1. Origins and Spread of Islam
Mr. Stowinsky
World History

2. Deserts, Towns, & Trade Routes
The Middle East is a crossroads for 3 continents – Asia, Africa, and Europe
Most people lived in wandering tribes since the area is mostly desert
Courage and loyalty to family would become part of the Islamic way of life
Traders brought the idea of monotheism to the area
Allah – the Muslim God
Ka’aba – ancient shrine in Mecca

3. The Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad was a wealthy businessman who lived in Mecca
Claimed to receive a message from the angel Gabriel that he was the prophet and messenger of Allah
Islam – “submission to the will of Allah”
Muslim – “one who has submitted”
The traditional Arab gods had to be abandoned

4. The Hijrah Muhammad left Mecca after his followers were attacked
Hijrah – migration from Mecca to Yathrib
Yathrib was renamed Medina
In Medina, Muhammad improved his leadership skills and united the Arabs and Jews into one community

5. Return to Mecca Muhammad and 10,000 followers returned to Mecca
Destroyed the idols of the Arab gods and made a call to prayer from the Ka’aba
Most of Mecca converted to Islam
Not long after, most of Arabia was Islamic

6. Beliefs and Practices of Islam The Five Pillars of Islam
Faith – Allah is the only God
Prayer – Face Mecca and pray 5 times a day
Alms – give money to the less fortunate
Fasting – Muslims don’t eat from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan
Pilgrimage – If possible, Muslims must travel to Mecca at least once - hajj

7. Way of Life Forbidden to eat pork or drink alcohol
Friday is their holy day
No priests, all Muslims worship Allah directly
Qu’ran – Muslim holy book
Qu’rans are written in Arabic, prayer is only in Arabic

8. Links to Judaism and Christianity
Allah is the same god as in Christian and Jewish belief
Jesus is just a prophet to Muslims
The Qu’ran perfects the Old and New Testaments and is the final version
All 3 religions have heaven & hell
All 3 trace their roots to Abraham
Extend religious tolerance to Christians & Jews

9. Islam Expands
Eventually conquers the Byzantine Empire, the eastern half of the Roman Empire
Caliph – “successor” – leaders of Islam after Muhammad’s death
The religion splits
Shi’ite – believe the caliph should descend from Muhammad
Sunni – the caliph doesn’t have to descend from Muhammad

10. Muslim Culture 4 social classes
1st – Muslim by birth
2nd – Converts
3rd – “protected people” – Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians
4th – slaves – did household work or fought in the military
Women had more rights than Christian women but were still expected to submit to men
Women generally stayed home and had to wear a veil if out in public

11. Arts & Sciences Flourish
Wrote and read lots of literature, especially poetry
Calligraphy – the art of beautiful handwriting
Borrowed architecture from the Roman and Byzantine Empires
First encyclopedias written by Muslims
Emphasis on problem solving and experimentation
Al-jabr – algebra
Astronomy – studied comets and other smaller objects. Experiments with light also led to the development of lenses
Studied and expanded on Greek philosophy