The Importance of the Qur'an

The Qur'an is the holy book of the Muslims.  The poetic beauty of this book helped attract new believers to convert to Islam. The Qur'an tell the stories of Muhammad.

The Life and teachings of Muhammad

Muhammad was born in 570 C.E. in the city of Mekkah.  He was born into a humble family in the Hashim clan.  Before he was born, his father died, and when he was young his mother and grandfather died.  He then lived with his uncle and traveled around on merchant trips with him.  When he was old enough, he became a merchant of his own.  When he was 25 he married Khadijah, a widow.  In 610 C.E., Muhammad started to go to pray in a cave in the mountains.  This is where the angel Gabriel told Muhammad he was the messenger of God.  Muhammad then founded the Islamic religion.  Muhammad's wife was the first to convert to Islam. Islam is a monotheistic religion.  For 22 years, Muhammad received messages from God through the angel Gabriel.  Muhammad soon had a small group of followers called Muslims.  Muhammad began to preach Islam to the other Makkans.  People in his clan and other clans began to become followers.  The leaders of Mekkah did not agree with Muhammad and thought he was gaining too much power, so they started a boycott against Muhammad.  Because of the boycott many of the Muslims began to starve, and his wife died because of this.  After these hard times, Muhammad went on a journey known as The Night Journey to Jerusalem.  There he prayed with other prophets such as Jesus and moses, and then God took him up to Heaven.

Life in Arabia Before Muhammad

A group of families ruled the city of Makkah, a trading and religious center.  These families did not share any of their wealth with the poorer and weaker clans of the city.  The people of Makkah were polytheistic.  That means they worshiped more than one god.  They would worship a box that was created by Abraham for God. Instead of worshiping the one God, the Arabs stored many statues of gods in the box to worship them.  Many people who lived in the desert and farther away came to worship gods at Makkah.  Since there was no central government in Arabia, the Arabs would pledge their loyalty to a local tribe.

The Mountains Adaptations

One adaptation is terracing.  This is when people create flat platforms on the side of hills and mountains so they can grow crops.  The people used dams and irrigation systems along with the terracing to growth their crops in the mountains.  Another adaptation is that their houses were made out of mud bricks.

The Mountains

The mountains in the Arabian Peninsula are as tall as 12,000 feet high.  The rain and the elevation help keep the mountain region cool.  Old dry river beds fill with water during heavy rain storms.

mountains in Arabian Peninsula

Dry river in mountains 

The Coastal Plain Adaptations

One adaptation the Arabs used to help grow crops in the coastal plain was irrigation.  This allowed them to get water to their crops by using dams, wells, and other systems. They stored rainwater in canals and reservoirs and used it to aid them in growing their crops.  Another adaptation the Arabs on the coastal plains developed was a system of trade.  Since they had access to seaports along the coast, they traded with other cultures across the waters.

The Coastal Plain

The coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula ranges from 5 to 40 miles inland from the coast.  The coastal plain has some natural harbors and many dry river beds.  Since the climate of this area is damp and rainy, the dry river beds sometimes fill with water.

The Oases Adaptations

One way the Arabs have adapted is to use the land around oases to grow crops.  Some nomads became sedentary and settled around the oases where cities and towns formed.  The farmers in the settlements bartered with the nomads who passed through.  Nomads traded goods for the farmers' crops.