The beginning of Islam in the Middle East The Rise of the Islamic Arab Empire

So Far this unit.... The Middle East is filled with what type of landscape? Trade routes were created despite this tricky geography how? How did the Bedouin clan system benefit the establishment of trade routes? Persian and Byzantine Empires....still in a seemingly endless fight because we are still introducing you to the region...

What do These things have in common? All conditions that led to the rise of a new empire in the region Without the geography, people, trade routes, etc. The Islamic Arab Empire may have never been created

These Reasons Are..... Geography Bedouin Culture Trade Routes Falling Empires Finally....Islam!

Today’s Class – islam Watch a quick video on the beginning of Islam Go over the history in more detail Discuss the link between what we have learned so far about the Middle East and the spread of the Islamic Arab Empire

Video Time? Yes video time What are the main concepts of Islam? What was Muhammad’s life like? How did people respond to Muhammad after he began to tell people about what he saw?

Who Is Muhammad? An Arab of the Quraysh tribe, born around 570CE in Mecca Raised by his uncle Abu Talib, a wealthy merchant Worked for his uncle in a variety of jobs from an early age As an adult, hired by a wealthy widow, Khadija, who hired him as a trade agent to represent her business This allowed Muhammad to travel quite a bit through the region and learn about peoples and religions

A Little Bit About Mecca Has anyone heard the term “Mecca” before? Used to mean a ‘centre’ where people will gather Mecca the city, was a centre for many religious beliefs People would travel to worship there - Pilgrimage Can anything think about any Mecca’s today?

Seattle – Grunge Music Silicon Valley - Software Las Vegas - Gambling

Muhammad As an Adult Marries Khadija, the wealthy widow, which allows him time to study religions, and take more time for himself Around 610 CE, claims to have a vision where an angel speaks to him Believed he had been chosen to convey God’s word to man

Islam Has similarities to two other religions.... Do you know why?

Muhammad learned about 2 religions in Particular Judaism Muhammad learned about 2 religions in Particular Although many were practiced in the area Christianity

Islam: abrahamic Tradition Muhammad saw himself as the messenger of God like Abraham, Moses, Noah and a non-divine version of Jesus as a prophet Preached submission to God’s will while claiming no divinity, or interpretation in holy book Qur’an Taught tolerance for Christians and Jews because they were “people of the book” as well

Resistance To ISlam Merchant elites of Mecca did not like Muhammad’s goal of converting everyone to Islam They felt they could make more money if things stayed the same, Mecca remained a multi-religious centre Forced to relocate to another city, Medina

Impacts of Islam: Rich Vs Poor Shift in pilgrimages; from many religions to just Islam Empower the poor, and encourage charity Rejected slavery and taught that both sexes were equal Created an identity that included all Arabs and any person willing to convert Rich Poor

Islam’s Role in The Empire to Come Unified an otherwise fragmented Arab population Gave reason to expand for religious and military reasons (conversion and conquest) Allowed for a political structure that was stable under the leadership of Muhammad

Time for a handout! Its a study guide

Given What you Learned so far..... Take some time and write down how you think the following things could have affected the spread of the Islamic Arab Empire? The Geography of the Middle East The trade routes The Bedouin clan system that extends between cities Byzantine & Persian Empires constant war The founding of Islam

Get into groups of four! Now that you’ve had some time to think... See if your group can come to an agreement on which of the 5 aspects of the Middle East was the most important After you choose one as a group, come up with at least 3 major reasons why you think it is more important than the others

Review!!! Who was Muhammad? What allowed him to learn about religions? What effect did Islam have on Arab populations? Does any of this not make sense?