Cornell Notes,
Chapter 3:1
1. What background
knowledge do I need
to know?
2. What is the Arabian
Setting?
1. Islam is a monotheistic
(meaning one god)
religion based on the
teachings of
Muhammad.
2. In southwest Asia,
Arabia is more than
1,000 miles long.
Cornell Notes,
Chapter 3:1
2a. Why was
the land
difficult?
2a. Arabia’s harsh environment:
deserts both in the north (Nafud)
and south (Rub al-Khali), and high
mountain ranges in the south and
west allowed it escape many
foreign conquests.
Oasis—a fertile place in the
desert where a spring or well
provides water supply.
Cornell Notes,
Chapter 3:1
2b. What was
the Tribal
Culture?
2b. In ancient Arabia, there were two ways
of life:
the nomadic (Bedouins) tribes were independent,
sometimes vicious, lived in rural areas, crossed
deserts on camels and herded animals
the sedentary tribes were farmers and traders
who lived near trade routes. Mecca, where
Muhammad was born in 570, was the largest trade
center.
Nomadic Life—people move from place
to place, with no fixed home.
Sedentary Life—people are settled.
Cornell Notes,
Chapter 3:1
3. What was
Muhammad’s
story?
3a. What
happened in
Muhammad’s
early life?
3. Muhammad grew up in Mecca (a
religious center) and worshipped at the
Kaaba.
3a. Orphaned, he grew up to marry
Khadija. He became a wealthy and
respected societal member. Seeing
greed, corruption and violence, he
retreated to a cave to pray. In 610 the
angel Gabriel appeared to him and
gave him a message. Although
frightened, the visions continued and he
became a ―prophet of the people.‖
Cornell Notes,
Chapter 3:1
3b. What
happened
during the
rise of
Islam?
3c. What was
the Hijra?
3b. Although he respected Judaism and
Christianity, he believed he was god’s
final prophet and he urged the Arabs not
be sinful but worship ―the one true god.‖
Some received his words and became
Muslims, but others were hostile.
3c. In 622 Muhammad and his followers fled
to Yathrib (later known as Medina). This
―flight‖ was called the ―hijra.‖ In 630 he
returned to Mecca after conquering it. He
proclaimed Islam as the religion in
Arabia. It spread quickly despite his
death two years later.
Cornell Notes 3.2
The Beliefs of Islam 2.1 What are
the Sacred
Writings?
2.1a. What is
the Qur’an?
Muslims recognize the Jewish Torah and Christian
Gospels as Holy Books
Qur’an is most sacred text and the Muslim Holy
book.
Qur’an is the word of God.
Record of Muhammad’s revelations over period of
22 years
Began in cave in 610, continued until
Muhammad’s death in 632
Muhammad recited words, followers memorized
and wrote some down
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3 Sec 2 Cont. 1a. Continued
1b.How is the
Qur’an
recited?
Qur’an compiled in a book in 651 – 19 yrs
after his death
Qur’an consists of 114 chapters made up of
verses
– Verses discuss nature of God, creation and the
human soul
– Also addresses moral, legal and family issues
– Language is highly poetic
Muslims believe that Qur’an is word of God
and must be studied in original language
Treat with great devotion
Some carry with them wherever they go,
memorize passages, parents recite to babies
1st lessons in reading/writing
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3 Sec 2 Cont. 1c. What is
the Sunnah?
Other key source of Islamic thought
Traditions of the prophet
Refers to words and actions of
Muhammad
Provides Muslims with guidelines for
living proper life
Helps interpret difficult parts of the
Qur’an
Sunnah is based on accounts from
people who knew Muhammad
1c.
continued
Followers recorded Muhammad’s thoughts in a
collection of writings call the Hadith
Hadith is the written record of the Sunnah
Many passages deal with Islamic law
Others promote moral or ethical concepts
Muslims believe that because Muhammad was
chosen by God, he is a perfect model for own
behavior
Following the Sunnah = being faithful to Islamic
principles
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3 Sec. 2 cont. 2. What
are
Islam’s
core
beliefs?
Several core beliefs form the basis of Muslim
life:
– Principle belief – existence of one God
called Allah
– God created universe and all things in it
– Only one God in Islam; no human figure
that represents God
– Muhammad was prophet – no divine power
– This sets Islam apart from Christianity
Christianity recognizes Jesus as the
Son of God
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3 Sec. 2 cont. 2a. What
do
Muslims
believe
about the
soul and
the
afterlife?
Muslims believe that each person has an individual
and eternal soul.
Freedom to choose between good and evil
Choices in life affect what happens after death
Afterlife spent in heaven or hell
On a future judgment day, God will determine who
will be saved
Those who do not worship God will end up in hell
Those who obey and surrender lives to God go to
heaven
Islam means ―surrender‖ in Arabic
To be Muslim means to make a commitment to God
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3 Sec. 2 cont. 2b. What are
the Five
Pillars?
