Introduction to Islam

Arabs Arabs live on the Arabian peninsula, now part of what we know as the Middle East Arabs traded along the Silk Road with the Chinese and the Romans

Arabs continued Arabs are considered to be the ancestors of Abraham and his son Ishmael They believe that Abraham and Ishmael built a shrine at Makkah or Mecca called the Kaaba The cornerstone of this sacred shrine is called the Black Stone Arabs worshiped a supreme god, called Allah

The Life of Muhammad Muhammad was born in 570 AD to a merchant family Muslims believe that Muhammad received revelations from God while meditating Muhammad believed that Allah (God) had revealed himself through Moses (Judaism) and Jesus (Christianity) He believed Allah’s final revelations were for him

Quran Muhammad’s revelations were written in a book called the Quran, which are the holy scriptures of Islam The word Islam means “submission to the will of Allah” Islam has one God, Allah Muhammad was his prophet

Muhammad’s Mission Muhammad set out to convince the people of Makkah (Mecca) that his revelations were true After 3 years of preaching he only had 30 followers Muhammad and his followers moved to Madinah or Medina; “city of the prophet” His journey to Medina is known as the Hijrah His journey began in 622 AD, this year is the first year in the Muslim calendar

In Medina Muhammad gained a lot of supporters in Medina In 630 AD, Muhammad returned to Mecca with 10,000 soldiers Many residents converted to Islam Muhammad declared the Kaaba to be a sacred shrine In 632 AD Muhammad died Now, all Muslims are encouraged to make a pilgrimage called the hajj to Mecca

Teachings of Muhammad Islam is monotheistic Allah created everything Islam offer salvation and the hope of an afterlife to its followers Unlike Jesus in Christianity, Muhammad is not considered to be divine

To obey Allah’s will, Muslims must follow an ethical code called the Five Pillars of Islam Those who follow the law are guaranteed a place in paradise

Arab Empire Muhammad’s death left his followers with a problem of succession Some of his closest followers chose Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law to lead (Sunni) He was named caliph, or successor to Muhammad Others felt that Muhammad’s cousin, Ali, should be the next prophet (Shia) Arabs began to conquer other peoples Arabs were great fighters because they believed if they were killed in battle they were assured a place in paradise

Arab Expansion Arabs expanded their culture and religion throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Southern Europe By 725 AD Spain became a Muslim state By 732 AD they had conquered the southern and eastern parts of the Roman Empire Baghdad became a center for trade

Conquerors In 1055 AD a group called the Seljuk Turks took control of the empire under their leader the sultan (They became Muslim) During the 1200’s a group called the Mongols, under their leader Genghis Khan invaded The Mongols destroyed Baghdad because they hated Islam Mongols eventually converted to Islam as well