Beginnings of Islam• Muhammad: prophet for Islamic/Muslim

faith; believed to given messages by god• Arabian Peninsula: landmass to

northeast of Africa; mostly desert• Bedouins and other nomads made this

home• Travelled deserts in caravans trading

goods

Beginnings of Islam• Oasis: place in desert with natural source

of water; often became trading posts and later cities (plural: oases)

• Muslim: “a person who submits”; a person who follows Muhammad’s teachings

• Mecca: city founded on an oasis; became trading post; holiest site in Islam

• 570, Muhammad was born in Mecca• Muhammad worked in a caravan and

travelled the region

Beginnings of Islam

• Kaaba: Ancient shrine in Mecca where people worshiped

• At 40 years old he said an angel spoke to him in a cave

• Angel told him to obey one true God• He preached that all people were brothers

and sisters in God’s community

Beginnings of Islam• Muezzin: man who

calls faithful to prayer

• Allah: Arabic word for God

• Mosque: Muslim house of worship

• Minaret: tower/spire from which Muezzin calls faithful to prayer

• Pilgrimage: religious journey

• Muhammad’s message came to be known as Islam and spread through the region

• Basic teachings based on 5 ideas (5 Pillars):

1.Declaring faith 2.Prayer3.Almsgiving (helping

poor)4.Fasting5.Pilgrimage (Hajj)

Beginnings of Islam

• Quran: Islamic holy book; written in Arabic• Quran follows many traditions from Judaism and Christianity but adds to it

• Hajj: 5th Pillar, a pilgrimage to the Kaaba, in Mecca is required only for those who can travel

Beginnings of Islam

• Muhammad is considered to be the latest in a long line of religious prophets

• Women and men were treated as spiritually equal in the eyes of Islam

Beginnings of Islam• Schism in Islamic world:

Muslims split into two groups: Shiites and Sunnis

• Sunnis represent 85% of Muslims and believe any religious man can lead them

• Shiites make up 15% of group and believe leaders must be direct descendants of Muhammad

Beginnings of Islam• Islam represents part of a

monotheistic “family” of religions:• Judaism• Christianity• Islam