Hello, my name is Ms. Krijnauw, and welcome to this history lesson.

Together, we are going to adventure back in time to learn about a fascinating time in history, the early Islamic civilization and how Baghdad became the city of peace.

This lesson is about the early caliphates and the spread of Islam.

And by the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe how the caliphate expanded and spread Islam across North Africa and Southern Europe.

Before we start the lesson, it is important that we come to grips with some keywords.

Here they are.

Syria.

Caliph.

Rashidun.

Jerusalem.

I'm going to say these words again, and this time you can say them with me.

Syria.

Caliph.

Rashidun.

Jerusalem.

Now let's find out what these words mean.

Syria is a country located in the Middle East, with borders on the Mediterranean Sea and Turkey.

A caliph was a Muslim leader and political ruler who came after Muhammad.

The Rashiduns were the first four caliphs who ruled the Islamic empire after the death of Muhammad.

And Jerusalem is an ancient holy city in the Middle East.

You could pause the video here to make a note of these keywords and their definitions, so that when we come across them in the lesson, you can refer back to your notes.

This lesson about the early caliphates and the spread of Islam is split into three parts.

In the first part, we will learn about Muhammad's final years.

The Prophet Muhammad was the first person to spread the word of Islam.

Muslims believed that he had received revelations, telling him that there was only one God, Allah.

He preached the message of Islam, and soon, he had a large following of Muslims. In the year 630 CE, Muhammad returned to the city of his birth, Mecca.

He told Muslims that Mecca was the holiest city in the world, and if they are able to, every Muslim should go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

During the last two years of his life, the Islamic empire grew a lot.

The Byzantine Empire was based at the northern border of the Arabian Peninsula, and Muhammad knew that they posed a potential threat to the Islamic empire.

So when he heard that the Byzantine army was getting ready to invade Medina, Muhammad did not wait.

He decided to lead his army to Tabuk, a region near the Byzantine Empire.

Historians believed that there were at least 30,000 men in Muhammad's army.

It must be said, though, that it wasn't easygoing for the army because they travelled to Tabuk in the summer, which meant that it was extremely hot and there was very little water.

Despite the fact that Muhammad's army was so well-prepared, there was never even an actual battle.

The Byzantines never turned up.

They might have heard of Muhammad's large and well-prepared army, so they decided not to engage in battle.

Because there had been no actual battle.

The Prophet Muhammad spent the time making agreements with the tribes and the border regions.

If they converted to Islam, then Muhammad would help to keep them safe from invading Byzantine armies and other enemies.

This helped spread Islam.

The Muslim armies were strong, and they invaded Byzantine territories in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.

The Muslim armies travelled to different places and they spread Islam as they went, which meant that more and more people learned about Islam.

Let's pause for a moment to reflect on what we have just learned.

Which two statements about the Prophet Muhammad's march on Tabuk are true? A, the Byzantine army never appeared.

B, the Muslim army went to war with the Arabian tribes near the border.

C, many Arabian tribes living near the border accepted Islam.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answers, press play.

The two true statements are that the Byzantine army never appeared, and that many Arabian tribes living near the border area accepted Islam.

Well done if you got those correct.

In the year 632 CE, Muhammad made his final pilgrimage to Mecca.

Here, he delivered his last sermon, explaining what the most important messages in Islam are.

Because it was his last pilgrimage, it became known as the Farewell Pilgrimage.

After returning to Medina, he became ill, and he died at the age of 63.

With his death, the revelation of the Quran was complete.

The Prophet Muhammad was a strong and well-respected leader.

By the time of his death in 632 CE, he was the ruler of Southern Arabia, where he had successfully managed to spread the teachings of Islam.

You could pause the video here to examine the timeline of significant events in the Prophet Muhammad's life.

From his birth to when he received his first revelation, the Hijra to Medina, his return to Mecca, and finally, his death.

Let's take a moment to reflect on what we have just learned.

Muhammad's final pilgrimage to Mecca in 632 CE is known as the.

Hmm.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Yes, of course.

Muhammad's final pilgrimage to Mecca is known as the Farewell Pilgrimage.

Good work.

We are now ready for the first learning task of this lesson.

Read the sentences about Muhammad's final years and decide in which year they happened.

Tick the correct column for each sentence.

So the years are 630 CE or 632 CE, and the statements are, "Muhammad's peaceful return to Mecca, the Farewell Sermon, Muhammad's death, and the march on Tabuk." Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answers, press play.

Let's check the answers.

Muhammad's peaceful return to Mecca happened in the year 630 CE.

The Farewell Sermon was in 632 CE.

632 CE was also the year of Muhammad's death.

And the march of Tabuk occurred in the year 630 CE.

Well done if you got all of those dates correct.

In the second part of this lesson, we are going to learn about the Rashidun Caliphate.

After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslim community faced the difficult task of choosing a new leader, someone who could follow in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad.

The new leader was known as a caliph, a religious and political leader or Muhammad's next in line.

The caliph ruled the caliphate, which was the area of the Islamic empire.

The first four caliphs after the death of Muhammad were known as Rashidun caliphs, and the first was Abu Bakr, Muhammad's good friend and father-in-law.

Let's check our understanding of what we have just learned.

Which answer best describes what the caliphate was? A, the area where Muslims lived.

B, the Muslim army.

C, the area that was ruled by a caliph.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Well done if you say that the caliphate was the area that was ruled by a caliph.

Abu Bakr faced many challenges.

The Arabian tribes who had agreed to follow Islam when the Prophet Muhammad was alive, decided to reject Islam.

They did not want to be ruled by a caliph.

They wanted to be independent.

Abu Bakr decided to take military action, and he appointed a skilled military commander to lead the Muslim forces against the rebellious tribes.

