Historical Background

of Islam
Islam began with the Arabian desert
people around early seventh century C.E.
These people had developed their own set
of beliefs prior to the establishment of
Islam and had been influences by other
religions for a long period of time,
including Byzantine Christianity,
Judaism, and Zoroastrianism
•The symbols
which represent
the Islamic
religion are the
star and the
crescent.
• The crescent moon closely linked to the
lunar calendar that orders the religious
life of the Muslims (Bowker 1997)
•The religion of Arabia reflected tribal beliefs
in gods and goddesses who were the
protectors of individual tribes
•These deities were associated with sacred
objects such as trees, stones, springs, and
wells.
•The city of Mecca was then a significant
sacred site since this is where the Kaaba is
found.
•The Kaaba is a shrine that housed the idols
of tribal deities.
•The Arabs also believed in a supreme deity,
but the supreme God was not worshipped.
•There are also a number of Jewish and
Christian communities living in the Arabian
Peninsula, and they often interacted with the
Arab tribes and cities through trade.
•Muhammad is recognized as the founder
of Islam and the Prophet of Allah.
•He was born in 570 CE into the Quraysh
tribe in Mecca. His parents died when
he was young and he was raised by his
uncle who was an LESSON influential
tribal leader.
•Growing up, members of his tribe
considered Muhammad to be a generous,
honest, truthful and sincere man.
•As a young boy, he helped his uncle take
care of the herds of sheep and camels.
When he came of age, he joined his uncle
as he traded at various places in the
Arabian Peninsula.
•He became renowned for his honest
transactions with his business partners.
He carried out his business deals with
outmost care and dignity, always
keeping his word. Affluent traders
trusted his merchandizing skills and
entrusted him with large amount of
money.
•In his twenty, he met Khadijah,
a rich widow who managing
the business left by her
husband. He was first hired as a
caravan manager. He served
with devotion and honesty
•Later, they fell in love with each
other and married. During the
course of their marriage, he did not
have to work very hard; so he had
time to think about the religious
aspects of humanity’s existence.
•He spent much time in deep,
serious meditation. He
painstakingly studied both
Judaism and Christianity,
however, he was not satisfied
with either of them
•He spent time praying and meditating
in the cave of Mt. Hira. In those
special hours, he had visions of
heaven and God. A number of times,
the angel Gabriel appeared and
revealed to him the faith which he
later imparted to his followers.
•He was commanded to
preach the revelations that to
worship the one supreme
God, Allah, and there are no
other gods aside from Allah.
•The term ‘Islam” originated from
Arabic word meaning “submit”. In
other words, Islam means to “surrender
or submit oneself for obedience to God
or to “enter into a condition of peace
and security with God through
allegiance and surrender to him.”
•On the other hand, the word “Muslim”
is the Arabic word for a person who
submits.
•Therefore, a Muslim is a “person who
surrenders or submits himself to obey
God”. In Arabic word, “Allah” means
“the one who is God.”
•On the other hand, the word “Muslim”
is the Arabic word for a person who
submits.
•Therefore, a Muslim is a “person who
surrenders or submits himself to obey
God”.
•In Arabic word, “Allah” means “the one
who is God.”
•The family, relatives, and friends of
Muhammad were his first followers.
•During the initial years of
Muhammad’s preaching and as he
gathered the first community of
Muslims, he faced opposition and
persecution form some members of his
family and from other tribes in Mecca.
•In 622 CE, Muhammad and his
followers migrated from Mecca to
the city of Yathrib or Medina.
•This journey was called the
Hegira and was considered by
Muslims to be the official
beginning of the Islamic calendar.
•Muhammad stayed in Medina for
several years and preached among the
tribes in the city.
•He was able to unite the divided tribes
of Medina who converted to Islam
along with other nearby communities.
•The communities of Medina soon
clashed with the pagan tribes of Mecca.
•Muslims, led by Muhammad won
several victories.
•In 630 CE, he led thousands of
followers into Mecca and took the
city .
•Upon entering the city, he
rededicated the Kaaba to Allah and
removed the idols from the shrine.
•Upon entering the city, he
rededicated the Kaaba to Allah
and removed the idols from the
shrine.
•At his death, he had managed to
unite the whole Arabian peninsula
as one Islamic community.
The Spread of Islam
•After Muhammad death, the leadership of
the Islamic community was passed on the
rightly guided caliphs, who were the first
four successors of the prophet.
•Their rule was considered a period of
growth, expansion, and prosperity for Islam.
The Spread of Islam
•Abu Bakr
– He was the first caliph. During
his time, the Quran were put into
writing. (before, Quran was
passed on by word of mouth.)
The Spread of Islam
•Umar – second caliph – He
expand Islam outside of the
Arabian peninsula, and
controlled territories in the
Levant and West Asia.
The Spread of Islam

•Uthman – third caliph. He

expanded Islam influence
into Libya, Armenia,
Cyprus, and Afghanistan.
•There have been
struggle for leadership
between two
prominent Islamic
leaders:
•Ali ibn Abi Talib – Muhammad’s
cousin, first male converted to
Islam who became the leader of
Shia Islam.
•Muawiyyah – Uthman’s cousin,
member of influencial Umayyad
family, the leader of Sunni Islam.