History Final (Islam and the Caliphate) Flashcards
what did the prophet Muhammad do?
he created a very influential new version of monotheism inspired both from Judaism and Christianity
How did Muhammad spread the new monotheism?
spread it by conquering, along with his successors, a large empire: the “Caliphate”.
who was Muhammad? and where was he located?
Muhammad was a successful merchant from the city of Makkah. This was a merchant city in central Arabia.
What started happening to Muhammad?
Muhammad started having mystical experiences in which he felt God was communicating deep knowledge to him: eventually these messages would be written down and collected into the Koran.
what happened to Muhammad in 622?
Muhammad was chased away from Makkah by the people of the city, because they felt threatened by his religious revelations:
what were Muhammad’s religious revelations?
- “Five Pillars of Islam”
- Monotheism “there is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet.”
- Prayer 5 times a day
- fasting on the month of Ramadan
- pilgrimage to Makkah
- giving to the poor
Muhammad had to run away - This is called the _____
“Hejira”
what did Muhammad return with? and what was he able to do before his death?
Able to return to Makkah with an army of followers and unite most of Arabia by his death in 632 CE.
what were the Caliphs able to do?
the Caliphs were able, within a century, to expand the Islamic empire to include: Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa, Spain.
Explain this new empire
Islam spread far and wide, along with the Arabic language and like the Romans.
what did the Arabs adopt
the Arabs also adopted a more ancient and sophisticated high culture: That of Persia.
