Islam: Origins, Beliefs, Practices, and Culture
Islam: Origins, Beliefs, and Practices
Muhammad was born in **Mecca** in the year 570. As a young man, he was involved in the caravan trade, and during those trips, he encountered the Jewish and Christian religions. At the age of 40, he received the revelation of God, Allah, and three years later began to preach his doctrine. Islam means submission of the will to a single God. Muslim doctrine, the doctrine of Muhammad, was collected after his death in the **Quran**, the sacred book of Muslims. It includes norms and standards to be followed by believers. There are five religious precepts. The rules of conduct allow polygamy and prohibit drinking alcohol, eating pork, or gambling.
Political and Social Structure of the Islamic Empire
In terms of political organization, the **Caliph** was the highest authority of the empire and concentrated both political and religious power. As a religious leader, he presided over the prayer on Friday. As a political leader, he ruled and directed the army. The administration of the empire was organized into ministries under the command of a trusted person of the Caliph. The territories of the empire were divided into provinces under the authority of a governor. People in the provinces paid two taxes: one for the possession of land and another personal tax.
Social groups were as follows:
- Aristocracy: A small group of Arab origin who possessed large properties, received the spoils of war, and occupied high offices.
- Masses: Included the rest of the population, consisting of farmers, artisans, and merchants. They were further divided into those who had converted to Islam and those who kept their original religion.
- Slaves: Occupied the lowest social rung.
Islamic Architecture and Homes
Muslim houses were designed to ensure privacy, often with few windows that were either shuttered or hidden. The palaces, which were the homes of the Caliphs, had a public part where the throne room was located for audiences and a private part where the rooms, bathrooms, and the harem were situated.
Key Contributions
In astronomy, Al-Fazari built the first astrolabe.
Key Terms in Islam
- Mecca: City where Muhammad was born, a city in Arabia. Muhammad fled from Mecca to Medina in 622. It is a holy city housing the sanctuary of the Kaaba. Every Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lifetime.
- The Kaaba: The first shrine of Islam, where the mosque that holds the black stone is located.
- Caliph: The highest authority of the empire, concentrating religious, political, and military power.
- Medina: Part of the city within the walls, with an irregular layout and narrow, winding streets. It contains the mosque, the citadel, the souk, the baths, etc.
- Vizier: A trusted person of the Caliph.
- Mosque: Building where Muslims pray. They consist of two parts: the courtyard with a fountain for purification and the minaret, and the prayer room, where one of the walls faces Mecca (the qibla).
- Harem: Part of the house where the women reside.
- Souk: Market.
- Suburb: Part of the town outside the walls, where the most humble people reside.
- Yathrib: City of Arabia, later called Medina because it welcomed the Prophet after his flight from Mecca.
- Islam: Monotheistic religion of Muslims. It means submission to one God, Allah.
- Muslim: Believer of Islam.
- Quran: Sacred book of Muslims, which contains the precepts of faith.
- Hegira: Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to Medina. This event is taken as the starting point of the Muslim calendar.
- Umayyad: Moved their capital to Damascus and established hereditary succession.
- Abbasid: Overthrew the Umayyads, transferred their capital to Baghdad, and remained on the throne until the Turkish conquest.
- Baghdad: Capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.
- Damascus: Capital of the Umayyad Caliphate.