The MusliD

1. The MusliD

2. THE MUSLIM WORLD

3. THE RISE OF ISLAM Deserts, Towns and Travelers • The Arabian Peninsula was a crossroads of three continents: Africa, Europe and Asia. • Bedouins were nomads who lived in the desert. They were organized into clans. • By the early 600’s, trade routes connected Arabia to major ocean and land trade routes. • Trade routes ran from the extreme south of the peninsula to the Byzantine and Sassanid empires inthe north. • Merchants moved along caravan routes trading for goods from the Silk Roads of the east.

4. Deserts, Towns and Travelers • Mecca in western Arabia became an important trade route. • During certain holy months, caravans stopped in Mecca. They brought religious pilgrims who came to worship at an ancient shrine in the city. called the Ka’aba. (KAH-buh) • Arabs associated this house of worship with Abraham, a believer in one God. • Over the years, they had introduced the worship of many gods and spirits to the place. • It contained over 360 idols brought by many tribes.

5. Deserts, Towns and Travelers • The concept of the belief in one God called Allah was no stranger to the Arabian Peninsula. • A traditional belief in one God had long been followed by a few people known as hanifs. • Many Christians and Jews lived in Arab lands and practiced monotheism. • Into this mixed religious environment of Mecca, around 570 C.E., Muhammad was born.

6. The Prophet Muhammad • Muhammad took great interest in religion and often spent time alone in prayer and meditation.. • Around age 40, a voice called out to him while he meditated in a cave outside Mecca. • It was the angel Gabriel who told Muhammad he was a messenger of God. • After much soul searching, Muhammad came to believe that the Lord who spoke to him through Gabriel was Allah.

7. The Prophet MuhammadRevelations • Muhammad became convinced he was the last of the prophets. • He taught that Allah was the one and only God and that all other gods must be abandoned. • People who agree to this principle of Islam were called Muslims- those who have submitted. • In Arabic, Islam means “submission to the will of Allah.”

8. The Hijrah • His wife and several close friends and relatives were Muhammad’s first followers. • By 613, he had begun to preach publicly in Mecca. • At first he had little success. Many believed his revolutionary ideas would lead to neglect of the traditional Arab gods. • Spiraling back in history…who else was worried about neglecting their gods?????

9. The Hijrah • They feared Mecca would lose its position as a pilgrimage center if people accepted his monotheistic beliefs. • Some of his followers were even beaten up or stoned in the streets. • Facing this hostility, he decided to leave Mecca. • In 622, he went and resettled in Yathrib over 200 miles north of Mecca. • This journey is called the Hijrah (hihjeeruh)

10. The Hijrah • It was here that Muhammad attracted many followers. • Later, Yathrib was renamed Medina-city of the prophet. • In Medina he displayed impressive leadership skills. • He came up with an agreement that joined his own people with the Arabs and Jews of Medina as a single community. • These groups accepted him as a political leader.

11. The Hijrah • As a religious leader, he drew more and more converts. • He also became a military leader in the hostilities between Mecca and Medina.

12. Returning to Mecca • In 630, he and 10,000 followers marched back to Mecca where its power as a city had declined. • Mecca’s leaders surrendered and Muhammad and his followers entered in triumph. • As he entered and went to the Ka’aba, he declared “Truth has come and falsehood has vanished.” He then destroyed the idols. • Most Meccans pledged their loyalty to him and converted to Islam. • Umma- Muslim religious community. • He died two years later around the age of 62 after taking great strides in unifying the Arabian peninsula under Islam.

13. Muslim Beliefs • There is only one God-Allah • There is good and evil • Each person is responsible for the actions of his or her own life • The holy book is the Qur’an (Koran) • Each person will stand in front of Allah on judgment day and enter heaven or hell.

14. The Five Pillars of Faith • Faith – each Muslim must testify to the following statement of belief- “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” • Prayer- five times a day toward Mecca. • Alms- support the less fortunate. • Fasting- During the holy month of Ramadan, they drink and eat nothing between dawn and sunset. A simple meal is eaten at the end of the day. • Pilgrimage- hajj to Mecca once in a lifetime wearing identical garments.

15. A Way of Life • Muslims do not separate their personal life from their religious life. • There are many laws, customs and morals. • They are forbidden to eat pork, drink wine or intoxicating beverages. • Friday afternoons are set aside for communal worship and prayer. • There is no priest or central authority. • Every Muslim worships God directly.

16. Sources of Authority • The ulama is the religious scholar class who are concerned with learning and law. • Allah is the original source of authority • After Muhammad died, his revelations were collected in the book called the Qur’an. • The Qur’an is written in Arabic and only that version is the true word of God. • Only Arabic can be used in worship. Thus, this language was spread widely and unites Muslims everywhere.

17. Definitions • Sunna-Muhammad’s example and model for living. • Shari’a- body of law which regulates family life, moral conduct and business life of Muslims. It does not separate religious matters from criminal or civil matters, but brings all aspect of life together, bringing a sense of unity to all Muslims. • To Muslims, Allah is the same god that is worshipped in Christianity and Judaism. • Muslims view Jesus as a prophet not the son of God. They also trace their ancestry to Abraham as do Christians and Jews.