Here Are the Lecture Outlines for the Final

Here are the lecture outlines for the final

Also expect to see things from our world cultures debate on the exam

Like I have said in class the final is mostly a forth exam for the class but do expect some cumulative elements on the final

The exam will be the same format as the previous exams

Mohamad and Islam (make sure to know the historical context from which Islam arose)

The Arabs

•The Arabs were a nomadic, Semitic-speaking people who lived in the Arabian Peninsula, a harsh desert with little water. The hostile surroundings made the Arabs move continually to water and feed their animals.

•Arabs organized into loosely connected, independent tribes to help each other with their difficult lives. A sheikh, chosen from a leading family by a council of elders, led each tribe. Early Arabs herded sheep and farmed on the oases of the Arabian Peninsula. After the camel was domesticated in the first millennium B.C., Arabs expanded the caravan trade and became major carriers between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea.

• Most early Arabs were polytheistic, but Allah (Arabic for “God”) was the supreme God. They traced their ancestry to Abraham and his son Ishmael, who were believed to have built a shrine called the Kaaba at Makkah (Mecca). The cornerstone of the Kaaba, the Black Stone, was revered for its association with Abraham.

• By the sixth century A.D. the trade route through Makkah to modern Yemen and across the Indian Ocean became popular. Communities along this route flourished. Tensions arose between the wealthy merchant class and the poorer clans people and slaves.

Geographic Setting

•The Arabian Peninsula is mostly desert. Many Arabs lived in villages near oases.

• Early Arabs formed tribes that were headed by a sheikh.

•Merchants who transported goods across the deserts formed caravans to protect themselves from Bedouin attacks.

• Nomadic herders, called Bedouins, used camels to cross the desert in search of pasture.

•Trade grew; merchants founded towns along trade routes.

•Mecca was a busy market town on the crossroads of two main caravan routes.

•Arabs came to pray at the Kaaba, an ancient shrine, believed was built by Abraham.

Muhammad

•Muhammad was born into a merchant family in Makkah. He was orphaned early. He became a caravan manager and married his boss, a rich widow named Khadija.

•Muhammad was deeply troubled by the gap in his area between the rich merchants, who he thought were greedy, and most Makkans, who he thought were simple and honest. He went to the hills to meditate on the matter.

• While meditating, Muslims believe, Muhammad received revelations from God. Islam teaches that the messages were given by the angel Gabriel, who told Muhammad to recite what he heard.

• Muhammad came to believe that Allah had revealed himself partially through Moses (Judaism) and Jesus (Christianity), and that Allah’s final revelations were to him. The Quran, the holy scriptures of Islam, came out of these revelations. (The word Islam means “submission to the will of Allah.”) The Quran contains the ethical guidelines for Muslims, those who practice Islam. Islam has only one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet

•Muhammad set out to convince the people of Makkah that his revelations were true. His wife was his first convert, but after preaching for three years he had only 30 followers.

•They were persecuted. In 622 he and some of his followers moved north to Yathrib, later renamed Madinah (Medina: “city of the prophet”). This journey is known as the Hijrah, and 622 is the first year of the Muslim calendar.

•Muhammad won support from residents of Madinah and Bedouins, Arabs in the desert. These formed the first community of practicing Muslims.

• Muhammad did not separate political and religious authority. Submission to the will of Allah meant submitting to his prophet, and Muhammad became a religious, political, and military leader. He assembled a military force to defend his community. His military victories soon attracted many followers.

•In 630 Muhammad returned to Makkah with ten thousand soldiers. The city surrendered and many residents converted to Islam. Muhammad declared the Kaaba a sacred shrine. Two years later, Muhammad died, as Islam was first spreading throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

•In 630, Muhammad returned to Mecca in triumph and destroyed the idols in the Kaaba. He worked to united Arabs under Islam.

• Muhammad died in 632.

•Through the Quran, the Five Pillars, and the Sharia, or interpretations of the Quran, Islam was both a religion and a way of life.

• Mosques are houses of worship. Jihad, or effort in God’s service

The Teachings of Muhammad

•Islam is monotheistic. Allah is the all-powerful Creator of everything. Islam offers salvation and the hope of an afterlife for those who subject themselves to Allah’s will.

• Muhammad is not considered divine, as Jesus is. He is a prophet who conveys Allah’s five pillars

•Believe in Allah and Muhammad as his prophet;

•pray to Allah five times a day with public prayer on Fridays;

•give alms to the poor and unfortunate;

•observe the holy month of Ramadan, especially by fasting;

•make a pilgrimage to Makkah once, if possible. This pilgrimage is called the hajj.

• Islam is more a way of life than a set of beliefs. After the prophet’s death, Muslim scholars drew up a law code called the shari’ah. It provides guidelines for daily living, and much of it comes from the Quran. Muslims must follow sound principles, such as honesty and justice. Muslims may not gamble, eat pork, drink alcoholic beverages, or be dishonest.

