The Middle East

The Romans to the advent of Islam

• The Romans held the Mid East a high priority because of its location (Crossroads)

• The Silk Road had to be preserved for trade with the East.

• Trade had connected both empires in the east with Rome

• Persians & Romans tried to conquer & merge the crossroads. – That effort would have been expensive, dangerous, & hardly

secure. • Places like the Arabian Peninsula were far too big,

distant, & anti-European. • To avoid tribes on the Silk Road, the Romans used

their provinces in Palestine as a port region to exchange goods.

One Roman historian wrote…

“The inhabitants of all the districts are savage and warlike, and take such

pleasure in war and conflict, that one who loses his life in battle is regarded as happy beyond all others. For those who depart from this life by a natural death they assail with insults, as degenerate

and cowardly.”

• Roman traders sailed from the Gulf of Suez, stopping in cities like Mecca, then around the Gulf of Aden, then to South Asia for trade.

• The ppl who lived in that region were exposed to new inventions, innovations and ideas.

• Mecca grew to be a valuable trading city

ROMAN COLLAPSE ROMAN COLLAPSE EFFECTS THE EFFECTS THE

WORLD!WORLD!

Dark Ages

• Once the overthrow was final, interest in trade declined & soon ceased all together.

• Arabia’s economy slipped and fell. • Trade routes were diverted; money and investments

were lost, along with the whole caravan traffic. • A nomadic and ancient way of life dominated once

again. • Muslims call this Jahiliyya, The Age of Ignorance;

soon this ignorance would all end.

The beginning of a new era…

• Many ideas about politics, economics, society, and religion remained.

• People made, sold, and traded simple items as well as traveling to close regions to earn a living. They may not have been civilized in the western definition, yet they were organized

• The one thing these people did not possess was a unified religion of their own.

• They were not Jews, Christians, or Zoroastrians, they were pagans or irreligious. But not for long…

MUHAMMAD’S RITE OF PASSAGE

PRE-PROPHETHOOD What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Muhammad was born in Mecca c. 570ce. Mecca was a prosperous city b/c of its location;

centrality in the Peninsula & its close contacts with others (trade).

The Kaaba• Possessed an ancient black stone from the Heaven’s• Represented all gods (360); Attracted religious

travelers• Quraysh: A ruling tribe/family used the attraction for

profit

Quraysh: “The Tribe of God”-Wardens of the Sanctuary

Mecca• Only reason to visit the city was for god• To visit, you need to pay• Quraysh got rich owning the entrance to

god• Rival families throughout Arabia had tried

to destroy the Kaaba to lure travelers to their shrines

NEAR THE KAABA

• Zamzam a spring believed to be the well/water that nourished Hagar and Ishmael

Muhammad’s Family Dad, Abdallah, died before M was born Mom, Amina, died when M was 6 Sent to live with his grandfather, who died two years later Sent to live with his powerful Uncle Muhammad grew up a member of the “have-nots,” upset no

one cared about poor, people only cared about pursuit of wealth

GROWING UP• As he grew older, he worked leading trade caravans

across the desert for his Uncle• As a trader, he learned many cultures (Christianity,

Judaism, Zoroastrianism) • He became very well known for his work ethic &

honesty. • Al-Amin: “the trustworthy one”

Khadija• A wealthy + respected

widow (with children) employed him

• She was pursued by many men, but she proposed marriage to Muhammad!

• Muhammad was already reject by Uncle’s daughter (Umm Hani)

• 15 years older• Strong Marriage:

Monogamy unique in a polygamous culture

MUHAMMAD THE ADULT• Khadija recognized that Muhammad was a spiritual

man. – She encouraged him to take spiritual retreats. – It was during one that Muhammad received his

call.• Polytheism and idol worship was everywhere!

• $$$ trumped spirituality

THE CALL

• When he was almost 40, the Angel Gabriel appeared before him demanding him to ‘recite or proclaim’ that Allah is the true & one universal God.

• Muhammad was terrified and unsure what to do.

• Khadija helped Muhammad accept Allah’s task

MUHAMMAD’S REVELATIONS• He was the last Prophet, and needed to teach

monotheism• Quraysh: The most powerful people in Mecca who

benefited from current system of worship (How do you think they would respond?)

