Unit 3: The Arab World Arabs, Muslims, and Ottomans.

Unit 3: The Arab WorldArabs, Muslims, and Ottomans

THE ARAB WORLDLesson 1

The Arabian PeninsulaHas worlds driest desert areas

◦Some areas haven't had rain in over 10 years

There are steppes- dry plains where some grasses and plants can grow

There are oasisNamed for the people who have

lived there for more than 3,000 years

“Arab” describes people from the Arabian Peninsula or people who can trace their ancestors from this area

Early Arab Civilization: Sabaean

Sabaean Civilization◦Herded sheep and goats◦Traded with the Egyptians

Early Arab Civilization: NabataeaNabataea Civilization◦Established around

300 B.C.◦Capital was Petra

Trade◦Controlled trade

routes between Asia and the Mediterranean Sea

◦Became very wealthy from trade

Early Arab Civilization: Nabataea

Water◦Used aqueducts to get

water◦Stored water in

underground areas called cisterns

Transportation◦Road camels

Can carry heavy loads Can be used for milk Traders used them in

caravans

The BedouinsName means “people of the desert”Traveled in caravans with their

familiesAlso made their living by tradingThere are many Bedouins around

today

The Life of MuhammadBorn: 570 A.D.Orphaned and raised by his uncleBecame a caravan leaderStarted working for a wealthy

woman, who he later married

Islam BeginningsAt the age of 40 he was praying when

the angel Gabriel appeared to himHe traveled to Mecca (Makkah) to

convince the people to stop worshiping many gods

Over the next 3 years he preached to the people to believe in one god, Allah◦They called themselves Muslims

He started to anger Mecca’s leaders who saw him as a threat

Muhammad and his followers were forced to flee the city◦They settled in Medina (Madinah)

Islam BeginningsHis followers grew and eventually

battles broke out between Medina and Mecca◦ Eventually Muhammad and his

followers concurred Mecca◦ Muhammad declared that Mecca was

a holy cityHe soon returned to live out the

rest of his life in Medina◦ He made one last pilgrimage to

Mecca before he diedAfter Muhammad’s death his

teachings were written down◦ Became the Quran

Muslim holy book Still the most important book in Islam

today

ISLAM

Basics of Islam Holy Book: Koran  Place of worship: Mosque 

◦ Holiest Mosque is the Ka’aba Believe in one God- Allah Believe in heaven and hell Muslims do not have priests

◦ They do have a man who leads prayer and takes care of the Mosque- Imam

Holy Cities: Mecca and Jerusalem Most important time: The month of Ramadan is the most

important holiday for all Muslims; it is a time of sacrifice in an attempt to connect with Allah (God). They do not eat during the day.

When is the most important service at the Mosque held: All Muslims go to the mosque on Friday. Is a special day for prayer.

What do Muslim's believe? Muslims have six major beliefs.

◦ Belief in one God (Allah).◦ Belief in the Angels.◦ Belief in the holy books sent to all the prophets including Torah

that was revealed to the prophet Moses, Bible that was revealed to the prophet Jesus, and Qur'an (Koran) that was revealed to the prophet Muhammad.

◦ Belief in all the prophets sent by God including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Although Muslims believe in Isa or Jesus they don't think of Jesus as the Son of God the way Christians do.

◦ Belief in the Day of Judgment and life after death. The best reward for performing good deeds is getting closer to God.

◦ Belief in divine decree. This means that God is all-powerful and nothing can happen without His permission, however, he has given human beings freedom to choose whether to be good or bad. In the end, everyone will be questioned about how they lived in this life. 

What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

These are guides for daily life for putting the beliefs of Muslims into practice. (Similar to The 10 Commandments)◦ 1.  Shahadah– (Faith) is a statement of belief in monotheism and

accepting Muhammad as God's messenger.◦ 2. Salah— (Prayer) the requirement to pray 5 times a day at

dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night.◦ 3. Zakat– (Alms) is the practice of giving to charity; about 3

percent of your individual wealth.◦ 4. Sawm– (Fasting) Muslims must abstain from food and drink

from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan◦ 5. Hajj– (Pilgrimage) expectation to make a pilgrimage to Mecca

at least once in their lifetime if they can afford it.

Islam TodayIslam, is the second most popular

religion in the world with over a billion followers. ◦5 thousand followers in the U.S.