Islam

•Islam arose in the Arabian Peninsula and became one of the world’s major religions.

•Islam is monotheistic, based on the belief in one God.

• Muslims believe that the Quran, or “recitation ,”contains the sacred word of God and is the final authority on all matters.

• All Muslims accept five duties, known as the Five Pillars of Islam:

• faith

• daily prayer

• charity

•fasting during Ramadan

• hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca

The Qur’an

•(According to Muslims) is a revelation from God in the Arabic language

• Translations into other languages are superficial "interpretations" of the meanings and are not authentic versions

• was an oral teaching memorized by followers and written down only after Muhammad’s death

•Sura Al-Fatiha ("The Opening") is the first chapter of the Qur'an and its seven verses are a prayer for God's guidance stressing the lordship and mercy of God,& is recited at the start of each prayer.

Creation of an Arab Empire

•Muhammad’s death left his followers with a problem of succession. He had no son, and his daughters could not lead in such a male-dominated society. Some of Muhammad’s closest followers chose Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law. He was named caliph, or successor to Muhammad.

•Islam grew under Abu Bakr. Muslims expanded over Arabia and beyond. Muhammad had used the Arabic custom of raiding one’s enemies. To spread the movement, Abu Bakr did as well. The Quran calls this activity “struggle in the way of God,” or jihad.

•Abu Bakr warred on neighboring peoples. By 650, Egypt, the Byzantine province of Syria, and the Persian Empire were part of the Arab Empire.

• The Arabs were fierce fighters led by brilliant generals. Military courage was enhanced by the belief that a warrior killed in battle was assured a place in Paradise.

• The first two caliphs to rule after Abu Bakr’s death were killed. In 656, Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali, became caliph, but he was also assassinated after ruling for five years.

•Arab administrators were tolerant in their conquered territories. Some places retained local governments, and no one was forced to convert to Islam. Those who did not convert were required to be loyal to Muslim rule and pay taxes.

•The Byzantine and Persian empires were weak from years of fighting each other.

•People in the Fertile Crescent welcomed Arab conquerors as liberators.

•The Arabs used bold, efficient fighting methods, which overwhelmed traditional armies.

•The common faith of Islam united a patchwork of tribes into a determined, unified state.

•As Arabs brought many people under their rule

•imposing a special tax on non-Muslims, but allowing

•Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians to practice their own faiths and follow their own laws.

• Many nomadic peoples in North Africa and Central Asia accepted chose Islam because its message was simple

•direct.

• Its triumph was a sign of God’s favor. It had no religious hierarchy or class of priests but an equality of believers, regardless of race, sect, class, or wealth.

Spread of Islam

Immediate Effects

• Islam spreads from the Atlantic coast to the Indus Valley

•Centers of learning flourish in Cairo, Córdoba, and elsewhere

Long-Term Effects

• Muslim civilization emerges

•Linking of Europe, Asia, and Africa through Muslim trade network

• Arabic becomes shared language of Muslims

• Split between Sunni and Shiites

The Umayyads

•In 661 the general Mu’awiyah became caliph. He was a rival of Ali, and was known for one major virtue: he used force only if necessary. He made the office of caliph (caliphate) hereditary and began the Umayyad dynasty.

•At the beginning of the eighth century, Arabs conquered and converted the Berbers, a pastoral people who lived on the coast of North Africa.

•Around 710, combined Arab and Berber forces occupied southern Spain. By 725 most of Spain was a Muslim state. In 732, Arab forces were defeated at the Battle of Tours in present-day France, bringing an end to Arab expansion in Europe.

•Internal struggles threatened the Umayyad Empire’s stability. Local administrators favored Arabs,

•Islam split into two groups, the Shiite and the Sunni. The former say the descendants of Ali are the rulers of Islam, and the latter claim that the descendants of the Umayyads are the true caliphs. This split continues today. Most Muslims are Sunnis, but much of Iraq and Iran consider themselves Shiites.

The Abbasid Dynasty

•Because of both favoritism toward Arabs and Umayyad corruption, resentment against Umayyad rule grew. In 750, Abu al-Abbas overthrew the Umayyad dynasty and founded the Abbasid dynasty, which lasted until 1258.

•In 762 the Abbasids built a new capital at Baghdad, on the Tigris River. This location took advantage of river and caravan traffic. This move eastward increased Persian influence and created a new outlook. Not warriors, but judges, merchants, and government officials were the heroes. Also, all Muslims, Arab or not, could now hold both civil and military offices

The Abbasid Dynasty

•The ninth-century Abbasid dynasty thrived.during which there were astronomical investigations and a foundation for translating Greek works.

