Islam

Arabs are people who speak the Arabic language. They share the same history and culture. Early Arabs lived in a large peninsula between Asia and Africa. It is the Arabian Peninsula.

The Arabs were nomads and camel herders. They moved a lot to find water and food for their animals. They lived in tribes. Each tribe was ruled by a sheik.

About 400 BC, there were several small states in the Arabian Peninsula. They were centers for trade. Traders usually travelled in groups called caravans. It was safer to travel with a group.

Muhammed was born about 570 AD. He was an orphan. Muhammed went to work as a caravan leader when he was a teenager.

An older woman owned the business Muhammed worked for. He made his boss rich. Later she asked Muhammed to marry her.

After Muhammed married his boss, he was rich. He had a lot of free time, so he went to the hills to think. He felt that he got messages from God while in the hills.

He told people about the messages. People began following Muhammed. Soon, his group controlled much of the Arabian Peninsula. He controlled the oases and markets, so other people had to buy and sell goods from him.

Muhammed died in 632 AD. His teaching were written in the Quran, the holy book of Islam.