1. Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars

2. Origins of Islam WHO? The Prophet (Muhammad)
The revelations of The Prophet Muhammad form the basis of the Islamic religion, a monotheistic faith.
WHO? The Prophet (Muhammad)
WHERE? Mecca & Medina (early Muslim cities) on the Arabian Peninsula
HOW? Ideas and travel related to the Ka’aba

3. Beliefs, Traditions, and Customs
Allah – Arabic word for “God”
Qur'an (Koran) – Arabic for “word of God” / holy book
Accepts Judeo-Christian prophets like Moses & Jesus
Five Pillars of Islam
Islamic traditions and customs developed over centuries and created a distinct Muslim culture.

4. Five Pillars of Islam Creed (Shahada) statement of faith
Prayer (Salat) 5 times/day; facing Mecca
Alms/charity (Zakat) giving to the poor
Fasting (Sawm) abstaining from food/drink
Hajj (Hajj) holy trip to Mecca

5. Islamic Creed
There is only one Allah
Allah rules the whole universe
Idolatry and worshipping other deities is wicked
Allah will bring judgment to the world

6. Geographic Influences

7. Geographic influences on the origin and spread of Islam
Spread along trade routes from Mecca and Medina (diffusion)
Expanded despite great distances:
Crossed deserts and mountains
Spread into Fertile Crescent, Iran, and
Central Asia, facilitated by weak Byzantine and Persian empires

8. Influence of geography on economic, political, and social development
Political unity of the first Muslim empire was short-lived
Arabic language spread with Islam and facilitated trade across Islamic lands
Arabic language also stimulated intellectual activity
Slavery not based on race
Harsh Arabian conditions produced fierce loyalty to family
Qur’an is written in Arabic and Muslims consider only the Arabic version to be the true word of God/Arabic can only be used in worship/wherever Muslims carried the Qur’an, Arabic became the language of worshippers and scholars/thus Arabic language spread widely

9. Historical Turning Points
Major historical turning points marked the spread and influence of Islamic civilization.
Death of Ali: Sunni vs. Shi’a division
Muslim conquest of Jerusalem & Damascus during the Crusades
Islamic capital moved to Baghdad
Muslims defeated at the Battle of Tours (France in 732 A.D.)
Fall of Baghdad to the Mongols

10. Sects of Islam The Sunni and Shi’a (Shiites)
Shi’a (Shiite) (followers of Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law)
Approximately 10% of Muslims
Think Muhammad’s successor should be his relatives
Believed in an intermediary called an Imam
Those with religious authority should rule government too
Sunni
Approximately 90% of Muslims
Believed successors to Muhammad should be chosen by the community
Do not believe in intermediary (middle-man) between Allah and people

14. Successors of Muhammad
Abu Bakr is chosen as Caliph
Bakr’s advisor becomes caliph later.
To avoid civil wars of succession, each diverted attention by invading neighboring, non-Muslim nations.
Weak Persian and Byzantine empires made conquest easy.
Abu Bakr – Muhammad’s close friend, chosen to be the first caliph (means “successor”)
Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali had all known Muhammad and supported his mission
By the time of Bakr’s death, Muslims controlled all of Arabia
Umar conquered Syria and lower Egypt (part of Byzantine Empire) and part of Persian Empire
Uthman and Ali continued expansion eastward and westward
Many conquered people chose to accept Islam/Muslims did allow some to accept their own religion (Qur’an forbids forced conversion) but had to pay a tax/
Civil War led to Ali’s assassination/family called the Umayyads came to power/moved capital to Damascus and changed practices somewhat/

15. Muhammad’s Successors
Rightly Guided Caliphs
Abu-Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali (caliphate)
Used military force to reestablish Muslim authority after Muhammad’s death
Other caliphs continued to conquer lands with a highly experienced and mobile fighting force
Dome of the Rock: earliest surviving Islamic monument; completed in 691; the rock on the site is the spot from which Muslims say Muhammad ascended into heaven to learn of Allah’s will; Jews identify the same rock as the site where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac; dome is wooden and about 60 feet in diameter; supporting structure includes mosaic designs, columns, and many windows
Mosaics: forbade the depiction of living beings based on the idea that only Allah can create life (considered idolatry)
Alphabet: calligraphy; translated the works of Greek philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, doctors, etc. into Arabic; expanded on previous ideas
Universities: stressed education/learning; built places of learning throughout the Muslim Empire (Baghdad, Timbuktu)

16. Muslims drew energy from Islam and fought hard
Reasons for Success
Muslims drew energy from Islam and fought hard
Armies were well disciplined and had expert leadership
Weakness of the Byzantine and Persian Empires
Those persecuted for other religions welcomed Muslims as liberators
Muslims allowed for Christians and Jews to continue their faith (people of the book)
Dome of the Rock: earliest surviving Islamic monument; completed in 691; the rock on the site is the spot from which Muslims say Muhammad ascended into heaven to learn of Allah’s will; Jews identify the same rock as the site where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac; dome is wooden and about 60 feet in diameter; supporting structure includes mosaic designs, columns, and many windows
Mosaics: forbade the depiction of living beings based on the idea that only Allah can create life (considered idolatry)
Alphabet: calligraphy; translated the works of Greek philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, doctors, etc. into Arabic; expanded on previous ideas
Universities: stressed education/learning; built places of learning throughout the Muslim Empire (Baghdad, Timbuktu)

