Western Monotheism& The Rise of Islam

Christianity Jesus- Jew who preached that God made a

covenant with people- live a moral life and participate in the sacraments

Christian- believe in 1 God has 3 parts- father, son, holy spirit. Believe Jesus is son of God

Jerusalem- Holy city of all three religions

Islam is the world’s fastest-growing major religion.

Islam has a strong impact on the lives of millions of people today.

Why this matters now?

Islam’s Presence in the World today

Born in Mecca around 570 A.D. By the age of 25 was a trader and

successful businessman. He took great interest in religion and spent a lot of time praying and meditating.

According to Muslim belief, Muhammad was visited by the Angel Gabriel, the messenger of Allah (God) in a cave near Mecca.

After this, Muhammad became convinced that he was the last of the prophets.

The Prophet Muhammad

He taught that Allah was the one and only god and that all other gods must be abandoned.

People who followed this basic principle of Islam were called Muslims.

Islam means: “submission to the will of Allah.”

Muslim means: “one who has submitted.”

Muhammad’s teachings

To be a Muslim, you have to carry out five duties.◦ 1. Faith: “There is no God but Allah, and

Muhammad is his messenger.”◦ 2. Prayer: Five times per day facing toward

Mecca◦ 3. Alms: supporting the less fortunate◦ 4. Fasting: During Ramadan between dawn and

sunset.◦ 5. Pilgrimage: All Muslims who are physically

and financially capable of making the hajj to Mecca at least once must do so.

The Five Pillars

Unlike many other religions, Islam has no priests or central religious authority.

Each Muslim is expected to worship Allah directly.

The Qur’an is the holy book of Muslims. It is a collection of Muhammad’s revelations. It is written in Arabic and only the Arabic version is considered to be the true word of Allah.

The Arabic language would help unite conquered peoples as Muslim control expanded.

Beliefs and Practices

Mecca Today

Allah is the same God that is worshipped by Christians and Jews.

The Qur’an is the holy book of the Muslims, like the Torah is to Jews, and the Bible is to Christians.

For Muslims, the Qur’an is the final book, and Muhammad is the final prophet.

Muslims call Christians and Jews “people of the book” and are required to extend religious tolerance to them.

Links to Judaism and Christianity

Despite of internal conflict, Muslims expanded their empire over three continents.

This produced “cultural blending” that has continued into the modern world.

Muhammad died and was succeeded by Abu Bakr in 632 AD, the first Caliph = successor or deputy

Other empires nearby were weak at this time (Byzantine and Persian, Roman Empire was gone).

Islamic Expansion

Four “Rightly Guided” Caliphs spread Islam from the Arabian peninsula to the Atlantic Ocean (Spain and N. Africa) all the way east to the Indus River.

Developed a Muslim trade network in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.◦ Engaged in trade with the rest of the world.◦ Access to Silk Roads of China and India,

connected to Europe and Africa.◦ Major advancements in the arts & sciences in

cities like Cordoba, Damascus, Cairo, and Baghdad.

Islamic Expansion cont’d

Cordoba, Spain Muslim Architecture

Saladin

The Crusades… The Byzantine Empire is attacked by Turkish

soldiers representing Arab rulers in 1071, they take control of what is now Turkey and later the Holy Land by 1095.

In response, Pope Urban II declares war against the Muslims, and calls for a Crusade to drive the Turks and Muslims out of the Holy Land.

What’s Next?