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The Beginning
• Muhammad
– Born in Mecca in 570 AD
– Often meditated in the hills near the city
– One day, the angel Gabriel came to him and
spoke, giving him teachings
– The Koran: the words the angel Gabriel
spoke to Muhammad, the holy book of Islam
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The Beginning
• Muhammad was forced to
leave in 622 AD for his
teachings
• Went to Yathrib (Medina today)
• Hejira: Muhammad’s migration
from Mecca to Medina, marked
the beginning of the expansion of
Islam
• Gathered an army in Medina
• He returned to Mecca in 630
and took over the city
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Teachings of Islam
• The Five Pillars of Islam
1. Proclaim belief in one God, Allah, and his
prophet Muhammad
2. Pray 5 times a day, facing Mecca
3. Charity to the poor and elderly
4. Fast during the month of Ramadan (holy
month)
5. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in life
6. Teachings of Islam
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• The 6th pillar?
– Jihad: has at least two meanings
1. An inner battle to achieve peace
2. An outer battle to defend Islam
7. Teachings of Islam
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• The Koran and its teachings
– The book must be handled carefully
– People of the Book: Jews and Christians
• Muslims are required to treat them with tolerance
• Share all the Jewish prophets
• Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, but not the
messiah
– Muhammad is the last prophet, and all that he said was
fully correct
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Teachings of Islam
• The Koran and its teachings
– Muslims must live lawful, moral lives
– Everyone is equal
• Islam borrows much from Judaism and
Christianity, while adding its own elements
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History of Islam
• Caliph: leader of Islam
– Politics and religion are one in Islam
• Sunnis and Shiites
– These two sects stem from a disagreement
about the caliph
• Who should become caliph after Muhammad?
10. History of Islam
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• Sunnis and Shiites
– Shiites: Believed Muhammad’s son-in-law,
Ali, was the successor
• Only descendents of Ali could be caliph
– Sunnis: Believe any true Muslim can be caliph
11. History of Islam
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• Early Islamic dynasties sent armies
throughout the Middle East, converting
along the way
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• Umayyad
Dynasty
– A period of
cultural
discrimination
– Capital was
Damascus, Syria
– Arab culture
flourished
• Religion and arts
encouraged
History of Islam
13. History of Islam
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• Abbassid
Dynasty
– Religious and
cultural
tolerance
– Capital at
Baghdad
– peace
14. History of Islam
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• Throughout history, a respect for learning
allowed Islamic civilization to grow and
prosper
– Islam was the major rival to Western
Civilization by the time of imperialism
16. History of Islam
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• Foreign Invaders
– The borders of the Muslim empire were
always changing
– Starting in the year 1000, waves of foreign
invaders flooded the Middle East, but were
never able to fully take over the civilization
• Strong Muslim armies
• Most invaders were either already Muslim, or
converted to Islam
17. History of Islam
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• Seljuks
– Turkish Muslims
– Lived in the Iranian Plateau
– Captured Baghdad and weakened the current
Byzantine empire
18. History of Islam
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• Mongols
– Came from Central Asia
– Took Baghdad from the Seljuks and destroyed
it in 1258 AD
– Continued to raid the Muslim civilization for
100 years
– Many eventually converted to Islam and
blended into Middle Eastern culture
19. History of Islam
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• The Crusades
– Crusade: holy war
– Christian Pope called a crusade against
Muslims in 1095 AD
– The goal was to capture Palestine, “the holy
land”
– There were 6 crusades
– Some were successful, others failed
– Had only a limited effect on the Middle East
21. History of Islam
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• Ottoman Empire
– Turkish speaking
Muslims
– Sunnis
– Captured
Constantinople in
1453 to end the
Byzantine
Empire; renamed
the city Istanbul
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History of Islam
• Ottoman Empire
– Government
• Flexible
• Sultan: Ottoman
leader with
absolute power
• Millets: non-Muslim
communities
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• Safavid Empire
– In present day Iran
– Shiites
– Rivals to the Ottomans
– Islamic Republic of Iran today is mostly Shiite
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Review
• Beginning of Islam: Muhammad
• Teachings of the Koran
– 5 Pillars of Islam: a 6th pillar?
• History and Spread of Islam
– Umayyad and Abbassid Dynasties
– Seljuks, Mongols, Crusades
– Ottoman and Safavid Empires
• Vocabulary: Koran, hejira, hajj, jihad,
People of the Book, caliph, Sunni, Shiite,
crusade, sultan, millets
