1. The Rise of Islam

2. What do you know about
Islam?
What have you heard about
Tell me five things about Islam.

3. The Rise of Islam Islam: Submission to will of Allah (god)
Muslim: One who has submitted

4. The Arabian Peninsula

5. The Rise of Islam Setting the Stage: The Arabian Peninsula
Connection to 3 Continents
Africa, Asia, and Europe
Mostly desert with few oases for little agriculture
Desert inhabited by nomadic Arab herders

6. The Rise of Islam Had ideals of courage & loyalty to the family
Bedouins: Arab nomads organized into tribes and clans
Had ideals of courage & loyalty to the family
Possessed warrior skills
Would become part of Islamic way of life

7. The Rise of Islam Ka’aba: ancient shrine people came to worship at
Mecca: City in Western Arabia (Modern day Saudi Arabia)
Ka’aba: ancient shrine people came to worship at
Black stone- built by Abraham and son Ishmael
Contained 360 idols worshipped by many tribes

8. What is the black object at the center and what is happening?

9. The Ka’aba

10. The Ka’aba

11. Men and Women are Equal
Forced Marriages
No Women’s Rights
Women not allowed to show face
The Koran teaches tolerance
Terrorism is associated with Islam

12. The Rise of Islam Muhammad
Orphaned at age 6 and raised by grandfather and uncle
At age 25 Muhammad became a businessman and trader
Married Khadijah, a businesswoman
Life changes: While meditating in a cave, he is visited by angel Gabriel who proclaims to Muhammad to preach message that there is only one true god
Began to preach and spread Islam
Not seen as divine (having extra power)

15. The Islamic World is not at all a monolithic entity

16. A Bit About Arabic Semitic Languages based on three-letter roots
Example: s-l-m, connotes wisdom, harmony
Salaam, peace
Suleiman (Solomon)
Islam (submission to divine will)
Muslim (one who submits to divine will)

17. A Bit About Arabic
European languages modify words mostly through suffixes
Arabic relies extensively on prefixes as well
Hence there are no simple alphabetical dictionaries of Arabic
Arabic has numerous sounds not found in English
Arabic omits most short vowels in print
Arabic does not distinguish o and u clearly, or e and i.
There is no single way to transliterate Arabic and English

18. Written Arabic isn’t spoken
Spoken Arabic isn’t written
Arabic is the language of the Koran and all Arabic speakers insist they speak Arabic
Linguists would (and some do) subdivide Arabic into 5-6 distinct languages

19. Arabia in Mohammed's time
Various tribal religions
Jewish communities
Christian communities, usually splinter sects

20. Mohammed Born about 570 in Mecca
About 610, claims to receive visions and messages.
These collected and written down about as the Koran.
Flees to Medina, 622 (hegira)
Return to Mecca, 630
Unified Arabia by the time of his death in 632

21. The Pillars of Islam 1. Creed 2. Five daily prayers 3. Alms
4. Fasting during Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) Haji denotes one who has made the Hajj
Some authorities add a sixth pillar: 6. Jihad or Holy War in defense of Islam. Means active opposition to evil and injustice, more than literal warfare.

22. Sources of Islamic Doctrine
Koran (from root meaning read or study)
Hadith (tradition): traditional sayings of Mohammed and other early followers
Tradition of the Mahdi
Sharia (way): Codified Islamic Law

23. The Koran About as long as the New Testament
114 suras, arranged from longest to shortest
Most suras are collections of Mohammed’s teachings with no overall theme
Suras are labeled by distinctive or unusual words found in each
No historical chapters
Considered the definitive form of Arabic
Strictly speaking, cannot be translated, only paraphrased

24. The spread of Islam Inherent appeal Jihad Conversion Incentives Trade
Simplicity
Equality
Rights for Women
High moral teachings
Jihad
Military skill
Good government
Tolerance
Conversion Incentives
Tax on "People of the Book” - Originally Christians and Jews, later Hindus and certain other groups as well.
Forced conversion of pagans
Trade
Indonesia and sub-Saharan Africa

25. The spread of Islam

26. Schism about 700 A.D. Reasons:
Succession to Caliphate (Kalifa, successor; successor of Mohammed)
Incorporation of non-Koranic elements into Islam
Worldliness of Caliphs, discrimination against non- Arab Muslims
Shiites (shia: party or faction) about 10% (mostly Iran)
Fundamentalist?
Sunnites (Sunna: beaten path) about 90%

27. Effects of Islam Preserve classical learning
Innovations in astronomy and mathematics
Link between East and West
"Arabic" numbers from India
Trigonometry also from India
Sanctuary for Judaism

28. A Few Arabic Contributions
Alcohol
Alkali
Alchemy
Benzine
Boron
Zircon
Jar
Alfalfa
Algorithm
Algebra
Almanac
Azimuth
Alidade
Most Star Names

29. Star Names

30. The Spanish Connection
Wadi-al-yahara (Valley of Flowing Water)  Guadalajara
Al-ghattas (type of sea bird) Alcatraz (pelican)
Al-amir-al-bahr (lord of the sea) Almirante Admiral
Jebel Tariq (Tariq’s mountain) Gibraltar
Much “Spanish” architecture is actually Arabic