The First Global Civilization : The Rise and Spread of Islam

1. The First Global Civilization :The Rise and Spread of Islam By: Kenna Foltz, Eddy Vaisberg and Max Gonzalez

2. Introduction to Islam • Islam: Submission to the will of Allah • Allah: The one true God • Muslims: The Followers of the Islamic belief • Muhammad: Prophet who preached the teachings of Allah • Qur’an: Holy Book containing Allah’s revelations to Muhammad • Arabic: Language of the Qur’an and soon became the international language of the educated and informed.

3. Spread of Islam • First Global Civilization • No single civilization had bound together large portions of the Ancient World • At its peak, the Islamic Civilization extended into Central Asia, Northern Africa, the Middle East and Southern Spain. • Civilization was spread by merchants, mystics and warriors • Established key links for trade between the Mediterranean Region and Southeastern Asia.

4. Map of the Islam

5. The Arabian Peninsula Before Islam • The Arabian Peninsula is covered by inhospitable desert. • Many Bedouin and nomadic cultures develop based on camel and goat herding • They developed small towns around oasis’s. • Bedouins lived in smaller clans and were part of larger tribes that only herded together during times of crisis. • A great loyalty depended within the clans.

6. Clan Life • There were very prominent social classes in the clan life • Shaykhs- elected leaders of the clan or tribe. • Free Warriors- Made up most of the clan. • Slave Families- people from other clans who were conquered • Fierce Inter clan rivalries developed and lots of blood was spilled because of these rivalries.

7. Towns and Trade • Cities developed as trade centers along the Red Sea. • The most important trade centers were Mecca and Medina • Mecca was founded by the Umayyad clan and they became the political and economic leaders. • Because Mecca was the site of the Ka’ba, many people flocked to the city and that provided people to trade with. • Medina was a smaller trade town compared to Mecca and focused on long-distance caravan trade.

8. Marriage and Family in Pre- Islamic Arabia • In Bedouin cultures, women enjoyed a greater freedom and status then did the women in the cities • Women played key economic roles and descent was traced through women. • Women were allowed multiple marriage partners just like men and men had to pay a pay-bride price. • Although they enjoyed these rights, women were not equal to men.

9. Poets and Neglected Gods • There was very little art or architecture in pre-islamic society • The focus of Bedouin art was on orally transmitted poems • Poems told of heroics in war and society. • Most clans were polytheistic • Religion played a very small role in the society of pre-islamic Arabia as tribal customs and unwritten laws of code dominated society.

10. The Life of Muhammad • He was born in 570 CE into the Quraysh tribe. • He lost both his mother and father early in his life and was raised by his paternal Uncle. • He worked as a merchant for Khadijah, who he soon married. • He traveled across Arabia and became aware of the clan rivalries that dominate Arabia. • He became increasingly aware of the monotheistic tendencies surrounding Arabia. • He began spending more time meditating and in 610 CE received his first revelation from the the angel Gabriel and began preaching it.

11. Persecution, Flight and Victory • Muhammad’s following was very small at first but soon grew to become much bigger • Umayyad’s plotted to murder him so he fled to Medina, who invited him to help them stop a civil war. • He and his followers made the trek, which is called the hijra. • He solved the conflict and with that attracted more followers. • After a series of battles, a treaty between Muhammad and the Umayyad was signed. • Muhammad came back to Mecca, smashed the idols outside the Ka’ba and eventually won over the Umayyad.

12. Arabs and Islam • The monotheistic aspect of Islam was able to give Arabia a religion that transcended the clan divisions. • The religion was able to bring together the region and create a sort of political unity. • This political unity helped in the conquering of all the lands that they did and the creation of the global empire • Because Islam stressed equality, the wealthy began helping the poor and charity was a mandatory aspect of the religion

13. Elements of Islam • Muhammad stressed that Islam was just a refinement of Judaism and Christianity and he accepted both of them. • He stressed the Five Pillars: • No God but Allah • Pray five times a day while facing Mecca • Fast during Ramadan • Zakat • The hajj

14. Bibliography (pictures) • https://www.media4islam.net/images/What%20Islam.JPG • http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20250/20250-h/images/illus16.jpg • http://www.bdhajjinfo.org/places/kaba.gif • http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/Muhammad/images/849-MuhammadDrawing.gif