11-1 Rise of Islam

Objectives:

1. Explain how geography affected the people and culture of the Arabian Peninsula.

2. Discuss how the religion of Islam began

3. Compare the main beliefs of Islam with other religions previously studied.

Focus Questions

1. How did the lifestyle of the desert Arabs differ from the lifestyle of the Arabs who lived along the coasts?

2. What were the important events in the development of Islam?

3. What are the central beliefs of Islam?

Vocabulary

bedouins: Nomadic Arab herders of sheep and camel

Muhammad: Founder of the religion of Islam

hijrah (hejrah or hijra): Migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina, marking the first year in the Muslim calendar

Islam: Religion based on Muhammad’s teachings and ideas

Qur’an (Koran): Holy book of Islam

jihad: In Islam, the struggle to defend the faith

mosques: Muslim places of worship

The Islamic World

Section 1: The Rise of Islam

Except for narrow strips along the coasts, most of the Arabian Peninsula is desert. Unable to grow crops, the desert dwellers herded sheep and camels.

These Arab herders, called Bedouins (BEH·duh·wuhnz), were nomads. Families moved with their flocks from one grazing area to another. The Bedouins were

organized into tribes led by sheikhs (SHAYKS). Along the coasts, where the climate was milder, towns grew up, and people became traders. Goods were

transported from Asia and Africa to ports on the Red Sea, then inland to the city of Mecca. Mecca lay on a caravan route running north. Traders brought the

influence of many cultures to Arabian coastal towns. ( Link to picture below)

In Mecca in about A.D. 570, a man named Muhammad was born into a poor clan of Mecca’s ruling tribe. A caravan trader, he came into contact with people of

many beliefs. When he was about 40 years old, Muhammad said that the angel Jibreel, or Gabriel, told him that he was called to be a prophet of Allah (meaning

“God” in Arabic). He was given verses to recite and instructions to teach others. The merchant rulers of Mecca opposed Muhammad’s teaching. His

ideas threatened their authority. Every year Arab pilgrims came to Mecca to worship at the Kaaba (KAH·buh), a stone building filled with idols.

The rulers feared that Muhammad’s teachings might stop these pilgrimages. They began to harass Muhammad and his followers, who journeyed from Mecca to

settle in the town of Yathrib. This journey is known as the hijrah (hi·JY·ruh), which means “flight” or “migration.” Yathrib became known as Medina, the “City of

the Prophet.” The year of the hijrah became the first year of the Muslim calendar. Muhammad gained many followers, especially among Bedouins. After years of

war between Mecca and Medina, Mecca submitted and Muhammad returned. His followers destroyed the idols in the Kaaba, and Muhammad made it a shrine to

the worship of the One God, Allah. Soon Arabs everywhere accepted Muhammad’s ideas

Through wise policies, tolerance, and force, Muhammad converted many bedouin tribes to his new religion, called Islam. Islam is based on the central beliefs that

there is only one God, and each believer must obey God’s will. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Today millions of people throughout the world are

Muslims. The largest communities are in Asia, North Africa, and eastern Europe.

Islam’s holy book is the Qur’an (kuh·RAN), which is the word of God as revealed to Muhammad. It includes rules and instructions for right living, such as

living humbly, being tolerant and generous, and not eating pork or drinking alcohol.

Five basic acts of worship, called the five Pillars of Islam, are required. Alms giving is the term used for charity Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca

Islam also emphasizes the importance of the jihad (ji·HAHD), which means “the struggle to defend the faith.” The Qur’an was not translated because God’s

revelations might be lost or changed. Arabic became the common language of Muslims in religion, law, and literature.

Muslims worship in mosques, which have no furnishings or images of people or animals. There are only mats or rugs on which to kneel. There is no official

clergy, but men trained in the Qur’an and Islamic law guide the people in worship. Women say the same prayers at home or in a special section of the mosque.

A minaret is a tower that Islamic holy men called muezzins climb in order to call out the call to prayer, five times a day. It is a tall thin building with stairs inside

it (or sometimes outside) and small windows to let in daylight.

Answers to the focus questions

1. How did the lifestyle of the desert Arabs differ from the lifestyle of the Arabs who lived along the coasts?

• The lifestyle of the desert Arabs was that of nomadic herders who followed their flocks from one grazing area to another. Arabs along the coasts lived in towns and became traders. They met and were influenced by people from many different cultures.

2. What were the important events in the development of Islam?

• The first important event in the development of Islam was the vision Muhammad received from the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) when he was 40,which began his teaching.

• Second was the hijrah, when Muhammad's followers moved from Mecca to Medina. Then wars broke out between Mecca and Medina.

• Finally Muhammad conquered Mecca, and his followers destroyed the idols of the Kaaba. At that time, Muhammad rededicated the Kaaba and Mecca became a holy place. Finally, Islam began to spread to bedouins.

3. What are the central beliefs of Islam?

• Islam is based on the central beliefs that there is only one God, and that each believer must obey God’s will. Islam’s holy book is the Qur’an, which includes rules and instructions for right living.