& The Rise of Islam

 Jesus- Jew who preached that God made a covenant with people- live a moral life and participate in the sacraments  Christian- believe in 1 God has 3 parts- father, son, holy spirit. Believe Jesus is son of God  Jerusalem- Holy city of all three religions

 Islam is the world’s fastest-growing major religion.  Islam has a strong impact on the lives of millions of people today.

 Born in Mecca around 570 A.D.  By the age of 25 was a trader and successful businessman. He took great interest in religion and spent a lot of time praying and meditating.  According to Muslim belief, Muhammad was visited by the Angel Gabriel, the messenger of Allah (God) in a cave near Mecca.  After this, Muhammad became convinced that he was the last of the prophets.

 He taught that Allah was the one and only god and that all other gods must be abandoned.  People who followed this basic principle of Islam were called Muslims.  Islam means: “submission to the will of Allah.”  Muslim means: “one who has submitted.”

 To be a Muslim, you have to carry out five duties. ◦ 1. Faith: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.” ◦ 2. Prayer: Five times per day facing toward Mecca ◦ 3. Alms: supporting the less fortunate ◦ 4. Fasting: During Ramadan between dawn and sunset. ◦ 5. Pilgrimage: All Muslims who are physically and financially capable of making the hajj to Mecca at least once must do so.

 Unlike many other religions, Islam has no priests or central religious authority.  Each Muslim is expected to worship Allah directly.  The Qur’an is the holy book of Muslims. It is a collection of Muhammad’s revelations. It is written in Arabic and only the Arabic version is considered to be the true word of Allah.  The Arabic language would help unite conquered peoples as Muslim control expanded.

 Allah is the same God that is worshipped by Christians and Jews.  The Qur’an is the holy book of the Muslims, like the Torah is to Jews, and the Bible is to Christians.  For Muslims, the Qur’an is the final book, and Muhammad is the final prophet.  Muslims call Christians and Jews “people of the book” and are required to extend religious tolerance to them.

 Despite of internal conflict, Muslims expanded their empire over three continents.  This produced “cultural blending” that has continued into the modern world.  Muhammad died and was succeeded by Abu Bakr in 632 AD, the first Caliph = successor or deputy  Other empires nearby were weak at this time (Byzantine and Persian, Roman Empire was gone).

 Four “Rightly Guided” Caliphs spread Islam from the Arabian peninsula to the Atlantic Ocean (Spain and N. Africa) all the way east to the Indus River.  Developed a Muslim trade network in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. ◦ Engaged in trade with the rest of the world. ◦ Access to Silk Roads of China and India, connected to Europe and Africa. ◦ Major advancements in the arts & sciences in cities like Cordoba, Damascus, Cairo, and Baghdad.

 The Crusades…  The Byzantine Empire is attacked by Turkish soldiers representing Arab rulers in 1071, they take control of what is now Turkey and later the Holy Land by  In response, Pope Urban II declares war against the Muslims, and calls for a Crusade to drive the Turks and Muslims out of the Holy Land.