Chapter 8 Rise of Islam

600-1200

The Origins of Islam

• The Arabian Peninsula Before Muhammad

• Muhammad in Mecca

• The Formation of the Umma

The Arabian Peninsula Before Muhammad

• The Arabs in 600 CE lived usually in the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq

• It was in these Arab lands that Islam took its shape

• Nomads in these lands gained income from providing camels, guides, and safe passage through their land

The Ka’ba

• A shrine, the Ka’ba, contained idols

• Killing was prohibited

• Some people who lived in Mecca affiliated the shrine with stories of the Christians and Jews

• They believed Abraham was the man who built the Ka’ba

Muhammad in Mecca

• Born in Mecca in 570• One night, while meditating,

Muhammad was spoken to by the angel Gabriel who told him revelations about their Lord

• He shared his revelations at first only with close friends and family

• He claimed to hear the words of God

The Formation of the Umma

• Muhammad- threat to leaders• Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina

in 622; this marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar

• The Meccan migrants in Medina bound themselves into a Umma

• Umma: a community defined solely by acceptance of Islam and of Muhammad as the “messenger of God.”

5 Pillars of Islam-Belief in one God

-Prayer 5 times a day

-Paying alms,

-Fasting

-One pilgrimage to Mecca in a lifetime

Qu’ran

Civil War

• Umma disagreed regarding the succession to the Caliphate

• After the assassination of the 3rd caliph, civil war struck

• Rebels from the army nominated Ali to be the new caliph

The Umayyad Caliphate

• The Umayyad Caliphate started when Mu’awiya chose his son to succeed him

• The Shi’ites believed Ali was the rightful successor and that Ali’s descendants should succeed him

• The Sunnis considered the caliphs to be cover ups

• They revolved into Kharijite sects who claimed honor for themselves alone

The Fall of the Umayyad Caliphate/ Start of Abbasid

• The family of Abbas, an uncle of Muhammad, took over and established the Abbasid Caliphate

• The Abbasid Caliphate held power until 1258

Political Fragmentation

• The Abbasid Decline became apparent in the middle of the 9th century as the conversion to Islam increased

• Keeping up with a vast empire wasn’t easy• The empire was so big that they couldn’t

control the people or get word across to other parts of their empire without difficulty

Arab Forces

• During expansion, Arab forces were organized into regular, paid armies

• Kept military camps and military towns so they didn’t overrun the countryside

• Arab Muslims became minority-rulers

• Didn’t try to convert conquered people

Literature and Learning • Thrived under the Abbasids• Translated the Greek texts and secular

Arab poetry• Baghdad was the center of the Abbasid

culture• Acceleration of the rate of conversion of

non-Muslim subjects to Islam at this time

Decline of Abbasid Power

• 2nd half of the 9th century as the caliphs found it nearly impossible to maintain control over their vast empire

• Factors:- difficulty of transportation and communication-dissatisfaction of non-Muslim populations

Result of Decline

• 9th century local results carved the Abbasid realm into smaller Muslims states

Baghdad

• Caliphs in Baghdad relied on Turkish slave troops called Mamluks

• Later in the 9th century, Mamluks were not paid properly

The Fall of the Abbasid Caliphate

• 945- Caliphate under control of Iranian Shi’ite people

• Abbasid Caliphate declined

• Various provincial regimes rose to power

-Samanids in Bukhara

-Fatimids in Egypt

Political Diversity

• Underlying the political diversity of the fragmented Muslim world was a strong sense of religious identity preserved by the religious scholars: The Ulama

Assault from Within and Without

• In Central Asia and the Middle East, a nomad group called the Seljuk Turks took advantage of the decline of the Abbasids to establish the Suljik Sultanate

• They ruled a territory that stretched from Afghanistan to Baghdad

Collapse of Baghdad

• Their collapse was caused by:

-Substantial urbanization

-Introduction of citrus crops

-Diverse irrigated agricultural sector

Crusades

• The Crusades put some pressure on the Islamic lands

• There were further invations by:

-Turkish in 1250

-Mongols in 13th century

Islamic Civilization

• Law and Dogma

Hadith• Most important source of law was the

traditions of the Prophet (Sunna) as revealed in the reports (hadith) about his words and deeds

• Islamic specialists on law reviewed tens of thousands of hadith

Converts and Cities

• During early expansion converts to Islam needed to learn about their new religion

Urban Life

• Variation in urban social and religious life was due to no central authority to prescribe religious dogma

Academic Advances

• Significant advances in medicine and astronomy

Islam and Women

• Muslim women were veiled and secluded

• They could be influential in the family, but only slave women could have public appearance

• Muslim men feared women committing sexual infidelity or meddling in politics

Rights of Muslim Women

• Right to own property

• Retain property in marriage

• Right to divorce and remarry

• Right to testify in court

• Right to go on pilgrimage

Islam and Slaves

• Muslims were not permitted to enslave their fellow Muslims, Jews, Christians, or Zoroastrians. (exception: only when taken as prisoners of war)

• Muslims could and did hold non-Muslim slaves, but the status of slaves was not hereditary

Recentering of Islam

• Decline of Caliphate= no Islam religious center

• During the 12th and 13th centuries, two sources of religious authority developed:– Madrasas (religious colleges)– Sufi brotherhoods

Activity

• Directions: Match the number and letter that go together.

• For example, if #1 is letter C, you would write:

1.) C

• 1. Abbasid Caliphate • 2. Umayyad Caliphate• 3. Mecca• 4. Abraham• 5. Ka’ba• A. a shrine containing idols• B. started when Mu’awiya chose his son to

succeed him • C. believed to be the man who built the Ka’ba• D. where an uncle of Muhammad, took over and

established this Caliphate• E. the city where Muhammad was born