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The Rise of Islam

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW TERMS & NAMES

RELIGIOUS AND ETHICAL As the world’s fastest-growing • Allah • mosque

SYSTEMS Muhammad unified major religion, Islam has a • Muhammad • hajj
the Arab people both politically strong impact on the lives of • Islam • Qur’an
and through the religion of Islam. millions today. • Muslim • Sunna
• Hijrah • shari’a

SETTING THE STAGE The cultures of the Arabian Peninsula were in constant
contact with one another for centuries. Southwest Asia (often referred to as the
Middle East) was a bridge between Africa, Asia, and Europe, where goods were
traded and new ideas were shared. One set of shared ideas would become a pow-
erful force for change in the world—the religion of Islam.

Deserts, Towns, and Trade Routes TAKING NOTES

Synthesizing Use a
The Arabian Peninsula is a crossroads of three continents—Africa, Europe, and diagram to list important
Asia. At its longest and widest points, the peninsula is about 1,200 miles from aspects of Islam.
north to south and 1,300 miles from east to west. Only a tiny strip of fertile land
in south Arabia and Oman and a few oases can support agriculture. The remain- Islam
der of the land is desert, which in the past was inhabited by nomadic Arab herders. Events in Beliefs of
Desert and Town Life On this desert, the Arab nomads, called Bedouins the life of Islam
Muhammad
(BEHD•oo•ihnz), were organized into tribes and groups called clans. These clans
provided security and support for a life made difficult by the extreme conditions Sources of
authority
of the desert. The Bedouin ideals of courage and loyalty to family, along with
their warrior skills, would become part of the Islamic way of life.
The areas with more fertile soil and the larger oases had enough water to sup-
port farming communities. By the early 600s, many Arabs had chosen to settle
in an oasis or in a market town. Larger towns near the western coast of Arabia
became market towns for local, regional, and long-distance trade goods.
Crossroads of Trade and Ideas By the early 600s, trade routes connected
Arabia to the major ocean and land trade routes, as you can see on the map on the
next page. Trade routes through Arabia ran from the extreme south of the penin-
sula to the Byzantine and Sassanid (Persian) empires to the north. Merchants from
these two empires moved along the caravan routes, trading for goods from the Silk
Roads of the east. They transported spices and incense from Yemen and other
products to the west. They also carried information and ideas from the world out-
side Arabia.
Mecca During certain holy months, caravans stopped in Mecca, a city in west-
ern Arabia. They brought religious pilgrims who came to worship at an ancient
shrine in the city called the Ka’aba (KAH•buh). The Arabs associated this house

The Muslim World 263

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GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps

1. Location Why is Arabia’s location a good one for trade?
2. Movement Why was the location of Mecca ideal for the spread of ideas?

of worship with Abraham, a Hebrew prophet and a believer in one God. Over the
years, they had introduced the worship of many gods and spirits to the place. The
Ka’aba contained over 360 idols brought by many tribes.
The concept of belief in one God, called Allah (AL•luh) in Arabic, was known
on the Arabian Peninsula. Many Christians and Jews lived there and practiced
monotheism. Into this mixed religious environment of Mecca, around A.D. 570,
Muhammad was born.

The Prophet Muhammad

Muhammad (mu•HAM•id) was born into the clan of a powerful Meccan family.
Orphaned at the age of six, Muhammad was raised by his grandfather and uncle.
He received little schooling and began working in the caravan trade as a very
young man. At the age of 25, Muhammad became a trader and business manager
for Khadijah (kah•DEE•juh), a wealthy businesswoman of about 40. Later,
Muhammad and Khadijah married. Theirs was both a good marriage and a good
business partnership.
Revelations Muhammad took great interest in religion and often spent time alone
in prayer and meditation. At about the age of 40, Muhammad’s life was changed
overnight when a voice called to him while he meditated in a cave outside Mecca.
According to Muslim belief, the voice was that of the angel Gabriel, who told
264 Chapter 10
 Muhammad that he was a messenger of Allah. “What shall I proclaim?” asked
Muhammad. The voice answered:

