EQ: What are some characteristics of Islam?

Arabian Peninsula

• Mostly desert• Occupied by

Bedouins• Mecca was

central trading city

Muhammad the Prophet• Read p. 252• Married rich widow 15

years older than him• Went to cave and heard

Allah’s voice• Was illiterate – family

members wrote down his revelations

• Began teaching what he heard

• Travelled to Mecca and destroyed the idols

Before Islam, religions of the Arabian Peninsula were polytheistic.

Islam - Doctrine• Five pillars, or tenets

1. Declaration of Faith 2. Pray 5 times a day facing

Mecca3. Tithe – 2% of income4. Jihad – spiritual struggle5. Hajj – to Mecca

• Quran, also spelled Koran, is main holy book

• Believe Jesus was prophet but not God

• Holy day is on Friday – like Jewish Sabbath

Call to Prayer

Women and Islam

• Sharia – Islamic law• Quran treats men and

women with equality• In practice, similar to how

women were viewed according to Christianity, some Muslim women were highly subjugated, or inferior to men, in ancient Islamic societies

Islamic Schism

• Muhammad died, he had no sons• Leaders argue over who should take over as

caliph• Sunnis say the leader should be elected• Shiites say the leader should be a blood

relation of Muhammad• This led to religious wars between the two

Spread of Islam – Umayyads 650-750 A.D.

• Muhammad dies – 632 A.D.• 1st caliph, Abu Baker, spreads Islam through series of wars• First four caliphs conquered Byzantine and Persian territory• Tolerant conquerors – didn’t force conversion• Conquer Modern day Spain

Muhammad’s caliphate

Later Umayyad caliphate rulers

Spread of Islam – Abbasids 750-1250 A.D.

• A new family of Sunni leaders take power• Baghdad becomes their powerful Arab capital• This is the Golden Age• Arabs invent Algebra, advances in mathematics and medicine

Effects of Islamic Empires

• Create learning centers in Cairo, Cordoba Spain, and Baghdad

• Trade network closely links Europe and the Arab world

• While Europe was in Dark Ages, preserved learning from Ancient Greeks and Romans

Decline of Islamic Empires

• 850 A.D. Ottoman Turks conquer most of the Byzantine empire

• 1099 A.D. Christians attack Jerusalem in the Crusades – attacks lasted nearly 200 years

• 1216 A.D. Genghis Khan leading the Mongols attacks