1. The Rise of Islam
Chapter 11, Section 1, page 372

2. Chapter 11, Section 1 Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
identify ways the Arab way of life is shaped by the deserts, coastline, and oases of Arabia.
discuss how the prophet Muhammad brought the message of Islam to the people of Arabia.
explain the Quran and how it provides guidelines for Muslims’ lives and the governments of Islamic states.
AL3, AL3a, AL11, AL11a

3. Daily Life in Early Arabia - 373
The Arabian Peninsula
mostly desert
oases (oasis) – green areas fed by underground water
To survive, early Arabs organized into tribes who were loyal to one another.
sheikh – head of a tribe
Photo: The Arabian peninsula from space. Available from:

4. Who Are the Bedouins? – page 373
Bedouins – desert herders who traveled from oasis to oasis
animals were crucial

5. Trade and Towns – page 373
caravans – groups of traveling merchants and animals who moved goods across the desert
Byzantine and Sassanid Empires
Mekkah (Mecca) – largest and richest town along the trade routes
Ka’aba – holy shrine in Islam

6. Trade and Towns – page 373
Photo: The Ka’aba. Available from:

7. Muhammad: Islam’s Prophet – page 374
Muhammad (c. A.D ) – founder of the Islamic faith
orphaned; raised by grandfather and uncle
trader and business man
wife: Khadijah; children
revelation when he was about 40 years old
Photo: Muhammad at the Ka’aba. Available from:

8. Muhammad’s Message – page 374
c. A.D. 610 – He said he was visited by the angel Gabriel, who proclaimed that he was a messenger of the one true God, called Allah (Arabic for “God”).
Gabriel instructed him to preach Islam, which means “surrendering to the will of Allah.”
Muslims = practitioners of Islam
Muhammad obeyed
preached that all people were equal and the rich should share goods
Day of Judgment

9. Opposition to Islam – page 374
family conversions
Wealthy merchants and religious leaders were opposed to Islam.
A.D. 622 Muhammad forced out of Mekkah → went to Yathrib (Madinah, which means “city of the prophet”).
journey known as the Hijrah
Muhammad became leader of Madinah → created army → returned to Mekkah and conquered it

10. Islam’s Teachings – page 377
Judaic, Christian, and Islamic religious similarities
belief in one God
prophets (Muslims believe Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad were all prophets!)
heaven, hell, judgment
trace ancestry to Abraham

11. What is the Quran? – page 377
Quran (Qur’an or Koran) – holy book of Islam
central to Islamic faith; only the Arabic version is considered to be the true word of Allah
instructions on how to live (moral teachings on how to treat one another, etc.)
Sunna – Muhammad’s example
shari’a - Quran and Sunna assembled into a body of law
Photo: A page from the Koran. Available from:

12. The Five Pillars of Islam – page 378
Five Pillars of Islam – acts of worship Muslims must fulfill
Belief – declaration of faith
Prayer – five times daily (dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and evening) in the direction of Mekkah; usually gather at a mosque (Islamic house of worship) on Fridays
Alms – responsibility to support the less fortunate
Fasting – no eating between dawn and sunset during the holy month of Ramadan (exceptions)
Pilgrimage – the hajj at least once

13. Chapter 11, Section 1 Questions
Copy the following questions and then answer them.
Describe the physical qualities of the Arabian peninsula.
What is a caravan? Why were they formed?
Who founded Islam? What does the word “Islam” mean?
What do we call people who practice Islam?
Name the holy book of Islam.
Name the Five Pillars of Faith.

