Islam pt2

• Five pillars of Islam:

  • Belief in one God, Allah, and reciting a quote stating Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
  • Prayer: Muslims pray 5 times a day
  • Alms giving: Muslims give money to help the poor
  • Ramadan: fasting during daylight hours for one month
  • Hajj (pilgrimage): traveling to Mecca if possible
• Definitions:

  • Islam means "submission"
  • Muslim refers to those who submit to God
• Mecca:

  • The city where Archangel Gabriel began telling about the One True God (Allah)
  • Considered sacred and home to Ka'ba
  • Birthplace of Muhammad
• Medina:

  • The city where Prophet Muhammad set up the first Islamic community
• Life of Muhammad:

  • Received mystical visits from Archangel Gabriel
  • Preached and primarily converted families, poor people, and enslaved people
  • Fled Mecca due to growing concerns for his safety
  • Fled to Medina
  • Gradually won over more followers in a trade war and returned to Mecca on Hajj
  • Converted most of Western Arabia to Islam by his death
• Main ideas after Muhammad's death:

  • Armies associated with him had military success on Jewish/Christian primary locations
  • Islam grew due to the attractiveness of Islamic teachings
  • Taxation of non-Muslim communities led to conversions
  • Stability of territories under Muslim rule allowed for cultural prospering
  • Influence by Greek, Persian, Syriac texts/information
  • Advances in sciences, medicine, philosophy, math, agriculture, literature, and architecture
• Ways Islam spread:

  • Trade
  • Migration
  • Social and political influence
  • Intermarriage
  • Da'wah (invitation to engage with faith and spreading the word)
• Islamic Civilization:

  • The Sufis: Emotional/mystical unity/spirituality
  • The University: Muslim creation valued Greek learning
  • House of Wisdom translated science, math, medicine, etc from Greek/Sanskrit into Arabic
  • Developed astronomy/astrology practices
  • Rationalized Hindu number system into Arabic number system
  • Ibn Sina: Doctor, philosopher, founder of modern medicine, prevention of diseases
• How historians discover the "truth" about society:

  • Check for reliable sources
  • Use of primary sources
  • Fact-checking
  • Understanding that all sources have a perspective
• Obstacles encountered when finding the truth:

  • Not finding a source
  • Conflicting sources
  • Bias in sources
• How are the obstacles found in discovering the "truth" overcome?


  • Deep understanding
  • Multiple sources
  • Critical thinking
  • Finding pathways
  • Nuance