Chapter 7

Abbasid Decline & the Spread of Islamic Civilization

“I am very excite for cultural learnings of Islamic

civilization!”

Topics

• Rise, Decline & Fall of the Abbasid

• Flowering of Islamic Culture

• Islam in South Asia (Two Phases)

• Islam in SE Asia

• Importance of Trade

The Good: Rise of the Abbasid

• Rebellion against the secular Umayyad

• Founded by non-Arabic Muslims and Shi’ites

• Reliance on mawali

• Shift from Semitic culture (Arabia and Syria) to Persian

The Bad: Decline of the Abbasid

• Seclusion of rulers; reliance on foreigners breeds resentment

• Imperial extravagance

• Civil wars over succession strain the dynasty’s revenues

• Internal breakdown of infrastructure

The Ugly: Fall of the Abbasid

• Territories begin to leave the dynasty

• 945CE—Buyids sack Baghdad• 1055—Seljuk Turks gain control• 1220s—Mongols attack• 1258—Baghdad falls to Mongols• Regional rulers maintain control

as the caliphate is destroyed• 1401—Baghdad sacked (again!)

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

…

• While the caliphate crumbles, Islamic culture flourishes• Fueled by a variety of ethnic groups, a strong trade network and

emphasis on Persian culture• Muslim scholars preserved and then later improved classical

achievements

If you had to sum it all up in one sentence…

• The trends of Islamic civilization at this time are contradictory—social strife and political divisions on the one hand, and expanding trade links and intellectual creativity on the other. (pg. 159 in text).

Recipe for Islamic Spread

• One part rise in mysticism• Combine with an increased hostility to

Christian civilization• Add equal parts of wandering mystics,

traders, merchants, herders and warriors • Let all ingredients stew together for about a

a hundred years.• Spread onto the region of your choice

The Rumble: Hinduism vs. Islam• Round One—Islam arrives in 8th c. (so

what? Nothing really changes)

• Round Two—Military Invasion (10th c.)

We Came, We Fought, We…

Interacted Peacefully?

• Conversions in India are not done by force, but by peaceful accommodation.

• Buddhists, untouchables and low-caste Hindus are most interested in Islam

• Hinduism responds once it realizes it cannot absorb Islam

• Stand-off: Muslim minority lives with a Hindu majority

Just Keep Swimming, or in this case, Spreading

• Trade is the means by which Islam reaches SE Asia in the 7th and 8th centuries

• First areas to actually be “won” came in the 13th century

• More receptive than India

• SE Asian Islam allowed for retention of indigenous beliefs and practices

Wrap it Up Already!

• Though it had problems, the Abbasid period solidifies Islam’s place in the world

• Cultural achievement is extraordinary• Islam spreads and changes across the

Afro-Asian world• Divisions leave Abbasids weak to attack• Growing conservatism and intolerance

leads to difficulty and unwillingness to accommodate or learn from others.