Islam



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- __The World Map Changes__

 * Main Idea: The World Map Changed due to the spread of major religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam and also the more extensive trading routes connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe.

__﻿Triggers For Change__

 * as the title indicates triggers for change happened along three main points. the first was the economical decline that led most people to turn towards religion where there was security. the second was the "collapse of established boundaries." This allowed people to turn their attention to new areas and land. lastly was the expanding of trade. this furthered the progress of technology such as better ships and naviagtional devices.

__﻿Continuity__

 * Main Idea: Though many things changed with the falls of the classic empires, some fundamental princplies remained in place through the help of the major religions: Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.

__﻿Impact on Daily Life: Women__

 * all the major religions had different views on women that tainted or influenced the view of women in the society and civilization. all believed that women were "spiritually equal to men" but in Buddhism they argued for women's importance, in Islam they established new rights for women, and in Christianity gave women leadership roles. women were also limited in their opportunites though because of the input of the major religions.

1st- Witnessing or ** Shahadah **
itnessing is acknowledgment that you believe in only Allah and no other god and that also Mohammad is his only messenger. To witness one must state publicly **,"** Ashadu alla ilaha illa Allah, wa ashadu anna Muhammed ar-rasool Allah". This translations becomes, //"I bear witness that there is no God other than Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammed is His messanger."// The first part basically defines who you are as a person who follows Islam. it helps you continous strive throughout life. The second part means that God truly exists and nobody can come between the relationship of an individual and God himself. The third part means that there are actual testimonies and records that God sent prophets to mankind. This directly relates to the Qu'an, the bible for Islamic religion. the Qur'an confirms the revealed scripturesthat the messenger Muhammad gave out. This builds a sense of community because everybody in the community must do it. it is mandatory. ** ﻿ **

Prayer is reguired 5 times a day in the order of: before sunrise, after the sun goes down, mid-afternoon, after sunset, and night. in the prayer one should expres gratitude and ask for mercy. while performing these prayers one must be: kneeling, forehead touching the ground and sitting. They recite specific verses from the the Qu'ran and prayer does not have to be alone. if two or more muslims pray together than one must step up in the position of Imam. whole communities can do it with women standing behind the men in rows. they can go to the Masjid which is the house of worship. ** ﻿ **
 * 2nd- Prayer or Salat ** it is the daily prayer ritual for the Islamic faith. Prayer is mandatory in the religion of Islam. there are 5 steps to prayer which are:
 * Performing wudu - ritually cleaning the body clothes and ground used for prayer.
 * Clothing - one must be covered in the manner according to his gender.
 * Facing the Ka'ba (refered to as the Qibla)
 * Intention - merely saying in your mind that you are attempting to pray and gain the benifits from it. "

Charity is also mandatory but what is sacrificed or offered is of ones choosing usually its a percentage of a Muslim's wealth and basic possessions. 2.5 % of a Muslims cash savings, a Zakat goes to those in need. it reminds the Muslims to help the less fortunate. it is the act of "giving worship and spiritual investment to God." it purfies, it heals, and also frees. The people who get the Charity are those:﻿ "- the poor, the needy,- the new Muslim converts,- the Muslim prisoners of war (to liberate them),- Muslims in debt,- employees appointed to collect Zakah,- Muslims in service of research or study or propagation of Islam,- wayfarers who are foreigners in need of help. "This act of charity is right due to the specific verse in the Qu'ran. "//the alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those [public servants] who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and ti free tge captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and for the wayfares: a duty imposed by Allah, Allah is knower, Wise." (//Qu'ran 9:60). Another source that says the act of charity is one that a muslim must do is hadith. the hadith states that," charity is a necessity for every Muslim." meaning the whole community,
 * 3rd- Charity or Zakah**

