ASIAN HISTORY

ARAB - ISLAMIC

BY CABANTING, DIMAYACYAC, FESTIN, NAVELA, RICOHERMOSO, RIVERA, TENIDO

Pre-Islamic Arabia

refers to the Arabian Peninsula prior

to the rise of Islam in the 630s

TENIDO
RELIGION

mix of polytheism

Christianity, Judaism,
Zoroastrianism, and Iranian
religions

TENIDO
RELIGION

Arab polytheism

the dominant belief system, was

based on the belief in deities and
other supernatural beings such as
djinn

TENIDO
RELIGION

Gods and goddesses

were worshipped at local shrines

such as the Kaaba in Mecca

TENIDO
RELIGION

Allah

considered to be a deity, possibly

a creator deity or a supreme deity
in a polytheistic pantheon

TENIDO
Political and Religious
Developments

TENIDO
Political
Conditions
• most remarkable feature of the political
life of Arabia before Islam:
- total absence of political organization

in Arabia in any form

• second half of the sixth century:

- political period of disorder in Arabia
- communication routes were no longer
secure

• Religious divisions : important cause of

the crisis

• Judaism: dominant religion in Yemen

• Christianity: took root in the Persian Gulf

area

TENIDO
Tribal Law

Arabia at the advent of Islam

• as a general rule: women had virtually
no legal status

TENIDO
Women in
Islam and
the Hijab After the rise of Islam, Sharia, or Islamic
religious law
• women should cover themselves with a
veil

• the practice of women covering

themselves with veils was also known
during pre-Islamic times

• a veil was a symbol of respect worn by

the elite and upper-class women

TENIDO
Marriage
In pre-Islamic Arabian culture
• usually consisted of an agreement
between a man and his future wife's
family

• occurred either within the tribe or

between two families of different tribes

• women had little control over their

marriages

• rarely allowed to divorce their husbands

TENIDO
Family
Structure
• most important roles for women in pre-
Islamic tribes: produce children,
especially male offspring

TENIDO
Upper-Class
Women
• the general population of women in
pre-Islamic Arabia did not enjoy the
luxury of many rights

• many women of upper-class status did

TENIDO
Culture and
Language
• The culture of the Arabs was intimately
attached to the geographic realities
they were living in

• Arabs’ greatest cultural jewel : their

language

TENIDO
Economic
Conditions
• Economically : Jews were the leaders of
Arabia

• Slavery : economic institution of the

Arabs

• Male and female slaves:

- sold and bought like animals
- formed the most depressed class of
the Arabian society

• The most powerful class of the Arabs:

- capitalists
- money-lenders

TENIDO
Emergence of Islam
• Islam was a religion founded in the 7th Century AD by
Muhammad, an Arabian merchant from the city of Mecca.

• The early rise of Islam (632-700).

• The Muslim community spread through the Middle East through

conquest, and the resulting growth of the Muslim state provided the
ground in which the recently revealed faith could take root and
flourish.

• The military conquest was inspired by religion, but it was also

motivated by greed and politics.

• The Quran - justification of the conquest

TENIDO
Life of Muhammad
Founder of Islam religion

570 - Born in the town of Mecca. His name (Abu al-Qasim

Muḥammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd
Manaf ibn Qusai ibn Kilab) derives from the Arabic verb hamada,
meaning "to praise, to glorify"

575 - Orphaned upon the death of his mother and placed in the
protection of his paternal grandfather, then his uncle

595 - Marries Kadijah - an older, wealthy widow. They had six children

TENIDO
Life of Muhammad
Founder of Islam religion

610 - Receives first revelation from God during the month of

Ramadam

613 - Took his message public, these would later become the Koran,
Islam's sacred scripture

622 - Emigrates with his followers from Mecca to Yathrib, soon to

become known as Medina

TENIDO
Life of Muhammad
Founder of Islam religion

624 - The start of three major battles with the Meccans - the Battle of
Badr (victory), 625 the Battle of Uhud (defeat), and 627 the Battle of
the Trench (victory)

628 - The two sides signed a treaty recognising the Muslims as a new
force in Arabia. Meccan allies breached the treaty a year later

629 - Orders first raid into Christian lands at Muta (defeat)

TENIDO
Life of Muhammad
Founder of Islam religion

630 - Conquers Mecca (along with other tribes)

631 - Consolidated most fo the Arabian Penunsula under Islam

632 - Returned to Mecca to perform a pilgrimage

632 - Dies in Medina after a brief illness. He is buried in the mosque of

Medina

TENIDO
Islamic expansion in
Arabia
• Muhammad himself successfully established the new faith through
conversion and conquest

• after the Prophet's death in 632, Abu Bakr, as the first Caliph, continued
the effort to abolish paganism among the Arab tribes

• merchant elite of Arabia succeeded in consolidating their power

throughout the Arabian Peninsula and began to launch some exploratory
offensives north toward Syria

• it expanded very rapidly after the death of Muhammad

DIMAYACYAC
Islam defined
• Islam - means submission or surrender

• root word “salam” - the words peace and safety

• indicates a covenant between Allah and his followers, where a Muslim

surrenders his or her will to Allah in return for peace or safety

DIMAYACYAC
Islam defined
• monotheistic religion
- professes that there is only one and incomparable God (Allah)
- Muhammad is the last messenger of God

• People who follow Islam are called Muslims

• Most Muslims belong to one of two groups

- Sunni Islam (75–90% of all Muslims are Sunni Muslims)
- Shia Islam (10–20% of all Muslims are Shias – also called Shiites)

• world's second-largest religion and the fastest-growing major religion in the

world

• Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem are home to the three holiest sites in Islam

DIMAYACYAC
The Quran
• that which is often recited

•A web of rhythm and meaning

•represents the fountainhead of Divine guidance for every Muslim

• assumes familiarity with major narratives recounted in the Biblical scriptures

• Hafiz - Someone who has memorized the entire Quran

DIMAYACYAC
ARABIAN PENINSULA

RICOHERMOSO
ARABIAN PENINSULA
• a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia consisting
mainly of desert

•area is an important part of the Middle East and plays a critically important
geopolitical role because of its vast reserves of oil and natural gas

RICOHERMOSO
ARABIAN PENINSULA
• Bounderies:
West- Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba
Southeast- the Arabian Sea
Northeast- the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf

•Highest peak:
- Al-Nabī Shuʿayb, at 12,008 feet (3,660 metres)
- located approximately 20 miles northwest of Sanaa in Yemen.

RICOHERMOSO
ARABIAN PENINSULA

Zagros collision zone - a mountainous uplift where a continental

collision between the Arabian Plate and Asia is occurring

RICOHERMOSO
GEOGRAPHY
• Climate: extremely dry and arid

• The summer heat is intense everywhere,

reaching as high as 129 °F (54 °C) in
places.

• Compounding the lack of precipitation,

the Arabian Peninsula also has
few lakes or permanent rivers

• wadis- The few rivers that do exist in the

region

RICOHERMOSO
GEOGRAPHY

RICOHERMOSO
ECONOMY
• c

RICOHERMOSO
ARABIAN PENINSULA

RICOHERMOSO
ARABIAN PENINSULA

RICOHERMOSO