Islam: Empire of Faith

What happened when the Muslims took Mecca?

Everyone expected to be killed/sold into slavery - Muhammad didn't do this, and kind of embraced the Meccans - Muhammad rid the Ka'aba of pagan gods

What aspects of social justice can be found in this message?

Everyone was equal - no divisions between tribes/classes - wealth was meant to be shared with everyone - one God, one people

Give an example of a scholarly first that occurred in Baghdad

First international scientific conquest - math concepts from Hindus (Arabic numerals aka 1 2 3 4...) - embraced the ancient teachings and translated them from Greek - the scientific process established here - Renaissance started here

What is the Qur'an?

The teachings of Muhammad written down

How was religion related to government in Islamic society?

The two were closely tied and pretty much the same thing

What were Islam's greatest strengths?

The unifying power of one God - didn't have a very strict rule - kind of let people continue to do their thing - managed to rule without the people they conquered really feeling their presence

What was Muhammad's message?

There is only one God.

Why was the Muslims so intent on building something?

They started out with nothing - wanted to let everyone know they are here and they are a people - wanted to compete with the other nations of the time

What does 'Muslim' literally mean?

'those who surrender to God' or 'one who submits'

Briefly describe the five Pillars of Islam

1) there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God 2) ritual prayer performed five times a day 3) almsgiving, helping the poor and needy 4) a month of fasting during Ramadan - abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations 5) pilgrimage to Mecca

In which year did Muhammad die?

632 CE

What are the Pillars of Islam?

A set of five requirements for believers of Islam

What was religion like when Muhammad was young?

Allah was the supreme God of the Arab pantheon, though people worshiped many other gods/goddesses - Jews, Christians, and some Zoroastrians lived among the Arabs - generally speaking, it was a pretty pagan society

What language is the Qur'an in?

Arabic

What is the 'jihad of the sword'?

Authorized by the Qur'an - the armed struggle against the forces of unbelief and evil as a means of establishing Muslim rule and of defending the umma from threats of infidel aggressors

What was Muhammad's profession?

He was a merchant

What was the childhood of Muhammad like?

His parents died when he was 6. He went to live in a Bedouin tribe with his uncle. He was isolated because he was an orphan, but adapted well to new situations.

How was the spread of Islam a 'conquest of ideas'?

Ideas from other civilizations were meshed with those of the Islamic culture - didn't come to new places and force them to be Islamic and only Islamic - Islamic traditions were practiced alongside other cultural traditions (Church of Saint John the Baptist in Damascus - Muslim prayer on Fridays, Christian Church on Sundays)

What about Islam was a threat to people who did not believe?

Islam's universal message threatened the social order, economic sysem, and cultural traditions of Arabia at the time - nonbelievers did not like the idea of life after death or eternal damnation (but I honestly don't think anyone would be to keen on being damned for eternity)

What was the Hijra in 622 CE and what year is it on the Islamic calendar?

It was the journey of Muhammad and his followers out of Mecca and to Medina - it is year one on the Islamic calendar

Who was Muhammad's wife?

Khadija, a wealthy widowed merchant

What was the 'Holy City'?

Mecca

What was Medina and why was it important?

Medina was where Muhammad and his followers traveled to from Mecca - they were free to practice their religion without persecution - Islam began to spread, but other faiths were not challenged - the first call to prayer held here - first mosque built here - Muhammad received a vision that people should pray to the Ka'aba in Mecca rather than towards Jerusalem

What occurred after the death of Muhammad?

Much mourning and many ceremonies among the people - debate over who would be the next leader - Shiite and Sunni groups formed - "Muhammad is dead, God is not"

How did war break out between the Muslims and Meccans?

Muhammad tried to bring Islam to Mecca peacefully, but did not succeed - Meccans attacked Muslims in Medina - despite being heavily outnumbered, Muslims held out against the Meccans and soon other people joined the Muslims

Who were the Bedouins?

Nomadic Arabs who herded sheep and camels in seasoned migrations - lived in fiercely independent clans and tribes

What was Muhammad interested in?

Religious questions - this was kind of unusual for someone like him

What is the 'sixth pillar'?

The 'greater jihad' or struggle against greed and selfishness - aiming towards living a God-conscious life

What was the dominant tribe in Mecca?

The Quraysh

What vision from God did Muhammad see?

The angel Gabriel came to Muhammad and instructed him to 'recite in front of God' - a voice spoke through him and he suddenly knew what to say

What made Baghdad a center of learning?

The best minds (thinkers, philosophers, artists) came to Baghdad - people would bring new inventions and discoveries to Bagdad during the yearly pilgrimage there

What is the umma?

The community of Muslims held together by faith

What is the pilgrimage to Mecca called?

The hajj

What was the Ka'aba?

The most prominent shrine in Arabia, which housed representations of about 360 deities and was the destination for many pilgrims - held a black stone inside

Who were the Shiites?

The people who believed that the leader choses their successor

Who were the Sunnis?

The people who believed that the leader's successor should be chosen from amongst the people

What was the Bedouin response to the fall of Mecca?

They were shocked that Muhammad would destroy the pagan idols - thought this showed disrespect for their ancestors/culture and a rejection of the tribal system

What was Arabia like in the 6th century CE?

Warring tribes - oral culture (oral poetry highly valued) - warfare and conflict were rampant - water was scarce and very precious - people felt allegiance to their family first, then their tribe - it was a center of trade

Give one architectural achievement and describe it

Water purification system - used gravity to separate fresh water from sediments - two giant basins outside of city walls - clean fresh water would flow into larger basin - then distributed by pipes to the city

Why are there no images in Islam?

We are not supposed to have a physical image of God - the only representation of God is God's word - images would not do God justice - people didn't want people to pray to images because they didn't want images to replace God

What was Medina originally called?

Yathrib