There followed the Ridda Wars against various Arab tribes.

Abu Bakr's army was victorious, and Islam was again the main religion accepted by most people on the Arabian Peninsula.

Abu Bakr showed that he was a strong leader, and he helped unify the Islamic community once again.

The Islamic empire continued to grow outside the Arabian Peninsula.

The Muslim armies conquered areas in North Africa, Mesopotamia, and Persia.

Cities that had been invaded, conquered, and captured by Muslim armies were often treated well.

At that time, Damascus had been a city under Byzantine control.

When it was captured by the Muslim army during the time of the Rashidun Caliphate, there were many Christians and Jews living there.

The Rashidun caliph did not force the Christians or Jews to become Muslim, but allowed them to continue to worship freely as long as they followed the laws and rules of the Rashidun Caliphate.

Now that the Muslim army had invaded Damascus and were stationed there, they could continue to conquer more territories in the Syrian area.

Let's consolidate our new learning.

Say whether the following statement is true or false.

Muslim control of Damascus in 634 CE showed that the Rashidun Caliphate was accepting of other religions.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

That answer is true.

Let's justify our answer.

Is it that after Damascus fell to the Rashidun Caliphate, Christians were allowed to worship freely? Or after Damascus fell to the Rashidun Caliphate, everyone in the city was forced to convert to Islam? Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the correct answer, press play.

Well, the correct answer is that after Damascus fell to the Rashidun Caliphate, Christians and people of other religions were allowed to worship freely.

Well done if you got that correct.

We can now move on to the second learning task of this lesson.

Read Lucas' statement below.

Do you agree with it? The Rashidun caliph, Abu Bakr, was responsible for the huge growth of Muslim territory.

Tell your talk partner your opinion and explain your reasoning.

A good explanation should include the following, the Ridda Wars, Damascus, and Syria.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to reflect on your answer, press play.

Here is an example of an answer that you could have given.

Lucas is correct.

Not only did Abu Bakr's army defeat the rebellious Arabian tribes during the Ridda Wars, they also conquered territories in North Africa, Mesopotamia, and Persia.

In 634 CE, Damascus, which was then a part of the Byzantine Empire, and now the capital of Syria, fell to the Muslim army.

This victory allowed the Muslim forces to continue taking over more territory in Syria.

Well done if your answer was similar to this one, and a special well done if you use the words and phrases highlighted in green.

And with that, we have come to this third part of this lesson entitled Jerusalem.

Historically, Jerusalem has held great importance for Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike.

Muslims believe that it is an important holy city.

Because according to Islamic belief, Muhammad ascended to heaven from Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

At that time, Jerusalem was part of the Byzantine Empire.

Capturing Jerusalem meant that there would also be Muslim control over Palestine.

Let's check our understanding of what we have just learned.

Which two statements about Jerusalem during the Rashidun Caliphate are true? A, it was under Persian rule.

B, it was under Byzantine rule.

C, it is where the Ka'ba is located.

Or D, it is where Muslims believed that Muhammad ascended to heaven.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answers, press play.

And the correct statements are that Jerusalem was under Byzantine rule, and it is where Muslims believe that Muhammad ascended to heaven.

Well done if you got those correct.

The second Rashidun caliph, Umar, decided to take action, and he invaded Jerusalem in 638 CE.

For four months, the Muslim army surrounded Jerusalem, cutting off supplies of food and water, thereby forcing the people inside to surrender.

Eventually, the Byzantine Empire did surrender to the Rashidun caliph.

Once again, like Damascus, people of all religions were allowed to worship freely.

Jerusalem is the third holiest city according to many Muslims. Let's pause a moment to reflect on what we have just learned.

Is the following statement true or false? In 638 CE, Jerusalem became part of the Rashidun Caliphate.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Yes, the answer is true.

Let's justify why we say that this statement is true.

Is it because the Rashidun Caliph Umar captured Jerusalem? Or is it B, that Muhammad captured Jerusalem? Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Did you say that it was the Rashidun Caliph Umar who captured Jerusalem? Well done if you did.

We have now come to the final learning task of this lesson.

Put the events in the correct order by writing the numbers one to four.

Here are the events.

The first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate united the Arabian Peninsula once again after defeating the rebellious tribes.

Soon after, Jerusalem was also captured and included in the Rashidun Caliphate.

Damascus fell to the Muslim army, allowing the Muslim forces to continue taking over more territory in Syria.

After Muhammad's death, some Arabian tribes decided to reject Islam.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the correct order, press play.

I will now read the events in the correct order.

Number one, after Muhammad's death, some Arabian tribes decided to reject Islam.

Number two, the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate united the Arabian Peninsula once again after defeating the rebellious tribes.

Number three, Damascus fell to the Muslim army, allowing the Muslim forces to continue taking over more territory in Syria.

And number four, soon after, Jerusalem was also captured and included in the Rashidun Caliphate.

So the numbers read two, four, three, and one.

We have come to the end of this lesson about the early caliphates and the spread of Islam.

But before we go, let's summarise what we have learned in this lesson.

By the time of the Prophet Muhammad's death in 632 CE, Muslim forces had invaded the southern parts of the Persian Empire.

They also successfully invaded Byzantine territories in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.

When Muhammad died, his successor was Abu Bakr, his Rashidun Caliphate expanded into Central Asia and North Africa.

Captured cities were often treated well.

In Damascus, the Christian people were not hurt, and they were allowed to worship freely.

The Caliph Umar captured Jerusalem in 638 CE.

It is the third holiest city to many Muslims. Thank you for joining me today for this lesson.

I've really enjoyed going back in history with you, and learning about the early caliphates and the spread of Islam.

I hope you join me again very soon.