PRIMARY SOURCE
Analyzing Proclaim! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, who created man out of a (mere) clot
Primary Sources of congealed blood. Proclaim! And thy Lord is most bountiful. He who taught (the use
What kind of of) the pen taught man that which he knew not.
teaching does the QUR’AN, sura 96:1–5
phrase “the use of
the pen” refer to? After much soul-searching, Muhammad came to believe that the Lord who spoke
to him through Gabriel was Allah. Muhammad became convinced that he was the last
of the prophets. He began to teach that Allah was the one and only God and that all
other gods must be abandoned. People who agreed to this basic principle of Islam
were called Muslims. In Arabic, Islam (ihs•LAHM) means “submission to the will
of Allah.” Muslim (MOOZ•lim) means “one who has submitted.” Muhammad’s
wife, Khadijah, and several close friends and relatives were his first followers.
By 613, Muhammad had begun to preach publicly in Mecca, but he met with
some hostility. Many Meccans believed his revolutionary ideas would lead to
neglect of the traditional Arab gods. They feared that Mecca would lose its posi-
tion as a pilgrimage center if people accepted Muhammad’s monotheistic beliefs. ▼ The Abyssinian
army set out to
The Hijrah After some of his followers had been attacked, Muhammad decided to destroy the
leave Mecca in 622. Following a small band of supporters he sent ahead, Ka’aba. Their
Muhammad moved to the town of Yathrib, over 200 miles to the north of Mecca. elephants,
This migration became known as the Hijrah (hih•JEE•ruh). The Hijrah to Yathrib however,
refused
marked a turning point for Muhammad. He attracted many devoted followers. Later,
to attack.
Yathrib was renamed Medina.
In Medina, Muhammad displayed
impressive leadership skills. He fash-
ioned an agreement that joined his own
people with the Arabs and Jews of
Medina as a single community. These
groups accepted Muhammad as a politi-
cal leader. As a religious leader, he drew
many more converts who found his mes-
sage appealing. Finally, Muhammad also
became a military leader in the growing
hostilities between Mecca and Medina.
Returning to Mecca In 630, the Prophet
and 10,000 of his followers marched to the
outskirts of Mecca. Facing sure defeat,
Mecca’s leaders surrendered. The Prophet
entered the city in triumph. He destroyed
the idols in the Ka’aba and had the call to
prayer made from its roof.
Most Meccans pledged their loyalty
to Muhammad, and many converted to
Islam. By doing so, they joined the
umma, or Muslim religious community.
Muhammad died two years later, at
about the age of 62. However, he had
taken great strides toward unifying the
entire Arabian Peninsula under Islam.

The Muslim World 265

 The Dome of the Rock ▼ This model displays the interior of
The Dome of the Rock, located in Jerusalem, is the earliest surviving the building. The dome is about 100
Islamic monument. It was completed in 691 and is part of a larger com- feet tall and 60 feet in diameter. It
plex, which is the third most holy place in Islam. It is situated on Mount rests on 16 pillars and columns and is
surrounded by an octagonal colonnade
Moriah, the site of the Jewish temple destroyed by Romans in A.D. 70.
of 24 pillars and columns. The exterior
The rock on the site is the spot from which Muslims say Muhammad walls are about 60 feet long, 36 feet
ascended to heaven to learn of Allah’s will. With Allah’s blessing, tall, and also form an octagon.
Muhammad returned to earth to bring God’s message to all people. Jews
identify the same rock as the site where Abraham was prepared to sac-
rifice his son Isaac.

▼ The ornate decorations of the exterior are also

found on the interior of the building. Notice the
geometric designs that appear in everything from
the tile to the carpet. This is a feature often found
in Muslim art.

SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Visual Sources

1. Making Inferences If you knew nothing about this building, what elements of the building
might give you the impression that it is a religious structure?
2. Comparing and Contrasting How is the Dome of the Rock similar to or different from other
religious buildings you have seen?
266
Beliefs and Practices of Islam
The main teaching of Islam is that there is only one God, Allah. All other beliefs
and practices follow from this teaching. Islam teaches that there is good and evil,
and that each individual is responsible for the actions of his or her life.
The Five Pillars To be a Muslim, all believers have to carry out five duties. These
duties are known as the Five Pillars of Islam.
• Faith To become a Muslim, a person has to testify to the following
statement of faith: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah.” This simple statement is heard again and again in
Islamic rituals and in Muslim daily life.
• Prayer Five times a day, Muslims face toward Mecca to pray. They may
assemble at a mosque (mahsk), an Islamic house of worship, or wherever
they find themselves.
• Alms Muhammad taught that all Muslims have a responsibility to support
the less fortunate. Muslims meet that social responsibility by giving alms,
or money for the poor, through a special religious tax.
• Fasting During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast
between dawn and sunset. A simple meal is eaten at the end of the day.
Fasting serves to remind Muslims that their spiritual needs are greater
than their physical needs.
• Pilgrimage All Muslims who are physically and financially able perform
the hajj (haj), or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once. Pilgrims wear identical
garments so that all stand as equals before Allah.
A Way of Life Carrying out the Five Pillars of Islam ensures that Muslims live
their religion while serving in their community. Along with the Five Pillars, there
are other customs, morals, and laws for Islamic society that affect Muslims’ daily
lives. Believers are forbidden to eat pork or to drink intoxicating beverages. Friday
afternoons are set aside for communal worship. Unlike many other religions, Islam ▼ Artists
has no priests or central religious authority. Every Muslim is expected to worship decorate the
Allah directly. Islam does, however, have a scholar class called the ulama. The Qur’an as a
ulama includes religious teachers who apply the words and deeds of Muhammad holy act. The
geometric
to everyday life. design often
Sources of Authority The original source of authority for Muslims is Allah. repeats to show
According to Islamic belief, Allah expressed his will through the angel Gabriel, who the infinite
quality of Allah.
revealed it to Muhammad. While
Muhammad lived, his followers
memorized and recited the revela-
tions he received from Gabriel.
Soon after the Prophet’s death, it
was suggested that the revelations
be collected in a book. This book is
the Qur’an (kuh•RAN), the holy
book of the Muslims.
The Qur’an is written in
Arabic, and Muslims consider
only the Arabic version to be the
true word of Allah. Only Arabic
can be used in worship. Wherever
Muslims carried the Qur’an,
Arabic became the language of
worshipers and scholars. Thus, the
The Muslim World 267
 Arabic language helped unite conquered peoples as
Muslim control expanded.
Muslims believe that Muhammad’s mission as a
prophet was to receive the Qur’an and to demonstrate
how to apply it in life. To them, the Sunna (SOON•uh),
or Muhammad’s example, is the best model for proper
living. The guidance of the Qur’an and Sunna was assem-
bled in a body of law known as shari’a (shah•REE•ah).
This system of law regulates the family life, moral con- Clarifying
duct, and business and community life of Muslims. What are the
sources of authority
Muslim Prayer Links to Judaism and Christianity To Muslims, Allah
for Muslims?
Five times a day—dawn, noon, mid- is the same God that is worshiped in Christianity and
afternoon, sunset, and evening— Judaism. However, Muslims view Jesus as a prophet, not
Muslims face toward Mecca to pray. as the Son of God. They regard the Qur’an as the word of
Worshipers are called to prayer by a Allah as revealed to Muhammad, in the same way that
muezzin. The call to prayer sometimes
Jews and Christians believe the Torah and the Gospels
is given from a minaret and even over
public address systems or the radio in were revealed to Moses and the New Testament writers.
large cities. Muslims believe that the Qur’an perfects the earlier reve-
Because they believe that standing lations. To them, it is the final book, and Muhammad was
before Allah places them on holy the final prophet. All three religions believe in heaven and
ground, Muslims perform a ritual
hell and a day of judgment. The Muslims trace their
cleansing before praying. They also
remove their shoes.
ancestry to Abraham, as do the Jews and Christians.
Muslims refer to Christians and Jews as “people of the
book” because each religion has a holy book with teach-
ings similar to those of the Qur’an. Shari’a law requires
INTERNET ACTIVITY Create a chart in
which you identify and explain the Muslim leaders to extend religious tolerance to
meaning of Muslim prayer rituals. Go to Christians and Jews. A huge Muslim empire, as you will
classzone.com for your research. learn in Section 2, grew to include people of many dif-
ferent cultures and religions.

SECTION 1 ASSESSMENT

TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
• Allah • Muhammad • Islam • Muslim • Hijrah • mosque • hajj • Qur’an • Sunna • shari’a

USING YOUR NOTES MAIN IDEAS CRITICAL THINKING & WRITING

2. What event in the life of 3. Why was Mecca an important 6. RECOGNIZING EFFECTS How did the beliefs and practices
Muhammad signaled the city in western Arabia? of Islam create unity and strength among Muslims in the
beginning of Islam? 4. What are the Five Pillars of 600s?
Islam Islam? 7. COMPARING In what ways are the teachings of the
5. Why did Muslims consider Muslims similar to those of Christians and Jews?
Events in Beliefs of Christians and Jews “people of 8. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS How did Islam help spread
the life of Islam
the book”? Arabic culture?
Muhammad
9. WRITING ACTIVITY RELIGIOUS AND ETHICAL SYSTEMS
Sources of
Write a letter to Muhammad, describing his legacy and
authority
that of Islam today.

CONNECT TO TODAY PREPARING AN ORAL REPORT

Today, tensions run high between Muslims and Jews in the Middle East. Research to find out
the causes of this tension. Present your findings in an oral report.

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