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Rise and Spread of Islam

ICSE Class 7 · History & Civics · Chapter 2

What this chapter covers

Key definitions

Bedouins are the wandering, tent-dwelling herders of the Arabian desert who move with their camels, sheep and goats from one pasture or well to the next.

Prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam, the man whom Muslims regard as the last messenger sent by God to humankind.

Islam is the religion founded on the belief that there is only one God, called Allah in Arabic, and that Muhammad is His messenger.

The Hijri calendar is the Islamic calendar whose first year begins with the Hijrat of 622 CE.

The Quran is the holy book of Islam, which Muslims believe contains the words of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad through the angel Jibril.

Shahada is the declaration of faith that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger.

Salat is the prayer that a Muslim offers five times a day, at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and night, facing the Kaaba in Mecca.

Zakat is the share of a Muslim's savings, usually one-fortieth (2.5 per cent), given every year to help the poor and needy.

Sawm is the fast that Muslims keep from dawn to sunset on every day of Ramzan, the ninth month of the Hijri calendar.

Haj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that every adult Muslim should make at least once in a lifetime if their health and money allow it.

Eid-ul-Fitr is the festival that marks the end of the month of Ramzan, celebrated on the day after the new moon is sighted.

Key points

Questions answered

Name two natural conditions of Arabia that made farming difficult.
Very little rain and almost no rivers; farming was possible only around oases.
Why was Mecca an important town before Islam?
It stood on the caravan route between Yemen and Syria, so it was a trading centre, and the Kaaba drew pilgrims from many tribes.
In which year and in which city was Prophet Muhammad born?
In about 570 CE, in Mecca.
What is the Hijrat, and why do Muslims count their years from it?
The Hijrat is the migration of Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) in 622 CE. It turned a persecuted group into an organised community, so the Hijri calendar begins from that year.
How did Prophet Muhammad treat the people of Mecca when he returned in 630 CE?
He forgave most of his old enemies and did not take revenge; he removed the idols from the Kaaba.
Name the Five Pillars of Islam.
Shahada (declaration of faith), salat (prayer five times a day), zakat (charity), sawm (fasting in Ramzan) and Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
Why are Ramzan and Eid celebrated about eleven days earlier each year in the ordinary calendar?
The Hijri calendar follows the Moon and its year has about 354 days, about eleven days fewer than the solar year.
Who was a caliph? Name the first four caliphs.
A caliph was a successor of the Prophet who led the Muslim community; the first four were Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman and Ali.