• This time also saw economic prosperity. Baghdad became the center of a huge trade empire extending into Asia, Africa, and Europe. Under the Abbasids, the caliph became more regal and the bureaucracy more complex. A council headed by a prime minister, or vizier, advised the caliph. During council meetings, the caliph sat behind a screen and whispered his orders to the vizier.

•Finally, the rulers of the provinces began to break from the central government. Spain established its own caliphate. Morocco became independent, and in 973 Egypt established a dynasty under the Fatimids, with its capital at Cairo. Meaning that the Islamic world was divided into many different caliphates all of which experienced a degree of independent development

Prosperity in the Islamic World

•The period of the Arab Empire generally was prosperous. Much of it was based on the extensive trade by ship and camel. Camel caravans went to countries beyond the Caspian Sea.

• Trade began to prosper around 750 under the Abbasid dynasty. Gold and slaves came from south of the Sahara, gold and ivory from East Africa. India contributed sandalwood, spices, and textiles, while China contributed silk and porcelain. Egypt provided grain, and Iraq provided linens, dates, and jewels. Banking and coin usage developed, making the exchanges easier.

•Large, magnificent cities came to prominence, Baghdad under the Abbasids and Cairo under the Fatimids.

Prosperity in the Islamic World

•Islamic cities had their own physical appearance. The palaces and mosques were the most impressive buildings. They also had public buildings with fountains, public baths, and marketplaces (bazaars). The bazaar (covered market) was a vital part of every Muslim city or town. Inspectors guaranteed the quality of goods. Bazaars also had craftspeople and offered services such as laundries.

Africa in World History

With the history of Africa always remember that the history of Africa is just as diverse as the history of any of the places that we have studied

Also remember that there has been a lot of miss perception about the history of Africa and the nature of the people of Africa

The land and climate of Africa

Africa is the second largest continent. (Asia is the largest) It stretches for almost five thousand miles and is surrounded by two seas and two oceans.

 Africa has many geographical zones. Mountainous along the Mediterranean coast, just south lies the Sahara, Earth’s largest desert. Southwest of this desert, grasslands and then tropical jungle cover the hump of Africa jutting into the Atlantic Ocean.

 To the east lie snowcapped mountains, upland plateaus, and lakes. Here also is the Great Rift Valley, where mountains rise above deep canyons and wild animals populate grasslands. Farther south lies the dense vegetation of the Congo basin, through which the mighty Congo River runs. Farther to the south, the rain forests fade into hills, plateaus, and then deserts.

 Africa has four distinct climate zones, each with a different way of life. The mild climate—moderate rainfall and mild temperatures—of the northern coast and southern tip creates fertile land and abundant crops. The Sahara in the continent’s north and the Kalahari, a desert in the south, cover 40 percent of Africa.

Here a timeline of the kingdoms of Africa

This timeline will help you know when the individual kingdoms of Africa were prominate

here is a Link to the Crash Course in World history Video that we watched on the history of Africa , I would rewatch the video and take notes

The Early Medieval Period

The Rise of Christianity

By A.D. 6, Judaea, which covered the lands of the ancient kingdom of Judah, was a Roman province under the direction of a procurator. Unrest was common in Judaea, even among factions of Jews.

Among the Jews, the Sadducees counseled cooperating with the Romans, the Essenes awaited a Messiah who would save Israel from oppression and establish a paradise on Earth, and the Zealots advocated overthrowing Roman rule. A revolt begun in 66 was crushed by the Romans, who destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.

Jesus, a Jew, began to preach in the midst of this conflict. Jesus taught that inner transformation was most important, not adhering to laws or rituals. He claimed that the Golden Rule summed up the Jewish teachings. He commanded that we love God and love each other, treating all as our neighbors. Jesus taught the virtues that would be the basis of medieval Western civilization: humility, charity, and love of others.

The Rise of Christianity

 The Judaeans turned Jesus over to the Romans as a subversive because they thought he might cause people to revolt against Rome. The procurator, Pontius Pilate, ordered his crucifixion. Followers of Jesus believed he overcame death, however. Many Jewish followers believed he was the Messiah who had come to save Israel.

 Simon Peter was a prominent figure in early Christianity. Peter and the other disciples taught that Jesus was the Savior and Son of God who had come to Earth to save all people. Jesus’ death could make up for people’s sins and offer them salvation.

Another prominent leader was Paul of Tarsus. Paul followed Jesus’ command to preach the gospel to both Jews and non-Jews, or Gentiles. He founded many Christian communities in Asia Minor and along the Aegean Sea.

 After word spread that Jesus had overcome death, people converted in droves. Only 60 days after his crucifixion, Jerusalem alone had ten thousand converts. Paul wrote letters (epistles) to Christian communities and other disciples may have written downJesus’ sayings. Between A.D. 40 and 100, these became the basis of the written Gospels(“the good news”). The Gospels tell of Jesus’ life and teachings, and form the basis of the New Testament, the second part of the Christian Bible.