The Five Pillars are the five key religious duties
1. Declaration of Faith – ―There is no God but
God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.‖
2. Prayer – Muslims pray five times a day
– In many parts of world, a muezzin, (or prayer
caller) announces times of prayer from the
tower of a mosque
Mosque – a Muslim house of
worship - when they pray, Muslims kneel and face in
the direction of Mecca
- They begin prayers with the first line of
Qur’an
2b. Cont. 3. Almsgiving – charity
Alms - goods or money given to the poor or needy
- Duty of all Muslims to share wealth with less fortunate
4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan
– Fasting means not eating or drinking for a
period of time
– Ramadan is the month in which Muhammad
received his first revelation
– During this month Muslims do not eat food from
sunrise to sunset
– Tests submission to God, reminds them of
hunger of poor
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3 Sec. 2 2b. continued
5. Pilgrimage, or hajj
Pilgrimage – a journey to a sacred place or shrine
Sacred destination for Muslims – Mecca, the holy city of
Islam
Qur’an requires every Muslim to make the hajj at least
once, if possible
By bringing Muslims from all over the world together, the
hajj strengthens the community of Islam
Many rituals:
– The most important is the circling of the Kaaba
(building in which sacred black stone resides)
– Kaaba is in the center of the courtyard of the Grand
Mosque in Mecca (photo pg. 63)
– Black stone came from heaven in ancient times
– Pilgrims circle stone seven times hoping to touch/kiss
the stone
– Over centuries the touch of pilgrims has worn stone
smooth
Cornell Notes: Ch. 3, Sec. 3
The Spread of Islam
3.1 How
did Islam
expand?
Spread of Muslim rule took place in 3
phases:
– 1. wave of conquests by Arabs
– 2. series of conquests by non-Arab
groups that adopted Islam
– 3. peaceful spread of Islam through
merchants and missionaries
Cornell Notes Ch. 3, Sec. 3
The Spread of Islam
1a. What
were the
early
conquests?
Before conquering others, Muhammad’s
followers had to choose a new leader
win back loyalty of Arab tribes that had broken
away
Leaders of dominant group selected Abu Bakr,
caliph
Abu Bakr set out to reign over Arabian
Peninsula
Using force, brought rebel tribes under Muslim
rule
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3 Sec. 3 1b. How did
Muslims
build an
empire?
First phase – conquests of Arabs
Next caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, took
Islam to new lands – Mesopotamia,
Palestine, Syria
Armies then moved to Persia and Egypt
Conquests continued under other
caliphs
Arab armies moved into Afghanistan
and India, North Africa and Spain
Effort to push deeper into Europe failed
with loss of Battle of Tours in 732
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3, Sec. 3 1c. What
were the
reasons
for their
success?
Successful spread of Islam and Muslim
rule was based on several factors.
– 1. decline of Byzantine and Persian empires
– 2. skill of Arab armies – expert in the use of
soldiers on horseback; struck quickly and
deadly in harsh desert environment
– 3. energy and religious zeal of Arab warriors
Fought under banner of jihad, ―holy struggle‖
In Arabic jihad refers to striving hard in God’s cause
Sometimes means person’s internal struggle to live by
Muslim principles
Can also mean waging war to spread Islamic faith
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3, Sec. 3 1d. How did
Muslims
show
religious
tolerance?
Arabs tolerance for other religions helped the spread of
Islam
Generally allowed people to practice own customs and
beliefs
– Muslims regarded the Torah and Bible as sacred
books
– considered Christians and Jews as ―People of the
Book‖ Christians and Jews did not have same legal
status
– Had to pay special tax
Success was also because of appeal of Islam
– Offered a direct path to God
– Emphasized equality of all believers regardless of
race, sex, class or wealth
– All had to do was follow Five Pillars
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3, Sec. 3 1e. Who
were the
non-Arab
peoples that
conquered
and helped
spread
Islam?
Second Phase of spread was through conquests of
non-Arab peoples.
– Groups that converted while visiting Muslim lands then
took Islam back to homelands
– Most successful were Turks and Mongols
Turks:
– Central Asian people, fierce soldiers entered service to
Muslim armies
– Seljuks spread Islam into Central Asia
– Ottomans created a large empire in 1400’s; they took
Constantinople from Byzantines & carried Islam into
southeastern Europe
Mongols:
– Also fierce warriors, swept into Muslim lands from Asia
in 1200’s
– Took new faith into Central Asia, western China and
India
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3, Sec 3 1f. How did
merchants
and
missionaries
help spread
Islam?
Third Phase of the spread of Islam was
peaceful, though did not replace conquest
Muslim merchants traveled to trade took their
faith with them
Missionaries often accompanied merchants to
spread the word of God
Two parts of world exposed to Islam in this way
– Southeast Asia- merchants traveled east from
India by ship into Malaysia and Indonesia
– West Africa- traveled south in camel caravans
from North Africa into lands beyond Sahara
– Missionaries followed merchants and converted
many Africans and Southeast Asians to Islam
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3, Sec. 3 2. What is
Islam
today?
2.1a. How
is Islam
growing
today?
The spread of Islam is still going on today.
Islam is second largest religion after Christianity
More than 1 billion people are Muslims (1/5th of
global pop)
Although Islam associated with Arab peoples,
fewer than 20% are Arab
Indonesia has largest population, followed by
Pakistan, Bangladesh, India
Several million in U.S.
Cornell Notes
Ch. 3, Sec. 3 2b. What are
the divisions
in Islam?
Two main groups
Sunnis
– Majority Islamic sect, making up about 85% of Muslims
Shiites
– Form the largest minority of Islamic sect
Some religious differences separate the two groups,
but the origin of the split are political
– Sunnis believed that a caliph should be chosen by
leaders of the Muslim community
– They viewed caliph as leader, not religious authority
– Shiites believed that only Muhammad’s relatives should
become caliph because his they were inspired by God
Despite division, Muslims around the world are united
in basic beliefs
– Worship one God, revere the word of God as revealed
to Muhammad in Qur’an, Five Pillars as guidelines for
proper life