Chapter Six Islam and the Arab World

Section One The Rise of Islam

The Arabs Arabs – Nomadic – Semitic-speaking – Lived in the Arabian Peninsula Harsh desert with little water – Hostile surroundings forced Arabs to move around to find water and feed animals

The Arabs The Arabs organized into loosely connected, independent tribes – Help one another with difficult lives – A sheikh led each tribe Sheikhs were chosen from a leading family by a council of elders Early Arabs herded sheep and farmed on the oases of the Arabian Peninsula

The Arabs Domestication of the camel around the first millennium B.C. allowed Arabs to expand the caravan trade – Became major carriers between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean

The Arabs Most early Arabs were polytheistic – Allah—Arabic of “God”—was the supreme God – Traced their ancestry to Abraham and his son Ishmael Ishmael was believed to have built the shrine called the Kaaba at Makkah (Mecca) – The corner stone of the Kaaba, the Black Stone, was revered for its association with Abraham

The Arabs Trade routes through Makkah to modern Yemen and across the Indian Ocean became popular – Communities along the route flourished – Tensions arose between the wealthy merchant class and the poorer clanspeople and slaves

The Life of Muhammad Muhammad – Born into a merchant family in Makkah – Orphaned early in life – Became a caravan manager – Married his employer—rich widow named Khadija – Deeply troubled by the gap in his area between rich merchants—who he thought were greedy— and most Makkans—who he thought were simple and honest Decided to meditate on the matter

The Life of Muhammad Muslims believe that while meditating Muhammad heard the voice of the angel Gabriel – Told Muhammad to receive what he heard from God Muhammad believed that Allah had revealed himself partially though Moses (Judaism) and Jesus (Christianity) and that Allah’s final revelations were to him

The Life of Muhammad The Quran—the holy scriptures of Islam— came out of these revelations Islam = peace through submission to the will of Allah The Quran contains ethical guidelines for Muslims Islam has only one God—Allah – Muhammad is God’s prophet

The Life of Muhammad Muhammad’s wife was his first convert – Preached for three years and only had thirty followers They were persecuted – Moved his followers north to Yathrib—later named Madinah (Medina: “city of the prophet”) His journey is known as the Hijrah – 622 is the first year of the Muslim calendar

The Life of Muhammad – Muhammad began gaining support from people in Madinah as well as from Bedouins—Arabs in the desert Muhammad did not separate political and religious authority – Submission to the will of Allah meant submitting to his prophet Muhammad became a religious, political, and military leader – Military helped protect his community & they had many victories which attracted more followers

The Life of Muhammad In 630 Muhammad returned to Makkah with ten thousand soldiers – City surrendered and the residents converted to Islam – The Kaaba was declared a sacred shrine – Two years later Muhammad died Islam was spreading throughout the Arabian Peninsula

The Teachings of Muhammad Islam is monotheistic – Allah is the all-powerful Creator or everything – Offers salvation and hope of an afterlife for those who subject themselves to Allah’s will Muhammad is not considered divine, as Jesus is – Prophet who conveys Allah’s final revelation

The Teachings of Muhammad To do Alla’s will one must follow an ethical code compromised of the Five Pillars of Islam – See handout! – Hajj = pilgrimage to Mecca Islam is more a way of life than a set of beliefs Muslim scholars drew up a law code called the shari’ah

The Teachings of Muhammad Shari’ah provides guideline for daily living – Much of it comes from the Quran – Must follow sound principles such as honesty and justice – No gambling, eating pork, drinking alcoholic beverages, being dishonest