Section 2:The Rise and Spread of Islam A man, Muhammad, became the leader of the Islamic religion Muhammad was born on the Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula = mostly desert Mecca, the city where Muhammad lived was located on the edge of the desert

Mecca = great location for trade Camel trains brought perfumes, Ivory, spices, silk and precious metals such as gold Some merchants traveled north to Syria to sell goods Others traveled across the desert to Iraq to trade

Bedouins and Merchants In the Arabian desert there were many groups of nomadic Bedouins They herded sheep, camels, and goats

They also acted a guides for trade caravans Sometimes they would rob the caravan Deals were made to prevent the robberies Religion was used to seal the deal Merchants welcomed the Bedouins into their holy place called the Kabah located in the center of Mecca The Kabah held a black stone, a meteorite which was sacred to the Merchants The Kabah also held many object sacred to the Meccans and Bedouins

Muhammad’s life He was orphaned at the age of 7 and lived with his uncle until adulthood He went to work in Mecca in the Caravan trade He traveled to Syria (part of the Byzantine Empire) At 25 he married a wealthy widow named Khadijah When not working he would walk in the hills outside of Mecca

Muhammad’s mission An angle visits and gives Muhammad a mission He traveled around and “Proclaimed” that there was only one true God People who accepted this became Muslims which means “person who submits” The religion became known as Islam which means “Submission to God”

Meccans were angry They did not like Muhammads teachings They feared their gods would be mad and the importance of their city lost They also did not like that Muhammad saw all people as brothers and sisters so they threw garbage at Muhammad and his followers

Forced to flee the city Muhammad made his way north to the city of Yathrib which welcomed him and his followers People of Yathrib believed Muhammad to be a prophet and a wise man This move from Mecca to Yathrib was known as the hijra meaning “migration” After the hijra the city changed its name to Medina which means “city of the Prophet

The spread of Islam People did not like the Byzantine and Persian Empires because their rulers were mean The new religion promised a new way of life that made sense Muhammad & his followers were traders so they traveled all over telling people about their religion Muhammad united the Arabs into one community and once they were working together they were very powerful!