The History of Islam

1) Muhammad- Muhammad was a caravan trader until age forty when he had a great religious experience. He believed that he had seen the angel Gabriel and had been commanded to teach the word of Allah. After meeting persecution at Mecca, he gained many followers in Yathrib. Eventually, he and his followers invaded Mecca and destroyed the pagan idols in the temple in Mecca called Ka'bah. This became the holiest shrine and led to the conversion of many Arabian tribes.

2) Qur’an- The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam. It contains parts of the Christian Bible and the Jewish Torah. The Qur’an was originally written in Arabic and is still memorized today in Arabic. The Qur’an is believed to be a sacred guide for all human kind and contains the Five Pillars of Islam which Muslims must do throughout their lifetime.

3) Five Pillars of Islam- The Five Pillars of Islam are five important actions that all Muslims must complete during their life. Muslims must recite the profession of faith, pray five times a day facing Mecca, give alms, fast during the month of Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Five Pillars of Islam are the base for the whole religion of Islam. The pilgrimage to Mecca is the only one that is not required; if a person is not able to go at all, they are not required to.

4) How did some Muslim civilizations tolerate other religions? (Make sure you talk about millets)- Muslim civilizations allowed Christians, Jews, and other people groups to either accept Islam or pay an annual tribute. This allowed the Christians and Jews to keep their own faith but still live in the Muslim Community. This idea is known as the Millet System. The Jews and Christians were allowed to live in the Muslim Community but still had to pay taxes. T...

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...m that was waved when the harvest was poor. He was tolerant of many religions and lifted the tax on non-Muslims, but later he declared himself to be a god.

14) Aurangzeb – Aurangzeb began his rule after killing his older brother and imprisoning his father. As a devout Sunni Muslim, he heavily persecuted all the other faiths. He destroyed temples, put a heavy tax on the Hindus, and killed those who disagreed with his actions. He stopped government spending and lived a simple life, but many revolts grew up from his persecution. When he died in 1707, he wondered if he had done the right thing throughout his life.

Works Cited

Carey, Andrea. "Millet System of the Ottoman Empire." Washington Courses. University of Washington, 3 Sept. 2008. Web. 5 May 2014.

Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. World History: People & Nations. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2000. Print.