SRS 3315 Lecture 2: The Prophet Muhammad and the Early Days of Islam
12 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
The prophet muhammad and the early days of islam. Persian empire: west: they like to fight and the space would be conquered back and forth. Arab peninsula not part of any of those empires, but was influenced by them through economic and political relations. Peninsula is very large: size of india, pakistan and bangladesh together. Mostly desert, coastal plains and oases were greener: hot, water would come out of the spring, coffee and cereal were grown here, in the oasis, people would see palm trees. They cultivated the date palm: life was mostly nomadic. Through trade plenty of contact with other parts of the world. Tribe was very important; this is what provided a person with protection. Alliances between different tribes were often sealed by genealogies: a common ancestor. Tribe led by shaykh (old man), selected by his peer. Raids goal: capture livestock, weaken and absorb other tribes. (raids were illegal during 4 sacred months of pilgrimage)