Fasting is the " abstaining completely from eating, drinking, and intimate sexual contacts from the break of dawn till sunset." after fast ends one can get some dates and a jug of water and then begin to pray and then eat a real meal called Ifiar. it can be eaten with the communitity and or family and friends. the Masjid reads 1/13th of the Qu'ran each night. usually be the end of the month the Qu'ran is finished. this is mandatory but is only done once during the month of Ramadan. People are advised not to if they are not mentally and physically strong. ** ﻿ **
 * 4th Fasting or Sawm ﻿ **

the final pillar of Islam is the Hajj or Journey to Makkah. this happens only certain times of the year. the hajj "rennacts the trials and sacifices of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hajar, and their son Isma"il." this is performed by 2,000,000 people during the twelfth nmonth of the Islamic lunar calendar. Once they reach the holy city they become ihram. they leave there journey clothes and dress simply of pilgrims. everybody looks the same. this day is really the symbol called Judgement Day. Muslims now chant "Labbayka Allahumma Labbyak." which means "Here i am at your service, O God, here I am!" this was once done by Abraham himself.
 * 5th Hajj**

6.4 Questions On Reading.
Read pages 136-143 and answer the following questions - the death of muhammad led to the expansion of Islam due to the fact that the muslims had to ban together to find new leaders to keep Islam alive. with the help of **abu bakr** and the united bedouin forces, they led to the muslim military capitalizing and expanding in Mesopotamia, north africa, and Persia through the **Ridda wars.**
 * 1) How did the death of Muhammad lead to the Expansion of Islam?

2. What were the motivations for Islamic conquest? - the motives that led to the Islamic conquest is firstly the fact that the unity symbolized in the islamic religion provided strength and a "sense of common cause." secondly, the idea of explanding provided a rich image of fiancial security and the sharing of wealth, lastly the idea of **jihads**, or holy wars made the conquest a mission or a obligation. this rapidly spread the muslim faith at the same time. -ALex: they wanted to escape the customs of the bedouins. - Terry: Islamic faith allowed release to the bedouins tribes which allowed them to release tensions and also move away from conflict.

3. How were the Umayyads able to defeat their adversaries? - the Umayyads were able to defeat their adversaries due to the fact that the two great empires, the Persia empire and the Byzantines empires were greatly weakening. The persia empire known as Sasanian empire had power solely concentrated in the emperor who was being mainuplated by the upper class and "exploited the farmers who made up most of the population." the offical religion there, Zoroastrianism didnt have a proper foundation so it was easy for the Muslim faith to come in and take over. the Byzantines empire were defeated to due to the surprising support the Muslims had from the Christians in Syria and Egypt.

Alex: the Sasanian were not prepared for battle. the uymayyads they attacked the heartland or the capital. the byzantine had weakened defenses due to conflicts with persia. there technology could not compete with the ones of the muslims naval power and they also had a bedouin feast.

4. What caused the major division in Islam? - what caused the major division in Islam was due in part to personal animositites that broke out into violence around 656. the struggle of power for the caliph. It split for into the Sunnis for the umayyads and the mu'awiya, a leader of the calpih and the shi'a for the Ali.

5. What was the extent of the Islamic Empire under the Umayyads? - the extent of the Islamic Empire was very vast. they controlled the Mediterrean, key islands in Crete, Siciliy and sardinia, parts of Span, central east Asia, and parts of spain.

6. How were people of the book treated under the Umayyads? - they were treated horribly. they were taxed heavily, and found it incredibly difficult to find jobs in armies or beaucracies. however there were still able to worship freely and keep their communities intact.

7. Explain gender structures under the Umayyads - the gender structures under the Umayyads reflected the time and surrounds of the the region. as always marriages was emphasized. it was a business arrangement but women actually had the luxury of marrying whomever they loved but they can never participate in adultery. the men on the other had could be but the wives must always treated well. women's rights as always were limited. they could not be in politics and how any leading jobs.

8. What factors led to the decline of the Umayyads? - the battle of the river zab between the abbasid party and the Damascus party led to the fall of the Umayyads. Alex : also the corruption of clapihs, the warriors moved into the Mervs, new troops were moved into the Merv, and it was really the Umayyads vs the Abbasid.