14. Islamic Empires
Chapter 11, Section 2, page 380

15. Chapter 11, Section 2 Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
describe how Arabs spread Islam through conquest, preaching, and trade.
explain the split of Muslims into two groups with different beliefs, and the Arab Empire’s climb to new heights.
discuss how Turks and Moguls built Muslim empires in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

16. The Spread of Islam – page 380
caliph – meant successor to the Messenger of God
Rightly Guided Caliphs – rulers who obeyed Islam’s teachings
Abu
Umayyad caliphs A.D. 661 – 750

17. The Muslims Build an Empire – page 380
Why were the Arabs successful in building an empire?
Arab soldiers were inspired by their new faith.
death in battle for Islam = paradise
let conquered peoples practice their own religion
Arabic language adopted frequently (common language + holy book = unifying factor)
merchants and preachers

18. Preaching and Trading – page 381
Similar to Christian missionaries, Sufis spread the teachings of Islam.
trade

19. Preaching and Trading – page 381

20. Struggles Within Islam – page 382
Shiites – believed that Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law, should rule after Muhammad’s death
Sunnis – believed the Umayyad dynasty should rule
Most Muslims today are Sunnis.

21. The Seljuk Turks – page 383 The Abbasid Empire Seljuk Turks
capital: Baghdad
Seljuk Turks
Abbasid caliph remained religious leader
the Seljuks ruled the government and the army
sultan – Seljuk ruler title, means “holder of power”
Mongols stormed Baghdad in 1258 → end of Arab Empire

22. Later Muslim Empires – page 384
Ottoman Empire
began in Turkey
allowed religious freedom
special tax
other requirements (janissaries)
Suleiman I – sultan of the Ottoman Empire in the 1500s
architecture
general
lasted until the end of WWI
Photo: Interior of the Mosque of Suleiman. Available from:

23. Later Muslim Empires – page 384
Photo: Map of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman I. Available from:

24. Who Were the Moguls? – page 385
Moguls – people who created a Muslim empire in India
Akbar brought peace and order to India in the 1500s

25. Chapter 11, Section 2 Questions
Copy the following questions and then answer them.
Define caliph.
What brought an end to Arab unity under the Seljuk Turks?
Who was Suleiman I?
Why were the Muslims successful in building an empire?

26. Muslim Ways of Life
Chapter 11, Section 3, page 387

27. Chapter 11, Section 3 Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
explain why Muslim traders enjoyed great success and cities grew, but most Muslims lived in villages in the country.
identify valuable contributions to the sciences and arts made by Muslims.
AL3a, AL11

28. Trade and Everyday Life – page 388
Why were Muslim traders so successful?
location, location, location
Arabic language
provided coins
detailed business records → new business: banking

29. What Were Muslim Cities Like? – page 388
trade = city growth
major buildings: palaces and mosques
another feature: the bazaar – a marketplace
Most Muslims lived in villages and farmed the land.
wheat ― almonds ― olives
rice ― blackberries ― flowers
beans ― apricots
melons ― figs

30. Muslim Society – page 389
Social groups were based on power and wealth.
rules regarding slaves

31. Muslim Achievements – page 391
preservation of Greek heritage
mathematics and science
al-Khwarizmi – father of algebra (from Arabic al-jabr)
Arabic numerals
astrolabe
al-Razi – considered a founder of chemistry
Ibn Sina – doctor who showed how diseases spread from person to person
Photo: An Islamic astrolabe from around A.D Available from:

32. Muslim Writing – page 393 The Arabian Nights
Omar Khayyam – poet who wrote the Rubaiyat
wrote books on algebra and music as well
Ibn Khaldun – historian who studied the effects of geography and climate on people
Photo: A scene from A Thousand and One Nights. Available from: Discovery Education

33. Art and Buildings – page 393
designs entwined with flowers, leaves, stars, and other geometric designs instead of images of Muhammad
mosques – dome-topped with minarets (a tower from which believers are called to prayer)
palaces – Alhambra in Grenada, Spain
The Taj Mahal
Photo: The Taj Mahal. Available from:

34. Chapter 11, Section 3 Questions
Copy the following questions and then answer them.
Give two reasons that Muslim traders were successful.
Define bazaar.
Name the contributions of the following people: al-Khwarizmi, al-Razi, Ibn Sina.
Why do Muslims refrain from using pictures of Muhammad in the decorations of their mosques and palaces?
Name two famous examples of Muslim architecture.