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HISTORY OF ISLAMIslam is a monotheistic religion of 1.5 billion peopleIslam was founded by the ‘prophet’ Muhammad in the 600sEARLY LIFE OF MUHAMMADMuhammad, THE FOUNDER OF ISLAM, was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 570 A.D.He was born to a prominent Arab family or clan(That family’s descendents rule both Saudi Arabia and Jordan today)Muhammad was orphaned at age 5 and raised by Arab BedouinsAs a boy he learned to be a ‘camel driver’Later, he became a caravan leader, then a merchantOn one of the caravans Muhammad was leading, he met a wealthy woman 20 yrs. older than heFollowing his marriage to her, he took up residence in his home town of MeccaThey eventually had a daughter named Fatima (more on her later) This wife was very supportive of Mohammad and encouraged him in his Islamic missionMUHAMMAD’S VISIONS AND THE BEGINNING OF ISLAMDuring this time in history most Arabs were polytheistic Muhammad, however, believed in one god Muhammad claimed to have had a vision from the Angel Gabriel who told him to preach to the Arabs He was to tell them that there was only 1 god and that their idols must be destroyedSometime later he received in other ‘visions’ the writings found in the Quran, the Muslim Holy BookAt this time there were many Jews living in Mecca, Muhammad’s home town and place of birthJews were leaders in the community and were the leading merchants of the areaMuhammad preached to Jews as well as Arabs with the intention of converting them to IslamTry as he might, Muhammad had little success with his preaching in MeccaNo Jews converted and only a few ArabsEventually, the leading Arabs in Mecca were upset that Muhammad wanted to destroy their idols, so they basically ran him out of town Muhammad then went to Medina, another town where lots of Jews lived, to spread IslamTo convert Jews he decided to slant Islam to be a bit like Judaism His teachings on morality and how to treat other people were similar to Jewish teachingsHe taught that pork was not to be eaten, another Jewish beliefHe even had his followers turn toward Jerusalem when they prayedAs was the case in Mecca, Jews in Medina would not convert nor did very many Arabs(From this point on, Muhammad had a deep dislike for Jewish peopleIn the Quran he included some very harsh words about Jews)Preaching had not worked, so Muhammad had another ‘vision’ in which he was told to use the swordThis vision basically gave him permission to force people into Islam—by using war and violenceMuhammad then armed his relatively small band of followers and returned to MeccaIn Mecca the Jewish leaders were assassinated* and the city was captured(*This was the first violent, ANTI-SEMITIC act by Muslim Arabs against the Jews)After Mecca fell to Muhammad’s army, he forced the citizens to convert to Islam Now Muhammad was ready to spread Islam over a much larger areaHe quickly gained new recruits for his religious armyJIHAD, holy war to promote Islam, was an easy sell to these new Arab MuslimsThey were told that to die in service of ALLAH (their god) meant they would go to heavenHeaven, Jihadists were told, meant wine, women, and songSince death brought rewards, Mohammad was able to assemble a large followingMuhammad was incredibly successful in accomplishing his goalsBy the year 700, all of the Middle East, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria and the Sahara area of Africa had all converted to IslamMUHAMMAD’S DEATHMuhammad, like the rest of us, eventually got old and died Islam needed a new leader, but there was conflict over who that leader would beFatima, Muhammad’s daughter, had a son name AliAli argued that he should become leader since he was related to MuhammadBut many Muslims were not in favor of making Ali their leaderAs a result of this disagreement, Islam split into 2 separate groups, the Shi’ites (Shia) and the SunniAli assumed leadership of the ShiaThe Sunni named their own leadersISLAM AFTER MUHAMMADIslam continued to spread across portions of central and southern Asia and northern and eastern Africa. Check the map below to see which countries are predominantly Muslim today. During the Middle Ages the advance of civilization came to a halt in Europe, but Arab Muslims kept their civilization alive, continuing to produce literature, poetry, and art. In fact Arab Muslims became leaders in Astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. The Arab introduction of Arabic numerals was one of the great developments of that era and did wonders for the advancement of math everywhere. Their skill in wound care and other medical practices were key in advancing the practice of medicine to the professional level. ISLAM TODAYToday, Shia Muslims account for about 1/3 of Islam. Iran is mostly Shia.Sunni Muslims account for 2/3 of Islam. Saudi Arabia is Sunni.Shiites (Shia) interpret the Quran more literally than the Sunni Muslims. Strict Shia believe exactly as their ‘holy book’ says with no deviation.That means that passages that speak of violence are more likely to be obeyed literally.Sunni Muslims have tempered some of the writings in the Quran. They are more moderate than Shia. Violence, however, has erupted many times between these 2 groups. Sunni Muslims, like the Shia, have been involved in terrorism on many occasions.While governments of Middle East countries are somewhat political in nature, religion shapes ALL aspects of life including the legal systems and governmental decisions. Saudi Arabia is an extreme example of the merger of Islam with government. There, religious police enforce Islamic practices such as the required prayers that Muslims offer each day. But Iran is even more extreme than Saudi Arabia; currently the Ayatollah Khamenei, the most powerful Muslim clergyman, has the authority to overrule even Iran’s elected president. (Pictures of Iranian leaders are included in the Power Point.) Nowhere in the modern world does religion play a greater role in the lives of people than Islam in the Middle East. (However, the citizens in Turkey are not dominated by harsh Islamic law—conservative Muslims regard Turkey as a ‘secular’ state.) Islamic law is known as Sharia or Sharia Law. Sharia law, according to the belief of most Muslims, is god’s supreme, divine law given so that Muslims might live their lives in accordance with god’s will. While Sharia has many facets like English or Roman law, the one that comes to mind first is the requirement that Muslim women dress modestly. The pictures in the Power Point attachment demonstrate typical Muslim dress. Women are also forbidden from working outside the home except as teachers and nurses. Sharia differs from the law practiced in countries where there is a minority Islamic population. These differences have caused problems both for Muslims and for the civil governmental authorities. Problems have arisen even in the United States in recent years when Muslims obeyed Islamic Sharia Law rather than our Constitutional Law. QUESTIONS ARE ON THE NEXT PAGEQUESTIONS:1. According to his own testimony, what motivated Muhammad to preach a monotheistic message to residents of Mecca and ultimately to form a new religion?2. According to his own testimony, from where did his inspiration come to write the Quran?3. Name 2 Jewish teachings that Muhammad incorporated into Islam in an unsuccessful attempt to convert Jews to his new religion.4. When preaching failed to win converts, what advice did he receive in a ‘vision’?5. Why were so many Arabs eager to join Muhammad’s jihad Muslim army?6. What explains the extremely rapid growth of Islam over its first 100 years of existence?7. Although during the Middle Ages (Dark Ages) academic, scientific, technological advancement had basically come to a halt in Europe, Arab Muslims were able to further develop their civilization. In what 2 important areas did Arab Muslims made great contributions? 8. Based on what you have just read, why do you think that Muslims still view Jews with animosity even now in 2020? Make sure that you are familiar with these terms:MonotheismPolytheismAnti-SemiticJihadSharia ................
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