nMuhammad & the Rise of Islam
nMuhammad (A.D.
570-632)
nA.D. 570, Muhammad born in Mecca (a center of polytheistic
worship)
qOrphaned as a young boy
nSpiritual transformation at age 40
qAdvocated strict monotheism
nHis vision
of Gabriel:
“Recite!”
qThe Qur’an
nHegira—flight to Medina
nJihad, or “struggle,” against Mecca
qIn the Qur’an jihad meant struggle for God in a
general sense, but it has come to mean physical
struggle in some circles of Muslim extremism
nThe Qur’an , the Sacred Book of
Islam
n114 suras (chapters) organized by length (longest to shortest)
nExcerpts (see
MP—R, 192-198)
qSee Sura 96: “Recite in the name of your
Lord who created—created man from clots of blood . . . Indeed, man transgresses
in thinking himself his own master.”
qSura 5: “They already have the Torah . . . We have revealed the Torah, in which there is guidance and
light. By it the prophets who submitted to God
judged the Jews . . . After them we sent forth Jesus
the son of Mary, confirming what the Torah already revealed, and gave him the
Gospel, in which there is guidance and light . . . And to you We have revealed the Book with
truth. It confirms the scriptures . . .”
nHow does the Qur’an deal with Jewish &
Christian beliefs?
nIslam
nIslam, “submission [to Allah]”
qRigorous morality
nMuslim, “one who has submitted”
nBelievers
unified by faith in Allah, not blood or tribe
nThe Five
Pillars of Islam
qRigorous monotheism: there is but one God, and Mohammad is
his prophet
qPrayer five times a day towards Mecca
qDawn to dusk fast during month of Ramadan
qAlmsgiving to the poor
qThe Haj:
obligation to make a sacred pilgrimage to Mecca in one’s life time
nArabs
vs. Muslims
n
nIslam After Mohammad
nIn many ways, the Muslim world was the heir
of Classical culture
nThe Umayyad Caliphate
nCaliph: a successor to Mohammed
qThe first four “rightly guided” caliphs who had known Mohammed
qConflict over the role of Ali, Mohammed’s cousin and son-in-law
nSupporters of Ali were called Shi’ites;
Supporters of Abu Bakr were Sunni
nConquest of Byzantine provinces (especially
the city of Alexandria) brings Classical art, architecture, science, and
literature to the Arab world
qIn some areas, such as philosophy and medicine, the Arabs
preserved Classical learning better than the Europeans did
nA
dynasty of caliphs, the Umayyad, ruled the Islamic Empire from Damascus in
Syria from c. 661-750
nDevelopments and Conquests
nAfter Mohammad’s death Muslim scholars
developed shari’ah law
qApplies the teachings of the
Qur’an to daily life
qRegulates all aspects of Muslim
life
qNo separation between religious
matters, civil or political law
nMuslims began to expand throughout the Arabian peninsula
qConquered
people were not forced to convert to Islam!
qConquered areas were forced to
accept Islamic law
nThe Arab Empire
nLater Islam
nAbbasid caliphs in Baghdad (A.D. 754–1258)
qPersian influence on art, learning, and government now
becomes predominant
(Classical influence was stronger during the Umayyad Dynasty)
nCultural and
intellectual progress
nFragmentation of the Islamic world
qSpain and North Africa
qEgypt
qPersia
qTurks
nThe rise of the Seljuk Turks, zealous Islamic converts who were ruling
from Baghdad by 1050 and later moved their capital to Asia Minor, led
directly to the Crusades
q9 crusades between A.D. 1091 and 1272
n
