Today we continued to take notes on Islam.
The Rise of Islam-
- Geography-
- Very limited agriculture.
- Very hot and dry deserts.
- People of the Desert-
- On the deserts the Arab nomads, called Bedouins, were organized into clans.
- These clans were created because they provided security and support for a life made difficult by the extreme conditions of the desert.
- Bedouins ideals- courage, loyalty to family, and warrior skills.
- Moving-
- By the time of 600 A.D. many Arabs had chosen to settle by an oasis or in a market town, the desert life was just too tough and unpredictable.
- Larger towns near the western coast of Arabia became market towns for local, regional, and long-distance trade goods.
- Special Cities-
- One of these cities was Mecca.
- Mecca is a holy city where Muslims pray towards.
- Also it’s very common for Muslims to go visit Mecca to pay homage.
- Trade Life-
- After these people had moved into the larger cities, the trading increased as well.
- Many routes because of the bodies of water that surrounded the area.
- Traded many things like spices, incense, perfumes, precious metals, ivory, and silk.
- Monotheistic or Polytheistic-
- The Islamic religion is definitely monotheistic.
- They believe in one God called Allah.
- Muhammad-
- The prophet Muhammad was a very influential figure.
- He was raised by his grandfather and uncle.
- He received little schooling and began working on as a trader.
- At the age of 40, Muhammad became very interested in religion.
- General Info.-
- Islam means “submission to the will of Allah.”
- Muslim means “one who has submitted.”
Islam Grows-
- New Leader-
- After Muhammad died in 632, the Muslim community needed to make the decision on who would be their next religious leader.
- They selected one of Muhammad’s good friends named Abu-Bakr to become the first caliph meaning successor.
- Issues-
- Not everyone was welcoming the caliph.
- Some tribes around the Arabian Peninsula abandoned Islam completely.
- Others wouldn’t pay taxes.
- Some individuals even declared themselves to be prophets.
- Attempts to Resolve-
- Abu-Bakr declared a jihad which has 2 meanings-
- 1. An inner struggle with evil.
- 2. An armed struggle against a non-believer.
- Expansion by Military-
- The Muslim community began to expand under Abu-Bakr as well.
- The next 3 caliphers after Abu-Bakr expanded into the Sassanid and Byzantine empires.
- Reasons for Success-
- They did very well in conquests between these empires because they had been fighting each other for many years before this.
- Well disciplines.
- Great leaders.
- The 2 empires weren’t tolerant of the religions in their conquered area so their Muslims in the empires would often help the other Muslims that invade the empires.
- Treatment of the Conquered people-
- The Qur’an doesn’t allow for Muslims to force others to convert to this religion.
- Muslims allowed the Christians and Jews to practice their religions but they couldn’t spread it.
- They made the Christians and Jews pay a tax however because they didn’t fight for the Islam military groups.
- Islam Split-
- Why, when did it happen?
- Who were the key players (groups) in the split?
- Include Umayyads, Shi’a Sunnni, Sufi, and Abbasids.
- 3 paragraphs.
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