1. Islam
The Faith Of Arabia

2. The Founder of the Young Faith
Muhammad said he heard the angel Gabriel calling him to be the messenger of God.
Muhammad made a journey from Mecca to Medina, where he was welcomed by Muslim converts.
This was a turning point for Islam.
Muhammad returned to Mecca and worked to unite Arabs under Islam.

3. Muslims do not believe that it is appropriate to depict Mohammed in a picture.

4. Arabian Peninsula
Islam arose in the Arabian Peninsula and became one of the world’s major religions.
Islam is monotheistic, based on the belief in one God.
Muslims believe that the Quran contains the sacred word of God and is the final authority on all matters.

5. Five Pillars of Islam
All Muslims accept five duties, known as the Five Pillars of Islam:
Faith
Daily prayer
Charity
Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca

6. Islamic Law
The Islamic system of law, called Sharia, regulated moral conduct, family life, business practices, government, and other aspects of a Muslim community.
Unlike the law codes that evolved in the West, the Sharia does not separate religious matters from criminal or civil law.

7. Muslim Conquests

8. Conquering Lands
The Byzantine and Persian empires were weak from years of fighting each other.
People in the Fertile Crescent welcomed Arab conquerors as liberators.
The Arabs used bold, efficient fighting methods, which overwhelmed traditional armies.
The common faith of Islam united a patchwork of tribes into a determined, unified state.

9. Different Muslims
Sunni- Believed caliph, or successor to Muhammad, should be chosen by leaders of the Muslim community. Viewed caliph as a leader, not as a religious authority. (Abu Bakr was first caliph followed by ‘Umar)
Shiites-Believed that only descendents of Muhammad could become caliph. Believed descendents of Muhammad to be divinely inspired.
Sufi- Sought to communicate with God through meditation, fasting, and other rituals

10. Caliphs Gaining Control
Around 850, the caliphs became unable to maintain centralized control, and the empire fragmented.
In the 900s, Seljuk Turks invaded the Middle East and built a large empire in the Fertile Crescent.
In the 1200s and 1300s, Mongol invaders dominated the Middle East. They developed and secured trade between China and the Mediterranean world

11. Scholars and Medicine
Ibn Sīnā was a doctor of medicine. His Canon of Medicine was used as far away as Europe until 1650.
Ibn Battuta was an Islamic explorer who travelled some 73,000 miles across the Islamic world. He covered Africa, southern Europe, western Asia, and China.

12. MUSLIM ART AND LITERATURE
Islamic religion
Traditions of the many people living under Muslim rule
Skills and styles of Greeks, Romans, Persians, Indians, and other peoples with whom they came in contact