Chapter 11 “Islamic Civilization” A.D. 600-1300

Ever since September 11, 2001, you have heard many terms related to the Islamic religion. Identify the following: Muslim Hajj Ramadan Allah Jihad Taliban Quran (Koran) Shari’ah

Section 1: A New Faith

I. Arab Life A. The Setting 1. Arabian Peninsula 2. 1 million square miles between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf B. Lives of the Bedouin 1. Nomads who herded sheep, camels, and goats 2. Lived in tribes 3. Sheikh a. Chief of each tribe C. Growth of Towns 1. By the 500’s A.D., many tribes had settled in valleys to pursue farming or trading D. Signs of Change 1. Through contact with foreign people, religious ideas changed. Tribes became less strong II. Muhammad and His Message A. Life of Muhammad 1. Born around 570 2. Married a wealthy widow at the age of 25 3. Became dissatisfied with the wealthy citizens, worship of idols, and mistreatment of the poor 4. Spent time alone praying and fasting in a cave outside the city B. Revelation—610 A.D. 1. A vision 2. A voice calling him to be the apostle of the one true god, Allah 3. Second Revelation a. “Rise and warn” the people about divine judgment 4. Muslims—followers of Islam C. Opposition to Islam 1. Wealthy opposed Muhammad’s teachings 2. He sent 60 families to a town north of Makkah in 622 A.D. 3. Marks the beginning of the Islamic era and is recognized as the first year of the Muslim calendar III. The Islamic Community A. Origin of the Islamic State 1. Muhammad taught to place loyalty to the Islamic community above all tribal ties 2. He was judge and commander in chief B. Acceptance of Islam 1. Eventually the Makkans invaded Yathrib, forcing the Muslims to retaliate 2. Muslims were victorious, and reentered Makkah in 630 A.D. 3. Islam replaced old religions, and Makkah became capital 4. Muhammad died in 632 A.D. a. Formed a religious community based on carefully preserved sacred writings b. Example of his life as a guide for Muslims to follow IV. Beliefs and Practices of Islam A. The Quran (recital) 1. Holy scriptures of Islam 2. Muhammad’s successor ordered Muslims to retrieve and write down all messages of Islam 3. Believed to contain God’s message as revealed to Muhammad 4. Some are variations of Biblical stories B. Values 1. Honor their parents, show kindness to their neighbors, protect orphans and widows, and give generously to the poor 2. No murder, stealing, lying, adultery 3. Forbids gambling, eating pork, or drinking alcoholic beverages C. Law 1. Shari’ah—body of law 2. Contains both public and private law V. Five Pillars of Islam A. Faith 1. “There is no god but God (Allah), Muhammad is the messenger of God” 2. Allah is same God as Jews and Christians 3. Muslims respect the Bible, Judaism, and Christianity B. Prayer 1. Five times a day (sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening) 2. Facing Makkah (kneeling, bowing, and touching one’s forehead to the ground) 3. At noon on Fridays, many Muslims pray together in a mosque C. Alms 1. Charity 2. Privately through contributions and publicly through a state tax that supports schools and aids the poor D. Fasting 1. Ramadan a. Ninth month in the Islamic calendar b. From sunrise to sunset, Muslims neither eat nor drink, although they work as usual c. Children, pregnant women, travelers, and the sick are exempt E. Pilgrimage 1. Hajj a. Annual pilgrimage to Makkah b. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the trip is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime c. Two months and ten days after Ramadan Questions on Ramadan article: 1. How many Muslims live in South Dakota? 2. When does Ramadan begin? 3. Besides fasting, what else do Muslims give up during Ramadan? 4. What do Muslims break their fast with in the evening? 5. Who is expected to participate in Ramadan? 6. Who is exempt from it? 7. What do Muslims believe that Christians also believe? 8. How many Muslims live in the United States? 9. How many Muslims are there worldwide? Section 3: Daily Life and Culture I. Family Life A.Role of Women 1. According to the Quran, “men are responsible for women” 2. A woman’s role is defined by her relationship to male members of her family 3. Limited Polygamy a. Practice that allows a man to have more than one wife b. Men can have four; must be treated as equals and with kindness 4. Women could own property 5. Women gained education and ruled in the government Questions for reading, “Iranian Women and Sports” 1. How many Iranian women participate in some form of sport? 2. What do women have to wear in order to water ski? 3. Why do some clerics and others rule that sports for women are barred by the Koran? 4. What do Iranian women have to wear when running the annual “Olympic Run”? 5. Look at the cartoon on page 26. Do you think Iran granting women the right to participate in sports would start a revolution? Explain your answer.

B.Role of Men 1. At age seven, boys entered mosque schools 2. Taught to speak Arabic and write with grace and ease 3. The wealthy received more education II.City and Country A.The cities of the Islamic state are tightly packed B.Urban Centers 1. “Magic carpets” C.Trade and the Bazaar 1. Marketplaces 2. Major cities developed as trade centers a. Baghdad, Iraq, Damascus, Syria; and Cairo, Egypt III. Islamic Achievements A.Astronomy and Geography 1. Astrolabe a. A Greek device which helped determine the position of the stars 2. Muslim geographers measured the size and circumference of the earth with accuracy unmatched until the 1900’s 3. Understood the shapes of continents, climates, and foreign peoples B.Chemistry and Medicine 1. Islamic doctors founded the science of optics a. Study of light and its effect on sight b. See page 286 C.Art and Architecture 1. Calligraphy 2. Arabesque a. Beautiful script combined with geometric shapes D.Literature 1. A Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights) a. Contains the stories of “Aladdin and His Lamp” and “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”