U N I T I I I

THE RISE OF ISLAM

MUHAMMAD THE PROFIT

• From Mecca in modern day Saudi Arabia

• Muhammad was a middle aged merchant who claimed the Angel Gabriel asked him to recite the word of God

• As a Merchant Muhammad had exposure to the ideas of Judaism and Christianity• Maybe even Persians

MUHAMMAD TAKES POLITICAL POWER

• Mecca was already a

popular pilgrimage site

• Muhammad was kicked

out because Islam

threatened the pilgrimage

• Muhammad and his

followers went to Medina

• Prayer switches from

Jerusalem to Mecca

• Muhammad became a

political and military

leader

• 630 CE Muhammad takes

back Mecca

THE SPREAD OF ISLAM

• Abu Bakr, Muhammad's

successor began

attacking the Byzantine

Empire and recording

the Qur'an

• A vast empire grew out

of the principals of Islam

in just 200 years

• Muhammad's

successors relentlessly

spread the religion

through military

conquest

THE RAPID SPREAD OF ISLAM

BASIC BELIEFS

• Conquered people do not have to convert, only pay a larger tax.• Followers of Judaism and Christianity are specifically

mentioned in the Qur’an as “people of the book”

Five Pillars of Islam 1. Shahadah- declaring there is no god except God (Allah), and Muhammad is God’s messenger

2. Salat- Prayer five times a day

3. Zekat- Giving 2.5% of one’s savings to the poor

4. Sawm- Observe the month of Ramadan by fasting during the holy month of Ramadan

5. Hajj- Pilgrimage to Mecca

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

BASIC BELIEFS

Guiding text:

• The Qur'an

• Absolute Monotheism

• Taking care of those less

fortunate than you

• Hadiths; a collection of sayings and stories about the

profit Muhammad

A believer in Islam is part of the

Uma or community of believers

Islam becomes a restoration religion

• Muslims believe the Monotheisms before Muhammad had

strayed from purity

• Muslims believe Mohamed was the last profit sent by God

SHIA- SUNNI SPLIT

• Root of split goes back

to Muhammad's first

successor

• Abu Bakr, Muhammad's father in law became the

first Caliph

• Many wanted his son in

law, Ali to take over

• Shia Muslims believe the

Caliph should be a

descendent of

Muhammad

• Caliph means

“successor”

• Meaning Abu Bakr was

a “successor” to the

prophet

MODERN SHIA- SUNNI DIVIDE

Today Shia Muslims make up 16% of the Islamic population

THE ISLAMIC SPLIT HAS SERIOUS RAMIFICATIONS TODAY

BAGDAD: THE CENTER OF LEARNING

• The Abbasid Caliphate (750- 1258 CE) became the center for learning

• The Persian ruling class moved the capital to Baghdad• Baghdad becomes the center of learning

• Large library held the work of Greek philosophers, Greek scientist, and Buddhist and Hindu text

• Openness to foreigners and their ideas • Possibly largest blending of cultures since Hellenistic times • Brought to an end by the Mongols

IBN SINA (980- 1037 CE)

• Often known by Latin

name Avicenna

• Gained great advances

in the field of medicine

• Created the Canon of

Medicine

• Became the standard

medical text book for

centuries

HOW’S THIS FOR A VACATION?

IBN BATTUTA (1304-1368 CE)

• Moroccan explorer

• Traveled the known

Muslim world

• Recorded his travels

in the Rihla

(translated to

“Journey”)

• Helped link Africa to

the Islamic World

• The most well

traveled man to date

THE ABRAHAMIC TRADITIONS

Judaism est. around

1000 BCE Christianity est. around

40 CE

Islam est. around

600 CE

WHAT DO THE ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

• All three use a religious text that provide guidelines

ethical and moral behaviors as well as how to

govern believers

• Judaism- Torah

• Christians- The Bible

• Islam- The Qur'an

• All three recognize Abraham, Mosses and other

figures from the old testament as important religious

figures

• All three believe in fundamental monotheism

• All three originated in the same region, and claim

several of the same cities as religious holy sites

JERUSALEM

FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES IN THE ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS

Judaism

• Judaism does not actively seek converts and the

religion is associated with a group of people

Christianity

• Christians believe Jesus was the son of God (or

Messiah)

• Catholic leaders must remain unmarried

Islam

• Islam is the newest and only Abrahamic tradition to

reference the other two in the holy text

MODERN DISTRIBUTION

OVER HALF THE WORLD PRACTICES AN ABRAHAMIC RELIGION