17. The Umayyads AD/CE
Uthman and Ali were assassinated, a power struggle ensued
Umayyads came to power, moved the capital to Damascus
Focused on wealth rather than simplicity like the Caliphates
Caused a split in the Muslim world (Sunni-Shi’a)
Dome of the Rock: earliest surviving Islamic monument; completed in 691; the rock on the site is the spot from which Muslims say Muhammad ascended into heaven to learn of Allah’s will; Jews identify the same rock as the site where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac; dome is wooden and about 60 feet in diameter; supporting structure includes mosaic designs, columns, and many windows
Mosaics: forbade the depiction of living beings based on the idea that only Allah can create life (considered idolatry)
Alphabet: calligraphy; translated the works of Greek philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, doctors, etc. into Arabic; expanded on previous ideas
Universities: stressed education/learning; built places of learning throughout the Muslim Empire (Baghdad, Timbuktu)

18. The Abbassids 750-1258 AD/CE Overthrew the Umayyads in 750 AD/CE
Executed all of the Umayyads at a dinner
Moved capital from Damascus (Syria) to Baghdad (Iraq)
Ruled an immense empire by establishing a bureaucracy, trade routes, and banking systems
Dome of the Rock: earliest surviving Islamic monument; completed in 691; the rock on the site is the spot from which Muslims say Muhammad ascended into heaven to learn of Allah’s will; Jews identify the same rock as the site where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac; dome is wooden and about 60 feet in diameter; supporting structure includes mosaic designs, columns, and many windows
Mosaics: forbade the depiction of living beings based on the idea that only Allah can create life (considered idolatry)
Alphabet: calligraphy; translated the works of Greek philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, doctors, etc. into Arabic; expanded on previous ideas
Universities: stressed education/learning; built places of learning throughout the Muslim Empire (Baghdad, Timbuktu)

19. Relationship to Judaism and Christianity
Allah is the same God as that of the Jews and Christians
Jesus is a prophet of Allah but not the Son of God
The Bible, Torah, and Qur’an all contain the word of God but the Qur’an is the perfect version
All believe in a Heaven and Hell, Judgement Day, and they are descendants of Abraham

20. Islamic Contributions
الى
Islamic Contributions
Early Islamic civilization was characterized by achievements in science and the arts that transformed the Islamic world and contributed to world civilization.
Architecture: Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem)
Mosaics
Arabic alphabet
- Translation of ancient texts into Arabic
Universities
Dome of the Rock: earliest surviving Islamic monument; completed in 691; the rock on the site is the spot from which Muslims say Muhammad ascended into heaven to learn of Allah’s will; Jews identify the same rock as the site where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac; dome is wooden and about 60 feet in diameter; supporting structure includes mosaic designs, columns, and many windows
Mosaics: forbade the depiction of living beings based on the idea that only Allah can create life (considered idolatry)
Alphabet: calligraphy; translated the works of Greek philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, doctors, etc. into Arabic; expanded on previous ideas
Universities: stressed education/learning; built places of learning throughout the Muslim Empire (Baghdad, Timbuktu)

21. One Thousand and One Arabian Nights
Muslim Culture
Science and Math
Urban Life
Arts and Literature
Society
Arabic numerals (adapted from India), includes 0
Algebra
Medicine
Geographic Maps
Cities like Baghdad
Home to learning centers
Linked to other cities by trade
Mosaics
Koran
One Thousand and One Arabian Nights
Tolerant of Christians and Jews

22. One Thousand and One Arabian Nights
A king kills every wife the next morning after their wedding night. Shahrazad cleverly tells 1,001 stories every night in order to save her life
The ideal that Shahrazad has influenced a man of such power in a male dominated society, such as the Middle East, is one even modern day women hold onto.
Al Jabr: believed mathematics was the basis of all knowledge; Al-Khwarizmi was born in Baghdad in the late 700s; studied Indian rather than Greek sources; wrote a textbook in the late 800s explaining “the art of bringing together unknowns to match a known quantity”
Al-Razi was the greatest physician of the Muslim world; wrote encyclopedia called the “Comprehensive Book” that drew on knowledge from Greek, Syrian, Arabic, and Indian sources; also studied Smallpox and measles; believed breathing clean air would help patients recover more quickly

24. Islamic Contributions in Science
Arabic numerals (adapted from India), includes 0
Algebra
Medicine
Expansion of geographic knowledge = maps
Astrolabe – measure the angles of the sun and stars
Al Jabr: believed mathematics was the basis of all knowledge; Al-Khwarizmi was born in Baghdad in the late 700s; studied Indian rather than Greek sources; wrote a textbook in the late 800s explaining “the art of bringing together unknowns to match a known quantity”
Al-Razi was the greatest physician of the Muslim world; wrote encyclopedia called the “Comprehensive Book” that drew on knowledge from Greek, Syrian, Arabic, and Indian sources; also studied Smallpox and measles; believed breathing clean air would help patients recover more quickly

25. Contributions Art Astronomy Features mostly plants and calligraphy
Only Allah should be able to produce the human form
Astronomy
Studied the starts to find the exact location of Mecca and to figure out the correct times to pray
Astrolabe

26. Scholarship
Muslim’s greatest contribution to Western civilizations was preserving and advancing knowledge
House of Wisdom in Baghdad contained books from all over the world
Jewish and Muslim scholars worked together to translate many subjects

27. 123456789 0 Dome of the Rock Kaaba in Mecca Mosaic Medicine
Arabic numerals
Medicine
Universities
Arabian desert

28. Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars