Arabs and Pre-Islamic Arabia

• In the early seventh century AD, Islam's rise dramatically reshaped the Middle East's political, religious, and social structures.
• The Arabs emerged as a significant force in the Arabian Peninsula, rapidly spreading their religion and influence across the Middle East and beyond.

Arabs and Pre-Islamic Arabia

• The Arabs are Semitic-speaking people who traditionally lived a nomadic existence in the Arabian Peninsula.
• Pre-Islamic Arabia was politically fragmented, leading to clan-based organizations for mutual support due to the harsh environment.
• Clans helped maintain law and order within the society.
• A "shiekh," typically chosen from a leading family by a council of elders, represented each clan as its titular head.
• As camel domestication advanced, Arabs engaged in caravan trade, eventually becoming major traders between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea.
• Early Arabs practiced polytheism, worshipping multiple gods symbolized by sacred stones.
• These were the key socio-political and economic conditions in Arabia prior to the rise of Islam.

The Prophet Muhammad and the Birth of Islam

• Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born around 570 AD in Mecca to the Quaraysh tribe.
• He married Kedijja, a wealthy merchant widow, as a young man.
• Around 610 AD, Muhammad began preaching Islam.
• In Arabic, "Islam" means "Surrender" or "Submission" to God.
• A "Muslim" is one who submits to God, known as Allah in Arabic.
• The central tenet of Islam is the belief in one God, with Muhammad as His messenger or prophet.
• Islam teaches the equality of all Muslims before God, uniting them into a single community called the Umma.
• The Quran is the holy book of Islam.
• Muhammad started experiencing Islam at age 40, initially preaching to relatives and friends before addressing the public.
• Muhammad's teachings challenged idolatry, threatening the income of Meccan Qurayshs who profited from idols.
• This led to hostile opposition from the Quraysh people.

The Hijra and the Establishment of Islam

• In 622 AD, Muhammad and his followers immigrated to Yathrib, which was renamed Medina (city of the prophet).
• The "Hijra" (migration) marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
• In Medina, Muhammad continued to preach, gaining many followers and establishing an Islamic society.
• In 630 AD, Muhammad captured Mecca with a large force, destroying idols but preserving the Kaaba.
• After Mecca, Muhammad could teach and preach freely.
• He served as a religious teacher, leader, lawgiver, judge, army commander, and head of state.
• Muhammad died in 632 AD.
• After his death, four elected Caliphs from the Quraysh tribe succeeded him: Abu Bakr (632-634), Umar (634-644), Othman (644-656), and Ali (656-661).
• These Caliphs united Arabia and expanded Islam, creating a vast Islamic Empire.
• Muhammad used the Arabic tribal custom of raids against enemies, and his successors used the same custom to expand the movement.
• This activity was called a jihad, or Islamic Holy War.
• Once united, the Arabs directed jihad against neighboring peoples.
• By 650 AD, the Arabs had conquered the entire Persian Empire.
• By 642 Egypt and other countries of northern Africa had been added to the new Arab Empire.
• They conquered the Berbers and converted them to Islam.
• Simultaneously, Arab forces crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, occupying southern Spain.
• In 732, they were defeated at the Battle of Tours in southern France.
• Their attempt to overrun Constantinople was unsuccessful, saving the Byzantine Empire and Christian Europe.

The Muslim Arab Empire and its Achievements

• Within a century after Muhammad's death, a vast Muslim Arab empire was established.
• The empire included the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Turkistan, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Pakistan, East Indies, southeastern Europe, India, parts of China, and the Philippines.
• This expansion occurred under the Caliphates, Ummayads, Abbasids, and Ottomans dynasties.
• The Muslim world developed its own civilization.
• The new Muslim Arab Empire was significantly influenced by the cultures of the Byzantine and Persian empires.
• In the eighth and ninth centuries, Greek, Syrian, and Persian scientific and philosophical works were translated into Arabic.
• Islamic scholars made advances in logic, mathematics, chemistry, medicine, astronomy, metaphysics, ethics, and politics.
• Architecture developed in the Muslim world, with craftsmen constructing mosques and palaces in Mecca, Medina, Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo, and elsewhere.
• Trade flourished, extending to China, the Byzantine Empire, India, and Southeast Asia.
• Flourishing trade led to the growth of cities such as Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo, which became administrative, cultural, and economic centers.
• Following the expansion of Islam, Arabic became an international language across the vast Muslim Arab Empire.

In the early seventh century AD, the rise of Islam dramatically reshaped the Middle East. Arabs emerged as a significant force, spreading their religion in the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. Pre-Islamic Arabia was politically fragmented, with clan-based organizations.