Western Civilization

symbolized by a sacred stone, and each tribe had its

own stone. All tribes, however, worshiped a massive

black meteorite—the Black Stone—that had been

placed in a central shrine called theKa’aba(KAH-buh)

in the city of Mecca.

In the fifth and sixth centuriesC.E., the Arabian pen-

insula took on new importance. As a result of political

disorder in Mesopotamia and Egypt, the usual trade

routes in the region began to change. A new trade

route—from the Mediterranean through Mecca to

Yemen and then by ship across the Arabian Sea and

the Indian Ocean—became more popular, and com-

munities in that part of the Arabian peninsula, includ-

ing Mecca, began to prosper from this caravan trade.

As a result, tensions arose between the Bedouins in the

desert and the increasingly wealthy merchant classes in

the towns. Into this intense world came Muhammad

(moh-HAM-mudormoo-HAM-mud).

Muhammad

Born in Mecca to a merchant family, Muhammad (ca.

570–632) was orphaned at the age of five. He grew up

to become a caravan manager and eventually married a

rich widow who was also his employer. In his middle

years, he began to experience visions that he believed

were inspired by Allah. Muhammad believed that

although Allah had already revealed himself in part

through Moses and Jesus—and thus through the He-

brew and Christian traditions—the final revelations

were now being given to him. Out of these revelations,

which were eventually written down, came the Qur’an

(kuh-RANorkuh-RAHN) or Koran, which contained the

guidelines by which followers of Allah were to live.

Muhammad’s teachings formed the basis for the reli-

gion known as Islam, which means “submission to the

will of Allah.” Allah was the all-powerful being who had

created the universe and everything in it. Humans

must subject themselves to Allah if they wished to

achieve everlasting life. Those who became his fol-

lowers were called Muslims, meaning “practitioners

of Islam.”

After receiving the revelations, Muhammad set out

to convince the people of Mecca that the revelations

were true. Discouraged by the failure of the Meccans to

accept his message, in 622 Muhammad and some of his

closest supporters left the city and moved north to the

rival city of Yathrib, later renamed Medina (“city of the

Prophet”). The year of the journey to Medina, known in

history as theHegira(hee-JY-ruh) (“departure”), became

year 1 in the official calendar of Islam.

Muhammad, who had been invited to the town by a

number of prominent residents, soon began to win

support from people in Medina as well as from mem-

bers of the Bedouin tribes in the surrounding country-

side. From these groups, he formed the first Muslim

community. Muslims saw no separation between politi-

cal and religious authority; submission to the will of

Allah meant submission to his Prophet, Muhammad.

Muhammad soon became both a religious and a politi-

cal leader. His political and military skills enabled him

to put together a reliable military force, with which he

returned to Mecca in 630, conquering the city and con-

verting the townspeople to the new faith. From Mecca,

Muhammad’s ideas spread quickly across the Arabian

peninsula and within a relatively short time had

resulted in both the religious and the political unifica-

tion of Arab society.

The Teachings of Islam

At the heart of Islam was its sacred book, the Qur’an,

with the basic message that there is no God but Allah

and Muhammad is his Prophet. Essentially, the Qur’an

contains Muhammad’s revelations of a heavenly book

written down by secretaries. Consisting of 114 chap-

ters, the Qur’an recorded the beliefs of the Muslims

and served as their code of ethics and law.

Islam was a direct and simple faith, emphasizing the

need to obey the will of Allah. This meant following a

basic ethical code consisting of theFive Pillars of

Islam: belief in Allah and Muhammad as his Prophet;

standard prayer five times a day and public prayer on

Friday at midday to worship Allah; observance of the

holy month of Ramadan (the ninth month on the Mus-

lim calendar) with fasting from dawn to sunset; making

a pilgrimage—known as thehajj(HAJ)—to Mecca at

least once in one’s lifetime); and giving alms to the

poor and unfortunate. The faithful who observed the

law were guaranteed a place in an eternal paradise.

Islam was not just a set of religious beliefs but a way

of life as well. After the death of Muhammad, Muslim

scholars drew up a law code, called the shari’a (shah-

REE-uh), to provide believers with a set of prescriptions

to regulate their daily lives. Much of the shari’a was

drawn from the Qur’an. Believers’ behavior was subject

to strict guidelines. In addition to the Five Pillars, Mus-

lims were forbidden to gamble, to eat pork, to drink

alcoholic beverages, and to engage in dishonest behav-

ior. Sexual practices were also strictly regulated. Mar-

riages were to be arranged by parents, and contacts

between unmarried men and women were discouraged.

The Rise of Islam 167

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