HIS 111
Unit 7: Islam

The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is an Islamic shrine, not a mosque, built between 687 and 691 CE. Muslims believe that the rock in the center of the dome is the spot where Muhammad, with the angel Gabriel, ascended to meet God. Jews and Christians believe this spot is where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac; photo courtesy C. Wayne and Dorothy Miller. See some other photos of Islamic architecture.

• Read chapter 10 in the textbook.
• Read the Hadith selections.
• Read my notes on Early Islam.
• Watch the very short video. I also have an older video available that I did in about 1995.
• Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the unit.
• Post (or respond) with your thoughts/ideas/comments in the discussion forum: Why did Islam spread so quickly throughout the Mediterranean world? (5 points).

• You may listen to some further information about Islam from my HIS 101 course. I created these back in about 1995 before the web was widely available.

• Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars All Without a Flamewar: Crash Course World History #13
• Life of Muhammad and beginnings of Islam part 1 | World History | Khan Academy
• Beginnings of Islam part 2 | World History | Khan Academy
• Islam: Empire of Faith. Part 1: Prophet Muhammad and rise of Islam (full; PBS Documentary)
• For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant video for this unit of the course. Send the title of the video, the URL and a brief explanation of why you find the video interesting and applicable to the material that is being studied in this unit.

• For up to 25 points of extra credit, find three reputable websites that contain useful information about the early history of Islam.  In about one page, summarize the information contained on each website and explain why these websites are both useful and credible.
• For up to 20 points of extra credit, submit the Hadith paragraph.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the excerpt by Ibn Abd-el-Hakem on the Islamic Conquest of Spain and write a long paragraph in which you examine some of the reasons for the successful Islamic conquests.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the Pact of Umar, from the seventh century, and comment, in a paragraph, on the nature of Muslim-Christian relations.

• Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) explain the development of Islam as a world religion and (2) summarize the key features of early practice of Islam.