The Early Islamic World Part I: Roots and Beliefs

Based on your understanding of the reading and videos, take bulleted notes on the following:

• Why Mecca was significant, even before Islam was founded.
• How the leaders of Mecca responded to Muhammad’s teachings.
• The five pillars of Islam, as stated in the Qu'ran.
• The causes and consequences of the Shia/Sunni split
• Compare/contrast the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates
• Internal and external struggles in the early Islamic World