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.