Islam

Cornell Notes,

Chapter 3:1

1. What background

knowledge do I need

to know?

2. What is the Arabian

Setting?

1. Islam is a monotheistic

(meaning one god)

religion based on the

teachings of

Muhammad.

2. In southwest Asia,

Arabia is more than

1,000 miles long.

Cornell Notes,

Chapter 3:1

2a. Why was

the land

difficult?

2a. Arabia’s harsh environment:

deserts both in the north (Nafud)

and south (Rub al-Khali), and high

mountain ranges in the south and

west allowed it escape many

foreign conquests.

Oasis—a fertile place in the

desert where a spring or well

provides water supply.

Cornell Notes,

Chapter 3:1

2b. What was

the Tribal

Culture?

2b. In ancient Arabia, there were two ways

of life:

the nomadic (Bedouins) tribes were independent,

sometimes vicious, lived in rural areas, crossed

deserts on camels and herded animals

the sedentary tribes were farmers and traders

who lived near trade routes. Mecca, where

Muhammad was born in 570, was the largest trade

center.

Nomadic Life—people move from place

to place, with no fixed home.

Sedentary Life—people are settled.

Cornell Notes,

Chapter 3:1

3. What was

Muhammad’s

story?

3a. What

happened in

Muhammad’s

early life?

3. Muhammad grew up in Mecca (a

religious center) and worshipped at the

Kaaba.

3a. Orphaned, he grew up to marry

Khadija. He became a wealthy and

respected societal member. Seeing

greed, corruption and violence, he

retreated to a cave to pray. In 610 the

angel Gabriel appeared to him and

gave him a message. Although

frightened, the visions continued and he

became a ―prophet of the people.‖

Cornell Notes,

Chapter 3:1

3b. What

happened

during the

rise of

Islam?

3c. What was

the Hijra?

3b. Although he respected Judaism and

Christianity, he believed he was god’s

final prophet and he urged the Arabs not

be sinful but worship ―the one true god.‖

Some received his words and became

Muslims, but others were hostile.

3c. In 622 Muhammad and his followers fled

to Yathrib (later known as Medina). This

―flight‖ was called the ―hijra.‖ In 630 he

returned to Mecca after conquering it. He

proclaimed Islam as the religion in

Arabia. It spread quickly despite his

death two years later.

Cornell Notes 3.2

The Beliefs of Islam 2.1 What are

the Sacred

Writings?

2.1a. What is

the Qur’an?

Muslims recognize the Jewish Torah and Christian

Gospels as Holy Books

Qur’an is most sacred text and the Muslim Holy

book.

Qur’an is the word of God.

Record of Muhammad’s revelations over period of

22 years

Began in cave in 610, continued until

Muhammad’s death in 632

Muhammad recited words, followers memorized

and wrote some down

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3 Sec 2 Cont. 1a. Continued

1b.How is the

Qur’an

recited?

Qur’an compiled in a book in 651 – 19 yrs

after his death

Qur’an consists of 114 chapters made up of

verses

– Verses discuss nature of God, creation and the

human soul

– Also addresses moral, legal and family issues

– Language is highly poetic

Muslims believe that Qur’an is word of God

and must be studied in original language

Treat with great devotion

Some carry with them wherever they go,

memorize passages, parents recite to babies

1st lessons in reading/writing

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3 Sec 2 Cont. 1c. What is

the Sunnah?

Other key source of Islamic thought

Traditions of the prophet

Refers to words and actions of

Muhammad

Provides Muslims with guidelines for

living proper life

Helps interpret difficult parts of the

Qur’an

Sunnah is based on accounts from

people who knew Muhammad

1c.

continued

Followers recorded Muhammad’s thoughts in a

collection of writings call the Hadith

Hadith is the written record of the Sunnah

Many passages deal with Islamic law

Others promote moral or ethical concepts

Muslims believe that because Muhammad was

chosen by God, he is a perfect model for own

behavior

Following the Sunnah = being faithful to Islamic

principles

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3 Sec. 2 cont. 2. What

are

Islam’s

core

beliefs?

Several core beliefs form the basis of Muslim

life:

– Principle belief – existence of one God

called Allah

– God created universe and all things in it

– Only one God in Islam; no human figure

that represents God

– Muhammad was prophet – no divine power

– This sets Islam apart from Christianity

Christianity recognizes Jesus as the

Son of God

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3 Sec. 2 cont. 2a. What

do

Muslims

believe

about the

soul and

the

afterlife?

Muslims believe that each person has an individual

and eternal soul.

Freedom to choose between good and evil

Choices in life affect what happens after death

Afterlife spent in heaven or hell

On a future judgment day, God will determine who

will be saved

Those who do not worship God will end up in hell

Those who obey and surrender lives to God go to

heaven

Islam means ―surrender‖ in Arabic

To be Muslim means to make a commitment to God

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3 Sec. 2 cont. 2b. What are

the Five

Pillars?

