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World history
Course: World history > Unit 3
Lesson 3: Origins of Islam- Introduction to Islam
- Beginnings of Islam: The life of Muhammad
- Beginnings of Islam: The Hijra to Medina and the conversion of Mecca
- Contextualization of the development of Islam
- Context of pre-Islamic Arabia
- Key concepts: The origins of Islam
- Focus on context: The origins of Islam
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Context of pre-Islamic Arabia
Muhammad spreads revelations rejecting the idol worship of Mecca and urged his followers to submit to God, forming a religious community that became the Islamic faith.
Let's read two historical excerpts and think about how they provide global and religious context for the development of Islam.
The global context in the early 7th century
First, let's look at what the world looked like before the emergence of Islam.
H.G. Wells is a well known science fiction author from the early 20th century, but he also wrote a two-volume, non-fiction history of the world. Below is the beginning of his chapter on Islam. As you read this, think about why he felt it important to start with a global perspective.
Religious context of the Middle East and Arabia during the life of Muhammad
In the passage above, H.G. Wells paints a picture of the global context. In the following passage, Reuven Firestone gives the religious context of the pre-Islamic Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula.
As you read this, remember that Muslims consider Muhammad to be the last in a line of prophets which include Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Also, much of the Qu'ran relates to the narrative in the Hebrew Bible and Gospels.
Think about how these connections might have influenced the adoption of Islam.
Want to join the conversation?
- Were Moses and Abraham really prophets? I don't remember any prophecies from them in the Bible, and I don't think the Koran (or any interpretation of it) shows that these men told prophecies. Am I wrong?(7 votes)
- Moses and Abraham, in the context of Islam, are prophets. Not in that they told the future (which is a small part of what prophets, "do"), but in that they spoke for Allah.(6 votes)
- Did Muhammed always conquer empires in the most peaceful way possible?(2 votes)
- Yes, when the various tribes and kingdoms were conquered, fighting and war would be the last resort.(2 votes)
- Before the founding of Islam, most Arabs followed?(2 votes)
- How would it have been to convert from Christianity to becoming part of the Muslim community?(2 votes)
- The religions weren't very different at the time, it would've just been like converting to stricter Christianity with more clear cut beliefs.(0 votes)
- is there really a order or union in western europe?(1 vote)
- Describe Mecca around the time of Muhammad's birth. Use the following terms in your description: desert, prosperous, trading city, merchants, religious center.(0 votes)
- Around the time of Muhammad's birth, Mecca was a prosperous trading city in the desert, which basically means that it had lots of merchants. Mecca was a sort of religious center at the time of Muhammad's birth, as there was an annual pilgrimage to it by Arabs for religious reasons. Once Muhammad was born, he and his followers were persecuted by the pagan rulers of Mecca, and then were forced to leave to another holy city for Islam, Medina. Eventually, the Muslims entered a treaty with the ruling group that allowed them to make the pilgrimage. However, the ruling group violated the treaty by attacking the muslims. The muslims then reorganized and forced the ruling group to surrender Mecca.(2 votes)