Pre-Islam
• Mecca was trade center
• people traveled on pilgrimages to Mecca to
visit the Kaaba
– contained statues of over 360 deities; they
brought wealth
Bedouin Tribes
The Life of Muhammad—570-632
• Born in Mecca; married his boss at age 25 (she was
wealthy)
• 610 C.E.—The Night of Power—he experienced a
revelation (vision)
– His teachings: only one God that all must worship
• Most Meccans persecuted him (afraid would lose $)
– Muhammad fled to Medina
• Muslims eventually returned and defeated the
Meccans and won support
– Muslims entered Mecca—destroyed idols in the Kaaba—
turned it into a sanctuary believed to be built by Abraham
• Muhammad was the last and greatest of the
prophets
Mecca pre-Islam
Connection Between Islam and Judaism
Abraham
Sarah
Isaac
Jews/Hebrews
Hagar
Ishmael
Islam/Arabs
Muhammad
Beliefs of Islam:
• Quran (Koran) = holy book
• Mecca = most holy city/Medina = 2nd most
holy/Jerusalem = 3rd most holy
• Mosque = place of worship
– No symbols of God or pictures of living things
inside (to help focus on God)
Ka’aba
Black Stone—originally white, but turned
black by absorbing the sins of those who touch and kiss it
A white stone given to Adam
Quran
The Grand Mosque in Bur
Dubai, Iran
Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock and Wailing
Wall
Beliefs about Christianity
• Jesus was a prophet of God, not God
incarnate
• He did not marry and have children
– He was not crucified; God would not have one of
His prophets killed
• Islam is a continuation of Judaism and
Christianity (“people of the book”)
Prayer
Five Pillars of Islam
1. “There is no God but Allah, and
Muhammad is his prophet”
2. Pray 5 times a day (facing Mecca)
3. Charity or alms
4. Fasting during month of Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)
A group of Muslims break their daily Ramadan fast
with an Iftar meal in Riyadh on Nov. 11.
Hajj—circling the Ka’bah
The Spread of Islam
• After Muhammad died, a caliph—successor—was
designated (he left no clear instructions on how to
chose one) to spread Islamic message
• Two sects of Islam were created because of
disputes about caliphs:
– Shi’a (Shi’ite or Shi’i) = acknowledge Ali and his
descendants as rightful successors to Muhammad as
caliph; had to be a relative of Muhammad (minority)
– Sunni = acknowledge the 1st 4 caliphs as rightful
successors (majority)
Islamic Empires
• 1st 4 caliphs had strong militaries that
conquered regions around them
• 750 C.E. Muslim Empire was from Atlantic
Ocean to Indus River (6,000 miles) [even
into Spain]
– Conquered people were allowed to have their
own religions, but they were restricted and
heavy taxes were imposed (Quran forbid forced
conversions)
Advancements
• House of Wisdom in Baghdad—library,
academy, and translation center
• Math: corrections to Greek algebraic
and geometric theories
– advances in trigonometry
– Algebra
– Arabic numerals (originally from
India)
Advancements
• Astronomy: sophisticated
instruments developed,
remapped constellations
(used by later civilizations)
– to know exact location of Mecca)
• Chemistry: calculated
specific weights of different
minerals
Other Advancements
• Medicine: formal
examinations and regular
courses of study for
doctors
– advances in optics
– some of world’s best
hospitals
Other Advancements
• Trade: papermaking,
silk-weaving
• Geography: some of
the world’s best
maps