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Largely deserts with mountains, oases
Fertile areas in the southern mountains around
Yemen
Nomadic Bedouin
 Lived in the desert-covered peninsula for millennia
 Kept herds of sheep, goats, and camels
 Organized in family and clan groups
 Importance of kinship and loyalty to the clan
 Many tribes seem to have been matrilineal with some rights for women

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Post-classical Arabia
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Romans (Byzantines) and Persians had client kingdoms in area
Active in long-distance over land trade
 Trade from Damascus to Mecca/Medina to Yemen
 Trade across desert to Persian Gulf and along coast
 Part of Red Sea trade system; links between Yemen and
Abyssinia
 Trade includes gold, frankincense and myrrh
Religion was polytheist
Groups of Jews in Arabia; Monophysite
Christians in cities

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Born 570 to merchant family in Mecca
Orphaned as a child
Marries wealthy widow c. 595, works as merchant
Familiarity with paganism, Christianity and Judaism as practiced in Arabian peninsula
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Visions/revelations c. 610 CE
Archangel Gabriel
Monotheism – Allah
Attracts followers to Mecca
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Record of revelations received during visions
Committed to writing c. 650 CE
(Muhammad dies 632)
Tradition of Muhammad’s life: hadith
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Muhammad’s monotheistic teachings offensive to polytheistic pagans
Economic threat to existing religious industry
Denunciation of greed affront to local aristocracy
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Muhammad flees to Yathrib (Medina)
622 CE
› Year 0 in Muslim calendar
Organizes followers into communal society (the umma)
Legal, spiritual code
Commerce, raids on Meccan caravans for sake of umma
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Muhammad – the final prophet
Accepted the authority of Abraham,
Moses, and Jesus
Held in high esteem Hebrew scriptures and the Christian New Testament
Muhammad had been entrusted a more complete revelation, one that communicated Allah’s plan for the world
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Attack on Mecca, 630
Conversion of Mecca to Islam
Destruction of pagan sites, replaced with mosques
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Ka’aba preserved in honor of importance of
Mecca
Approved as pilgrimage site
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No god but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet
Daily prayer
Fasting during Ramadan
Charity
Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
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“struggle”
› Against vice
› Against ignorance of Islam
“holy war”
› Against unbelievers who threaten Islam
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Codification of Islamic law
Based on Quran, hadith, logical schools of analysis
Extends beyond ritual law to all areas of human activity
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No clear to successor to Muhammad identified
Abu Bakr chosen to lead as Caliph
Led war against villagers who abandoned Islam after death of
Muhammad
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