3.2 The rise of Islam - T -

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 1

AGE 3: The Time of Monks and Knights

3.2 The rise of Islam

THEORY

500 - 1000 AD

What you can explain /  do after this lesson

• how Islam was established by Muhammad and his followers
• how Islam spread through North Africa and parts of Europe
• what the difference is between the Christian and Islamic calendar
• explain why Christians and Jews were treated favorably by Muslims

Important dates in this lesson:

570: Muhammad is born

622: Muhammad's flight to Medina

630: Muhammad conquers Mecca

632: Muhammad dies

732: Battle of Poitiers

1. Geography and People of Arabia

Desert life, tribal loyalty, camels, and long-distance trade made cities like Mecca and Medina powerful.

2. Muhammed and the Start of Islam

Muhammed’s revelations about one God (Allah) formed Islam and challenged the Quraysh leaders in Mecca.

3. The Hijarah and the Ummah

The Hijarah to Medina in 622 created the Ummah, where faith mattered more than tribe.

4. The Conquest of Mecca and Expansion

After Mecca’s conquest and Muhammed’s death, Caliphs led rapid expansion from the Middle East to Spain and India.

5. Jews, Christians, and Heathens

Conquered peoples were treated differently: “People of the Book” could keep their faith with limits and taxes, while heathens were pressured to convert.

In this lesson :

Introduction

For many centuries, bedouins lived in the Arabian Peninsula. They were nomads, which means they moved from place to place. They travelled with their animals and looked for water and grass in the desert. Many tribes fought each other. Life was often dangerous and there was no strong central government.

In the seventh century, something very important happened.  

A new religion called Islam began. This religion united many tribes. In a short time, the Arabs built a large empire that stretched from India to Spain. How did this happen?

1. Geography and people of Arabia

The Arabian Peninsula is mostly desert with rocky plains and very little rain. Still, people had lived there for thousands of years. The bedouins survived in this hard environment. They kept sheep, goats, and camels. Camels were very important because they could travel long distances without much water.

The Bedouins lived in tribes. Each tribe had its own leader. Loyalty to the tribe was very important. Tribes sometimes cooperated, but they often fought over water, land, or honor.

Besides the bedouins, there were also merchants in Arabia. Trade was very important. Arabia was located between Asia, Africa, and Europe. Trade caravans crossed the desert carrying spices, silk, perfumes, and other goods.

Cities grew along these trade routes. Two important cities were Mecca and Medina. Mecca became a rich trading city. It was also an important religious center.

In Mecca stood the Kaaba, a cube-shaped building. Inside it were many statues of different gods. Many Arabs believed in many gods and visited the Kaaba to pray. This brought many pilgrims to Mecca and helped trade grow.

3.2.1

Some Bedouins today make their living by giving desert tours [Wojtek Arciszewski/Al Jazeera]

3.2.2

modern map of the Arab trade routes in the 6th century AD

2. Muhammad and the beginning of Islam

Around the year 570 AD, Muhammed was born in Mecca. He belonged to the Quraysh, a powerful tribe that controlled trade in the city and took care of the Kaaba.

When Muhammed was about forty years old, he said that he received Revelations from God. According to him, the angel Gabriel brought him messages from Allah. These messages were later written down in the Quran, the holy book of Islam.

Muhammed taught that there is only one God, Allah. He said that people must worship only Him. He also taught about honesty, charity, and justice. Because he brought God’s message, he was called a prophet, which means a messenger of God.

At first, only a few people followed him. They were called Muslims, which means people who follow Islam. Many leaders of the Quraysh were angry. They feared that Muhammed’s message would stop people from visiting the Kaaba. If pilgrims stopped coming, Mecca would lose money and power.

The Quraysh began to persecute Muhammed and his followers. Life became very difficult and dangerous for the Muslims.

3.2.3

An early version of the Quran, made out of papyrus from the 7th century.

The Islamic calendar is different from the Christian calendar that is commonly used in the West. In western literature, ‘AH’ is used to refer to the Islamic counting of years. AH is short for the Latin phrase ‘Anno Hegirae’, which means: ‘of the Year of the Hijra’. The Islamic year consists of 12 lunar months and is about 11 days shorter than the Christian year.

3. The Hijarah and the Ummah

In 622 AD, Muhammed and his followers left Mecca and moved to Medina. This journey is called the Hijarah (also spelled Hijrah). It is a very important event in Islamic history. The Islamic calendar begins in this year.

In Medina, Muhammed became not only a religious leader but also a political leader. He helped solve conflicts between local tribes. He created a new community called the Ummah, which means the community of believers.

In the Ummah, loyalty to Islam was more important than loyalty to a tribe. This was a big change. Before Islam, tribes were often divided and fought each other. Now many tribes were united by the same faith.

However, the Quraysh in Mecca still saw Muhammed as a threat. There were battles between the Muslims and the Quraysh. The Muslims believed they were fighting for their religion and their survival. This struggle for God is called Jihad. At that time, Jihad often meant fighting to defend and spread Islam.

Over time, more tribes joined the Ummah. Islam continued to grow stronger.

3.2.4

The Kaaba ("The Cube") is a building at the center of Islam's most important mosque, Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām, (The Sacred Mosque), in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred site in Islam.

4. The Conquest of Mecca and Expansion

In 630 AD, Muhammed and his followers became strong enough to march on Mecca. The city surrendered with little resistance. The Muslims removed the statues from the Kaaba. From then on, only one God, Allah, was worshipped there.