The Five Pillars are the five key religious duties

1. Declaration of Faith – ―There is no God but

God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.‖

2. Prayer – Muslims pray five times a day

– In many parts of world, a muezzin, (or prayer

caller) announces times of prayer from the

tower of a mosque

Mosque – a Muslim house of

worship - when they pray, Muslims kneel and face in

the direction of Mecca

- They begin prayers with the first line of

Qur’an

2b. Cont. 3. Almsgiving – charity

Alms - goods or money given to the poor or needy

- Duty of all Muslims to share wealth with less fortunate

4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan

– Fasting means not eating or drinking for a

period of time

– Ramadan is the month in which Muhammad

received his first revelation

– During this month Muslims do not eat food from

sunrise to sunset

– Tests submission to God, reminds them of

hunger of poor

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3 Sec. 2 2b. continued

5. Pilgrimage, or hajj

Pilgrimage – a journey to a sacred place or shrine

Sacred destination for Muslims – Mecca, the holy city of

Islam

Qur’an requires every Muslim to make the hajj at least

once, if possible

By bringing Muslims from all over the world together, the

hajj strengthens the community of Islam

Many rituals:

– The most important is the circling of the Kaaba

(building in which sacred black stone resides)

– Kaaba is in the center of the courtyard of the Grand

Mosque in Mecca (photo pg. 63)

– Black stone came from heaven in ancient times

– Pilgrims circle stone seven times hoping to touch/kiss

the stone

– Over centuries the touch of pilgrims has worn stone

smooth

Cornell Notes: Ch. 3, Sec. 3

The Spread of Islam

3.1 How

did Islam

expand?

Spread of Muslim rule took place in 3

phases:

– 1. wave of conquests by Arabs

– 2. series of conquests by non-Arab

groups that adopted Islam

– 3. peaceful spread of Islam through

merchants and missionaries

Cornell Notes Ch. 3, Sec. 3

The Spread of Islam

1a. What

were the

early

conquests?

Before conquering others, Muhammad’s

followers had to choose a new leader

win back loyalty of Arab tribes that had broken

away

Leaders of dominant group selected Abu Bakr,

caliph

Abu Bakr set out to reign over Arabian

Peninsula

Using force, brought rebel tribes under Muslim

rule

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3 Sec. 3 1b. How did

Muslims

build an

empire?

First phase – conquests of Arabs

Next caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, took

Islam to new lands – Mesopotamia,

Palestine, Syria

Armies then moved to Persia and Egypt

Conquests continued under other

caliphs

Arab armies moved into Afghanistan

and India, North Africa and Spain

Effort to push deeper into Europe failed

with loss of Battle of Tours in 732

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3, Sec. 3 1c. What

were the

reasons

for their

success?

Successful spread of Islam and Muslim

rule was based on several factors.

– 1. decline of Byzantine and Persian empires

– 2. skill of Arab armies – expert in the use of

soldiers on horseback; struck quickly and

deadly in harsh desert environment

– 3. energy and religious zeal of Arab warriors

Fought under banner of jihad, ―holy struggle‖

In Arabic jihad refers to striving hard in God’s cause

Sometimes means person’s internal struggle to live by

Muslim principles

Can also mean waging war to spread Islamic faith

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3, Sec. 3 1d. How did

Muslims

show

religious

tolerance?

Arabs tolerance for other religions helped the spread of

Islam

Generally allowed people to practice own customs and

beliefs

– Muslims regarded the Torah and Bible as sacred

books

– considered Christians and Jews as ―People of the

Book‖ Christians and Jews did not have same legal

status

– Had to pay special tax

Success was also because of appeal of Islam

– Offered a direct path to God

– Emphasized equality of all believers regardless of

race, sex, class or wealth

– All had to do was follow Five Pillars

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3, Sec. 3 1e. Who

were the

non-Arab

peoples that

conquered

and helped

spread

Islam?

Second Phase of spread was through conquests of

non-Arab peoples.

– Groups that converted while visiting Muslim lands then

took Islam back to homelands

– Most successful were Turks and Mongols

Turks:

– Central Asian people, fierce soldiers entered service to

Muslim armies

– Seljuks spread Islam into Central Asia

– Ottomans created a large empire in 1400’s; they took

Constantinople from Byzantines & carried Islam into

southeastern Europe

Mongols:

– Also fierce warriors, swept into Muslim lands from Asia

in 1200’s

– Took new faith into Central Asia, western China and

India

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3, Sec 3 1f. How did

merchants

and

missionaries

help spread

Islam?

Third Phase of the spread of Islam was

peaceful, though did not replace conquest

Muslim merchants traveled to trade took their

faith with them

Missionaries often accompanied merchants to

spread the word of God

Two parts of world exposed to Islam in this way

– Southeast Asia- merchants traveled east from

India by ship into Malaysia and Indonesia

– West Africa- traveled south in camel caravans

from North Africa into lands beyond Sahara

– Missionaries followed merchants and converted

many Africans and Southeast Asians to Islam

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3, Sec. 3 2. What is

Islam

today?

2.1a. How

is Islam

growing

today?

The spread of Islam is still going on today.

Islam is second largest religion after Christianity

More than 1 billion people are Muslims (1/5th of

global pop)

Although Islam associated with Arab peoples,

fewer than 20% are Arab

Indonesia has largest population, followed by

Pakistan, Bangladesh, India

Several million in U.S.

Cornell Notes

Ch. 3, Sec. 3 2b. What are

the divisions

in Islam?

Two main groups

Sunnis

– Majority Islamic sect, making up about 85% of Muslims

Shiites

– Form the largest minority of Islamic sect

Some religious differences separate the two groups,

but the origin of the split are political

– Sunnis believed that a caliph should be chosen by

leaders of the Muslim community

– They viewed caliph as leader, not religious authority

– Shiites believed that only Muhammad’s relatives should

become caliph because his they were inspired by God

Despite division, Muslims around the world are united

in basic beliefs

– Worship one God, revere the word of God as revealed

to Muhammad in Qur’an, Five Pillars as guidelines for

proper life