula
• Treaties/alliances with
nomadic tribes
The Growth of Islam
• Islam and Muhammad
the Prophet
• Early Life:
– Orphaned, worked
caravan trade, married
wealthy widow @ age
25, became prosperous
merchant in Mecca
(famous trading city)
• Islam and the prophet
Muhammad
• “Messenger of God
(610):
– Gabriel the angel reveals
God’s words to
Muhammad during a
prayer
The Growth of Islam
• Islam and the Prophet
Muhammad
• Hijrah (622)
Migration/flight of
Muhammad and
followers to Medina
(city North of Mecca)
– Because Meccans
persecuted (attacked)
Muhammad’s faith at
first
– Islam gains many
converts in Medina
Medina Today
Medina today
Mecca Today
The Growth of Islam
• Islam and the Prophet
Muhammad
• Surrender of Mecca
(630)
– Muhammad and 10,000
Muslims force Mecca to
surrender
– Muhammad forgave the
Meccans, dedicates
Ka’aba to Allah
• Death: 632
– Unified much of the
Arabian Peninsula by this
time
The Growth of Islam
• Qur’an and Sunnah:
Primary sources of
Islamic beliefs, practice,
and law.
• Qur’an
– Holy Book of Islam
– Revealed through angel
Gabriel
• Sunnah
[Standard 7.2.3]
– Muhammad’s words and
deeds used as a guide
for living
The Qur’an
The Growth of Islam
• 5 pillars of Islam
– Framework for worship
and sign of commitment to
the faith.
1) Creed{faith} (Shahada)
There is only one god (Allah)
and Muhammad is his prophet
2) Prayers (Salah)
Pray 5 times a day, facing Mecca
3) Almsgiving (Zakat)
2.5% of income
4) Ramadan (Sawm)
Fast(don’t eat)
5) Pilgrimage (Hajj)
At least once in a lifetime
Connections to Judaism and
Christianity
• Islam, Judaism, Christianity
– Believe in same god
– Trace beginnings back to
Abraham
– Heaven, hell, final judgment
day
– Holy books
• Judaism = Torah
• Christianity = Bible
– Prophets
• To Muslims, Jesus is simply a
prophet (NOT son of God)
• Muhammad is not considered
a prophet in
Judaism/Christianity
• “People of the Book”
– Jews and Christians were
tolerated because their
religions share similarities
with Islam
Islam After Muhammad’s Death
• Caliphate (the first system of
government established in Islam)
• “MUSLIM EMPIRE”
– THEOCRACY – A community
governed by god (religious authority)
• Caliph
– secular and religious
head of a Muslim
community
• The Rightly Guided
Caliphate
– First 4 Caliphs after
Muhammad’s death
– Followed Muhammad’s
example and the Qur’an
The Rightly Guided Caliphate
#1 Abu Bakr
#2 Umar
#3 Uthman
#4 Ali
(ASSASSINATED)
• Followed Muhammad’s
example
• Followed Qur’an
• Used military force to
unite Muslim
community
• Expand Muslim territory
Expansion in the Age of the Caliphs
Reasons for Muslim Success
• Muslims = Organized, disciplined military
• Byzantine/Persian Empires = already weak
(fighting each other)
• Muslims = Inclusion and culture blending
• Byzantine/Persians persecute religions
– Peoples welcome Muslims as liberators (liberate = to
set somebody free)
After the first 4 caliphs…
• Umayyad family took power after death of Ali
Founded Umayyad dynasty (we’ll hear more
about them later)
– Moved capital from Medina to Damascus
• Umayyads’ actions divide Islam
– Some Arabs unhappy with new capital (too far)
– Others thought Umayyads abandoned earlier
Bedouin ways & too concerned with luxury
Islam’s Schism: Sunni v. Shi’a
Islam’s Schism
Crisis of succession
BOTH FOLLOW QUR’AN
AND SUNNAH!!!
• Sunni Muslim
– A branch of Islam that
accepts ELECTED caliphs
– Followed Umayyads for
peace
• Shi’a Muslim
– A branch of Islam that
thinks caliph should always
be related to Muhammad
– Rejected Umayyad rule
• BOTH FOLLOW QUR’AN
AND SUNNAH!!!