Chapter 9 Blog

Chapter 9's reading was about the world of Islam. Islam's home region was Arabia. Arabia sat along with the Indian Ocen trade network. The location of Arabia to the Indian Ocean gave rise to the city Mecca. The Kaaba was the main religious shrine in Arabia. The seminal thinker in Arabia was Muhammad. They worshiped a God called Allah in the written texts called the Quran. The main message of the Quran was the remembrance of God. There were five requirements of the Quran that were categorized into five pillars. The first pillar was the message: "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." The second pillar was ritual prayer, performed five times a day. The third pillar was almsgiving which required believers to give to the poor. The fourth pillar was a month of fasting during Ramadan. The fasting included food, drink, and sex for purification. Lastly, the fifth pillar was a pilgrimage to Mecca.

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