By the time Muhammed died in 632 AD, almost all Arab tribes had accepted Islam and joined the Ummah. Arabia was now united under one religion and one leadership.

After Muhammed’s death, a new leader was chosen. This leader was called a Caliph, which means “successor.” The Caliph was both a political and religious leader. His task was to keep the Ummah united and strong.

The Muslim armies began to move outside Arabia. In only ten years, they conquered large areas that are now Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. These lands had belonged to the Eastern Roman Empire and the Persian Empire. Both empires were weak after long wars, which made conquest easier.

Within one hundred years, the Arab Empire stretched from Spain in the west to India in the east. It became one of the largest empires in history.

In 732, the Muslim army was stopped in France by the Frankish leader Charles Martel at the Battle of Poitiers. The Muslims also tried to conquer Constantinople but failed. Even so, their empire remained very large and powerful.

3.2.5

modern map of the spread of Islam

3.2.6

modern book aboiut the Battle of Poitier between the Muslims and the Franks

5. Jews, Christians, and Heathens

When Muslims conquered new lands, they often came in small numbers. They did not always force people to change their daily lives. Many farmers in the countryside noticed little difference at first.

Jews and Christians were allowed to keep their religion. Like Muslims, they believed in one God. Muslims also respected many of the same prophets, including Jesus. Because of these similarities, Jews and Christians were called “People of the Book.”

However, they did not have equal rights. They had to pay special taxes and follow certain rules. For example, they could not carry weapons or hold some important positions.

A heathen, which means a person who believes in many gods or no god, had fewer choices. Heathens were usually told to convert to Islam or face death.

Over time, many people chose to become Muslims. Some converted because of faith. Others converted for social or economic reasons.

3.2.7

The Dome of the Rock was built on the Mount Temple in Jerusalem in the 7th century. The Mount Temple is an important place for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Abraham (‘Ibrahim’ in Arabic), a patriarch in all three religions, was supposed to have offered one of his sons to God here.

Word Duty

Bedouins -  nomadic tribes that lived in Arabia

Quraysh:  an Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam

Muhammed - the prophet and, according to Muslims, messenger of God, who laid the foundations for the Islamic religion.

Revelations - visions or other forms of communication received from a god.

Quran - the book that contains all the revelations Muhammed recieved from God.

Prophet - Messenger from God.

Islam - monotheistic religion started by Muhammed in the seventh century

Muslims - the followers of Muhammed, who believed in one God only;  Allah

Hijarah - the journey of Muhammed and his followers from Mecca to Medina.

Ummah - community of Muslims

Jihad - Islamic struggle for God

Caliph - political and religious leader of the Ummah

heathen: someone who does not believe in the God of Christians, Jews, or Muslims.

KEY WORDS

Summary 3.2

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What you can do or explain after this lesson

• what a creation narrative is
• what the evolution theory is
• how both theories are used to explain where humans come from
• what the "Out of Africa" theory means
• how you can  read the family tree of   modern humans
• what paleontologists and archeologists do

TEST YOURSELF

What you can explain or do after this lesson:

1. Who were the Bedouins, and how did they live in the Arabian Peninsula?
2. Name two reasons why life in Arabia was often dangerous before Islam.
3. Why were camels so important for Bedouins?
4. Why was Arabia a good place for trade caravans? (Think of location.)
5. Name the two important cities on the trade routes, and give one reason each was important.
6. What was the Kaaba, and why did it help Mecca become rich?
7. Who was Muhammed, and what does the word Prophet mean?
8. What are the Revelations, who brought them (according to Muhammed), and what book were they written into?
9. Why did many leaders of the Quraysh oppose Muhammed’s message?
10. What was the Hijarah (Hijrah), and why is the year 622 AD so important?
11. What was the Ummah, and how was it different from the old tribal system?
12. After Muhammed died, who led the community, how far did the empire spread, and who were the “People of the Book”?

What you can do or explain after this lesson

• what a creation narrative is
• what the evolution theory is
• how both theories are used to explain where humans come from
• what the "Out of Africa" theory means
• how you can  read the family tree of   modern humans
• what paleontologists and archeologists do

KEY

1. Nomadic desert people who moved with their animals to find water and grass; lived in tribes.
2. Tribes often fought over water/land/honor; no strong central government (and life could be unsafe).
3. Camels could travel long distances with very little water and carried people/goods across the desert.
4. Arabia lay between Asia, Africa, and Europe, so routes crossed it and connected regions.
5. Mecca (rich trading city + religious center with the Kaaba); Medina (important city where Muhammed moved and became leader).
6. A cube-shaped religious building in Mecca; people visited it to pray (pilgrimage), which brought customers and money to the city.
7. He was the founder/leader who started Islam; a Prophet is a messenger of God.
8. Messages from God; brought by the angel Gabriel; written down in the Quran.
9. They feared fewer pilgrims would visit the Kaaba, so Mecca would lose money and power (and their control).
10. Muhammed and followers moved from Mecca to Medina; it starts the Islamic calendar and was a major turning point.
11. The community of believers; loyalty to Islam became more important than loyalty to your tribe.
12. The Caliph (successor) led; empire stretched from Spain to India (after rapid conquests like Iraq/Syria/Egypt); Jews and Christians were the “People of the Book.”

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