V Near the time of the Romans, the Arab

peninsula, which had been previously

dominated by many Empires, kingdoms and
peoples was dominated by the Arab cultures.
V These shall not mean they were newly
arrived. They had been there for at least 1.5K
years.
V Proof of it is the fact that they are Semitic.
V Where does the word Semitic come from?
V Semitic is an eponymous
V jther eponym peoples: The Greeks
(Hellenes) who were divided in Eonians,
Durians, Achaeans and Ionians.
V Noah had three sons:
V Shem (who settled in that which is the
Arab Peninsula today), Ham and Japhet.
V Ham (Who settled in north Africa)
V Japheth (Who settled North-east of the
Tigris-Euphrates)
V Semitic languages: Hebrew, Assyrian,
Aramaic and Arab.
V Hamitic languages: Coptic (old Egyptian),
Beriberi, Amharic.
V Japhetic languages: Persian, Hindi, Greek,
Latin and Germanic languages (therefore
all the famous Indo-European)
V By the 5th and 6th Centuries Economy influenced
the geo-political order till then existing in the
Peninsula:
V 1) The Western Roman Empire had fallen; 2) The
Byzantine Empire was not in its best shape; 3)
There were riots in the northern part of Africa
and the Arab Peninsula because nobody
controlled the trading routes anymore.
V This was an advantage for the nomadic
Bedouins. Who started controlling a new trading
route: reaching the Mediterranean through
Mecca and Yemen.
V The Arab Peninsula was those days friendlier to
the traveler than today. Most probably there
were lesser deserts and more oasis.
V jpposed to what is normally believed, the
nomads (later Bedouins) were not the ones that
always played the most important role.
V There was a numerous farming population that
were along small villages or little trading cities.
V Finally, there were aristocratic cities of
Merchants (Mecca, f. e., ruled by the Qurays)
V Their History is known thanks to
scriptures:
V 1) Thamudeans (Central Arabia); 2)
Zaphites (North Arabia); and 3) Nabatheics
(Near Syria and Mesopotamia). From these
last one, very close to Aramaic, derived the
Arabic scripture.
V Arabs were quite modern in their religious
beliefs:
V Although Polytheistic, neither Allah nor Christ
was unfamiliar to them (there were even two
Christian principalities settled in Gassani
(southern Syria, near Constantinople) and
Lamji (west from the Euphrates).
V Born in Mecca ca. 570 b. C. within the tribe of
the Qurays, but from a decadent branch.
V Being a total jrphan without grandfathers ,
he was raised by his merchant uncle Abu
Talib.
V Marries his boss Khadijah (40), owner of the
caravans that he led, at the age of 25, with
whom he would get 7 children from which
only one child survived: Fatima.
V According to both sources, Muhammad began
to receive the visits from Archangel Gabriel
around the age of 40.
V Began to preach in 613 convincing first his
relatives: Khadijah and Ali. Later he starts being
followed by a couple of freed foreign slaves and
outcasts.
V Mecca refuses to listen to the Prophet.
V His lucky strike comes in 622, when he is called
to mediate between the Jews and Arabs from
Jatrib. This travel is known as the Hegira and
represents year one in the Islamic Calendar (16th
day of July).
V Muhammad became popular after his mediation
and got new followers, founding the first Islamic
community.
V He became the leader of them based on the
principle of non-separation between religion and
politics.
V This let him return to Mecca 8 years later
followed by enough fighters to conquer his
birth-city. This would result very convenient, due
to the economic and trading importance of
Mecca.
V The Prophet died in 632
V Quean consists in 114 Chapters.
V Just as any other religious book is dietetic.
V Departing from 5 moral principles.
V What is Quranǯs distinction?

V It is jPENLY political: Whoever obeys the

messenger, obeys Allah (in that order).
V After Muhamadǯs death the Shariǯah was
written. This document is the equivalent to
the Halajah.
V Some normative corollaries* :
V No gambling
V No pork
V No alcohol
V No dishonest behavior.
V Arranged marriages.
V Polygamy restricted.
V No holy images.
V The death of Muhammad represented, logically, a
political problem:
V In an growing permeation of maleǯs perspective,
Muhammad had no son, but only daughters.
V After his first wifeǯs death, Muhammad married
several more times. All of them with women coming
out of either rich or political families.
V Therefore, Abu Bakr, his father in law, was named
caliph.
V By year 711 AD was already spread through
North Africa, Middle East and Iberian
Peninsula.
V Four were the first Caliphs to lead the
spreading of the new religion: (Abu Bekr,
jmar, jthman and Ali)
V It expanded through the concept of jihad,
what means DzHoly Wardz with the goal to
convert every country in the world whatever
means.
V By 711, Muslim forces under the leadership of
Tariq gad conquered the Iberian Peninsula,
putting an end to Visigothic rule there.
V Tried to conquer farther until they were
defeated by Charles Martel at Tours in the
battle of Poitiers in 732.
V They had total control over Spain 800 years
until 1492.