World+Of+Islam

= World Of Islam =

**600 - 1500**
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__**5 Key Terms**__
1. **//Quran-//** The holy book of the religion of Islam, in the book the 5 pillars of Islam are written and many other passages Muhammad was to recite. 2.**//Hajj-//** One of the 5 pillars of Islam is to pay pilgrimmage to the muslim holy temple of Mecca at least once in their lifetime. 3.**//Shiite-//** A group of peoples that only accept the decendants of Ali to be their rulers in succesion to the prophet Muhammad, this group is violent and radical. 4.//**Sunni-**// This group of Muslim peoples do not agree with the Umyaad rule but accept them as the their leaders. They believe that Allah can only be explained by the Koran. 5.//**Caliph-**// Can rule in a dynasty and is the successor to Muhammad, rules as the governor over Syria and teaches by the laws of the Koran.

__**5 Most Important People in the World Of Islam**__
1. **//Muhammad//**- Prophet of Allah in Islamic culture and recieved revelation in a cave from the angel Gabriel who told him to recite the 5 Pillars of Islam. 2.//**Khadija**//- The wife of Muhammad, encouraged Muhammad to return to the cave and listen to the Lord's word after he told her what had happened in the cave. 3.**//Abu Bakr//**- He was the first ever Caliph and was Muhammad's father in law. He believed the Koran was the basis for ruling an empire and was also the political leader of Islam. 4.//**Harun al-Rashid**//- Caliph during the Golden Age in the Islamic world which was a period in which Islam made many advances in medicine, math and astrology. 5.**//Hussein//**- Was the son in law of Muhammad, encouraged followers to rise up against Umayyad rule which helped unite the Muslims.

World of Islam
The birthplace of Islam is in modern day Saudi Arabia, the terrain consists of mountains and water filled valleys and the other half is a barren desert sprinkled with oasi. The peoples that inhabit this region are the Arabs and the Bedouins, which are nomadic Arabs. The dominant culture in this region is Islam and its followers are known as Muslims. This culture has a large affect on european culture today. To start off, the next paragraphs will go over the religion of the region and some of the more important events of the time period.

First, the religion of Islam was started by a man named Muhammad in 610 AD. He went to a cave in the mountains where the angel Gabriel spoke to him and demanded he recite. He then pledged his submission to Allah and recited the 5 pillars of Islam. His wife Khadija encouraged Muhammad to return to the cave and speak with the angel again. She was the first to convert to a now largely practiced religion. The Koran is the holy book of this religion and its followers worship in a building called a mosque. Muslims pray 5 times daily and are called to prayer by the Muezzin who is stationed in the Minaret of a Mosque. Then the Imam directs the prayer and they pray kneeling with heads bowed in the direction of Mekkah.

Next, the most important of all mosques is The Great Mosque in Mecca which surrounds the Kaaba. The Kaaba is the holiest shrine in the Islamic religion which is arabic for "square building". In addition, the Muslims have a strict set of laws called Shari'ah. These laws state that muslims cannot gamble, drink alcohol or eat pork and the one requirement is that all Muslims travel to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, this trip is known as the Hajj. Finally, Saudi Arabia is home to many important shrines of this growing religion and Islam has influenced mush of European society today.

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To Learn More:

 * [|The religion of Islam]**
 * [|Islam]**
 * [|About Islam]**
 * [|Beginnings of Islam]**
 * [|Islam for Kids]**