Western Civilization
Outline #13
Professor Knight
The Rise of Islam
I.  Islam: A “Worthy Opponent” for the West.
	Role of Islam in the formation of the idea of the “West”
	Concept of “Christendom”
II.  The World of the Bedouin: The Arabian Peninsula
	Southern Parts of Arabia—fertile, semi-arid.
		Frankincense and Myrrh
	Northern and Central Arabia—vast deserts.
	Sheiks—tribal leaders with little real power.
	Clans—kinship groups led by patriarchs
	Blood Feuds
		Harams—neutral ground on holy sites
	Quryash tribe: Leaders of vast trading network around time of Mohammad
III.  The Prophet Mohammad (570-632)
	Hijra (Journey) from Mecca to Medina—622AD
		Year 0 in Islamic system of dates
	The Koran—Islamic holy scripture—direct revelation from God
	Mohammad conquers Mecca 629AD
	Islam as political as well as spiritual entity
	Shariat—Islamic law
	Polygamy (Moslem men allowed to have 4 wives, but all must be treated equally)
	Death of Mohammed—632 AD
IV.  The Spread of Islam
	The Umma (Community of Believers)
	Caliphs
	Vision of the Afterlife
	Jihad (struggle) 
	Fall of Sassanid Empire (by 650AD)
	Byzantium loses Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Mesopotamia 
	Constantinople threatened (Greek fire)
	Divisions within Islam
		Shi’ites and Sunnis
	Moslem learning
		Averroes
		Baghdad House of Wisdom