Arabia’s Environment

Physical characteristics:

  • Extremely dry and hot
  • Barely rains
  • Little water in country
  • Peninsula
  • Hottest temperatures in the world on record in the summer

Living in Arabia: 3 types of people

  • Bedouins(nomads)-found in the west of Arabia
  • Sedentary Arabs farmers
  • merchants

The Rise of Islam:

  • Founding father- Muhammad
  • Muslims-the people who practice Islam
  • He prayed in a cave where the angel Gabriel gave him messages from God. These were later written down in the Quran, Islam’s holy book.
  • In 622 A.D. , Persecuted for following new religion he moves to Medina, becomes leader, then conquers Mecca with army.
  • In 630 A.D. Muhammed returns to Mecca as its ruler. He bans all other gods. It makes Kaaba the holy site of God, and Muslims come to pray and visit onthe pilgrimage.
  • Muhammad dies but Islam spreads throughout the world.

Quran:

  • Holy book; main source for Islamic teaching
  • Contains 114 chapters in verse form
  • Discusses the nature of God, creation, and the human soul. It addresses moral, legal, and family issues.
  • Written in the Arabic language; children are taught to read and write from the Quran.
  • Unites Muslims who are not Arabs as one people.

Sunnah:

  • It is a book that holds the traditions of Muhammad (words and actions).
  • It provides guidelines for living a proper life.
  • It is used to help to interpret difficult parts of the Quran.

Beliefs about God:

  • Believe in one God, which they called Allah.
  • Islam means submission to God’s will.
  • Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad were all prophets of God
  • Your soul keeps living after a person dies and your choices of right and wrong during life will affect the soul after death.

Five Pillars of Islam:

  1. Belief- you have to be in there being only one God
  2. Prayer- 5 times daily faces Mecca
  3. Charity- you must share your wealth with less fortunate
  4. Fasting- Ramadan(month from sunrise to sunset)
  5. Pilgrimage-travel to the holy city of Mecca once in your life pray at Kaaba

Mosque:

  • A building where they come to pray in groups in a prayer hall that faces Mecca.

Sharia:

  • Islamic law code and shows the right way to act (laws)
  • It forbids Muslims from gambling, stealing, drinking alcohol, and eating pork.

Social Divisions:

  • ArabMuslims
  • Non-Arab Muslims
  • Jews and Christians
  • Slaves( room for advancement some served as Government officials)
  • Women- stayed at home
  • Men – were expected to work and provide for their family
  • Men and Women had religious equality

Division of Islam:

Sunnis-

  • these people supported Muhammad’s advisor Abu Bakr who became the first caliph, leader, of the Muslim community.

Shias-

  • believed only Muhammad’s relative should be in charge of Islam.