Muhammad the Prophet  Muhammad, , was a merchant and caravan manager living in Mecca  At the age of 40, Muhammad received a vision from Gabriel who urged him to recite  Muhammad’s visions were written down in the Qu’ran, the holy scriptures of Islam  The most basic tenant of Islam is: “There is only one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet”

The Teachings of Islam  The message of Islam is that Muhammad is the final prophet of God, completing the legacy left to Moses and Jesus  Both Moses and Jesus are revered as prophets in their own right in Islam  Islam is a monotheistic religion centered around belief in Allah, prayer 5 times a day, observation of Ramadan, a pilgrimage to Mecca, and the giving of alms to the poor

The Rapid Spread of Islam  Muhammad conquered Mecca in 630 and made it the center of the Islamic religion  But his death left a problem: he hadn’t named a successor  Some followed Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law, as the new caliph  636: Abu Bakr defeats the Byzantine Empire and controlled Syria  642: Egypt and North Africa added to the Arabic Empire  650: The Arabs take control of the Sassanid Empire

The Islamic Empire, 632

The Islamic Empire, 654

Islamic Empire, 750

The Battle of Tours  October 10, 732: Charles “The Hammer” Martel defeats the Umayyad Caliphate at Tours, France  Charles Martel is the grandfather of Charlemagne  Charles Martel stops the Islamic advance into Europe…  But Spain remains an Islamic country for the next 700 years

The Islamic Empire  The Islamic Empire saved much of the writings of the ancient Greeks, particularly Aristotle  Much of what we know of Aristotle’s writings come from Arabic libraries  The Arabic States make many advancements in mathematics, science, chemistry, astronomy, and medicine that will inspire the Renaissance in the 1300 and 1400’s

Summarize  In your interactive notebook, at the bottom of your notes page, write a short paragraph about today’s lesson. Write about:  What the main idea of the lesson was  AND what you learned today.  Your summary should be able to explain today’s lesson to someone who was not in class today.