• Muhammad’s 1st supporters were family, friends, and women

• Women risked lives by rejecting husband’s/father’s traditions

Initial Message: Social/Economic

• Free Slaves• Feed others in times of famine• Do not oppress the orphan• Woe to those who amass wealth to himself, he

will be cast into the fire by God (104:1-6)

DO NOT MESS WITH

PEOPLE’S $$• The wealthier families of Mecca saw Muhammad as a threat to their existing order/life

• Solution to Muhammad: Bribe him– Muhammad won’t take the bribe

Qurash were Furious• Secondary Solution: Kill Muhammad • Massive bounty: (100 she-camels) to

bring him back to Mecca

PERSONAL TRAGEDYDeath of

Uncle Death of

KhadijaNew tribal

leader didn’t like Muhammad

His life was in danger

Where to go? Many cities didn’t welcome

Muhammad because it upset the Quraysh

250 miles away he found Yathrib or Medina ‘city of the prophet.’ This migration

Muhammad was forced to take is the Hejira.

Muhammad and others had to sneak away slowly; he & Abu Bakr were the last to leave/arrive

Hejira• Later, the beginning of the Muslim calendar relates

to the beginning of the Hejira (622)

Muhammad + others had to sneak away slowly & stealthilyHe, Abu Bakr, and Ali were the last to leave/arrive

In Yathrib

MUHAMMAD…• In Mecca, he was an individual vs. a solidified

system. • In Yathrib he became a political, religious, and

military ruler• Jihad: Right to defend yourself + beliefs vs. others• 8 year war w/ Mecca: Up and down

628; 6 years into the war

• Muhammad and 1K followers marched to Mecca peacefully• Quraysh negotiated temporary truce w/Muhammad (Peace

for Hajj)• Muhammad won’t attack unless he is attacked (Jihad)• When Meccans saw the #’s of pious Muslims circling Kaaba,

many dropped their passion for war

JIHAD• A skirmish broke out vs. Muhammad’s followers and he

invaded in 630• Meccans welcomed him with open arms• Muhammad went to Kaaba and destroyed all the idols

EXCEPT for one of Jesus and his mother Mary

STANDING OUT• Crucial difference between the career of

Muhammad & that of Jesus and Moses before him.

1.Moses did not enter the promise land, and died while his people went forward

2.Jesus was crucified, & Christianity remained a minority religion

3.Muhammad CONQUERED his promise land, & during his lifetime experienced success & power

Medina

• Muhammad returned to Medina, and lived their until he died

• Mecca is the heart of Islam• Medina is it’s soul

Allah’s Laws Keep Coming• Muhammad’s flies on a winged horse to Jerusalem

and back to hear Allah’s instructions

5 Pillars of Islam1. Shahadah (Proclamation of One

God)2. Zakat (Alms/Charity)3. Salat (Prayer Multiple Times/Day)4. Ramadan (Fasting during daylight

hours of this Month )5. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Kaaba in Mecca)

MUSLIM HOLY CITIES

• Mecca• Medina• Jerusalem

MUHAMMAD IN MECCA• Mecca became a base from which to work

toward unifying the Arabian Peninsula

• Before his death, Muhammad spread Islam throughout the Arabian Peninsula and brought most of the region under its control.

• People of the Book: Monotheistic people (Jews and Christians), supposed to be treated with tolerance

MUHAMMAD’S END• Muhammad NEVER

claimed to invent a new religion!

• By his own admission he is bringing the god of J and C to the people of Arabia

• His purpose, which was to restore the idea of monotheism

• *At his death the revelation of God’s purpose for human kind had been completed

Miracle?• In order to be a religion, you need a miracle.• Muslims answer this by stating that the Quran is the exact

word of Allah• No way could Muhammad, who is claimed to be illiterate

produce such poetic/divine instructions• The miracle is the Quran• As a trader, Muhammad must’ve known some basic Arabic

(write receipts, names, dates, goods, services, etc)

ISLAM• Teaches one God [Allah]• Shari’a: Islamic law and moral code• Each person is responsible for his/her actions

No separation b/w their personal and private life

• Koran: The Arab language [Arabic] united others to Islam

ITS ON!• Who are ‘People of the Book?’• Christians & Jews; other monotheists that

share the Old Testament as historically accurate.

• Muslims were to be tolerant of them.• CALIPH?• Successor; Religious Ruler• Name the 5 Pillars (In English & Arabic)• Shahadah (Proclamation), Zakat (Alms), Salat

(Prayer), Ramadan (Fast), Hajj (Pilgrimage)• SEMITE?• Any descendant of Abraham [Noah]…Jew,

Christian, & Muslim.

YOU ARE DOING WELL, BUT CAN I STUMP YOU HERE?

• MUHAMMAD?Founder of Islam; world’s last Prophet.

• SUNNI?80% of Muslims; people who believe any devout Muslim could succeed Muhammad

• SHI’A or SHIITE?Muslims who believe that only people of direct blood lineage to Muhammad and Ali could succeed them.