1. Chapter VI:
The World of Islam

2. Geography Much of the Arabian peninsula is desert, although there are
mountains in the southwest. Oases are green areas fed by an
underground water source.

4. Origins Early Arabs were polytheistic, but Allah was the supreme God
Bedouins= nomadic Arabs who lived in the desert rather than in towns
Jihad= “struggle in the way of God”
Hijrah= journey of Muhammad and his followers to Madinah
Caliph= chief Islamic religious authority
Sultan=holder of power
Muezzin= Muslim crier who calls the faithful to prayer five times a day
Shari’ah= Islamic moral code of law (no gambling, eating pork, drinking alcoholic beverages, or engage in dishonest behavior.
Vizier= prime minister of the council that advised the caliph during the Abbasid dynasty

5. Muhammad Muhammad was accepted as a prophet to the people of Arabia.
B. Muhammad was dissatisfied with the ways of his town leaders and
went into the hills to pray. There he was visited by an angel who told
him to preach Islam.

7. Muhammad returned to Makkah and told people to worship one
God, Allah. Muhammad also preached that all people are equal and
that the rich should share their wealth with the poor.
D. Many poor people began accepting Muhammad’s message and
became Muslims, or followers of Islam. Wealthy people did not like
Muhammad’s message and they made life difficult for Muhammad
and his followers.

8. Muhammad and his followers left Makkah for Yathrib. This journey
is known as the Hijrah.
F. Yathrib welcomed the Muslims and renamed their city Madinah.
G. Muhammad used the laws he believed he had received from
God to rule the people of Madinah, creating an Islamic state, or
a government that uses its political power to uphold Islam.

9. Muhammad built an army to defend his new government. The army
conquered Makkah and Muhammad returned to the holy city.
I. Muhammad died two years after his return.
Why
Prophet of Allah
Born in Makkah (Mecca)
Meditated in the hills because he became troubled with the gap between the honesty of most Makkans and the greediness of trading elites in the cities
Muhammad believed the message given to him by Gabriel was the final revelations of Allah.
The Quran contains the ethical guidelines and laws by which Muslims are to live
Why no representations of Muhammad in mosques (Islamic houses of worship)?
The Hadith warns against any attempt to imitate God by creating pictures of living things

10. Five Pillars

11. Daily Life and Society Women
According to Islam, all people are created equal in the eyes of Allah (god); HOWEVER, men in actuality were dominant in Islamic society. Women had to have a male guardian. Women were required to be secluded in their homes and kept away from males…and cover virtually all parts of their body
Polygamy accepted

13. Accomplishments/Advances
Islamic scholars made contributions to math and the natural sciences that were passed on to the West
Muslims adopted and passed on the numerical system of India, including the use of zero
Algebra

14. Astrolabe= an instrument used for ship navigation
Developed medicine as a field of scientific study
Ibn Sina (philosopher and scientist)stressed the contagious nature of certain diseases
Omar Khayyam= writer (Rubaiyat)

16. Islamic Split: Sunni and Shiite
After Muhammad’s death, the Muslims split into two groups: the
Sunnis and the Shiites.
B. Shiites believed that Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali, should succeed
Muhammad and that all future caliphs should be descendants of Ali.
Sunnis believe that the Umayyad caliphs were rightful leaders. Over
time, these two groups developed their own customs.
C. The Umayyad dynasty lost power and was replaced with a new
dynasty called the Abbasids.

18. The Abbasids built a new capital, Baghdad. Baghdad prospered as a
center of trade because of its central location.
E. The Abbasids lost control as Muslims in other parts of the world
wanted their own caliphs.
F. The Seljuk Turks was nomads and warriors. They gradually took
control of the Abbasid dynasty. The Seljuk ruler was called a sultan.
G. The Arab Empire ended when the Mongols invaded Baghdad and
burned it to the ground.

19. Resentment against the Umayyad grew because non-Arab Muslims did not like the way local administrators favored Arabs
Mongols
1. Many of the Mongols converted to Islam.
2. They intermarried with the local people.
3. Over time, the Mongols rebuilt the cities they destroyed during the invasion.

20. Facts About Islam
1. Islam is monotheistic.
2. Allah is all powerful.
3. Those that practice Islam are called Muslims.
4. Muhammad is a prophet, but he is also just a man.
5. Offers hope of an afterlife.