ISLAM-Ch11

Beginnings of Islam

• Spiritually-Islam was founded by Ibrahim/Abraham, about 2000 BC

• Historically-Islam began with the Prophet Muhammad, born in 570AD

• Historically, Islam was founded by Muhammad about 622AD

Beginnings of Islam• Ibrahim/Abraham-founder of both Judaism &

Islam, ancestor of Jews and Arabs.• Sons: – Isaac, Ancestor of the Jews– Ishmail-Ancestor of the Arabs– Over the generations, both Arabs and Jews fell away

from the true faith

• God sent prophets, including Moses & Jesus to recall people to the true faith

• God sent the last & greatest prophet, Muhammad, in 570AD

Byzantine Empire

• The Byzantine Empire dominated the region of the Mediterranean and much of the middle east just before Muhammad was born

Middle East, ca. 600 A.D.

Arabia

• The climate of Arabia was mostly desert, except for narrow strips along the coasts.

• In most places, people could not grow crops, so the people in most of Arabia lived by herding sheep & camels.

• Bedouins-nomadic herders of Arabia, who lived in tribes.

• There was frequent tribal warfare, often over water.• A bedouin tribal leader was called a sheik.

Arabia• Near the coasts the climate was milder, and there were towns• Townspeople were often traders• The N-S trade route to Damascus ran through Mecca (Makkah)• Mecca was also the location of a shrine called the Kaaba

Before Muhammad-Mecca & the Kaaba

• Kaaba – cube shaped shrine in Mecca

• Before Muhammad, it contained 360 idols (statues of pagan gods), as well as a black stone, probably a meteorite

• Kaaba was holy to many Arabs, who at that time were mostly polytheistic.

The Ka’aba in Mecca

Muhammad• Born about 570 A.D.• Raised by relatives

-father died before he was born; mother died when he was six

-Taken in by his grandfather, who also soon died. Raised by his uncle.

Muhammad-Early Life• He couldn’t read or write. • In his youth, he worked for a while as a shepherd, then as a caravan trader;

Employer – wealthy widow named Khadijah• Supervised caravans from Mecca to Jerusalem and Damascus.• Had contact with both Jews and Christians, who believed in a single God,

while most Arabs at this time were polytheistic. • Married Khadijah. They had several children, but only one daughter, Fatima,

lived to adulthood.

MUHAMMAD’s REVELATIONS

• When he was 40, he had was praying in a cave and had a revelation from the Angel Gabriel (Jibreel in Arabic), who spoke to him & revealed verses that Muhammad was to recite

• At first Muhammad was terrified & told no one, but finally he told his wife Khadija & she encouraged him

• He soon began to teach others what had been revealed to him.

Muhammad began to teach

• Continued to have revelations & continued to teach in Mecca. A group of followers began to form

• The central idea revealed to him was that there is only One God.

• Allah is the Arabic word for God (Allah is not a name, but the Arabic word that means God. Allah is the same God worshipped by Jews, Christians & others.)

Muhammad-Hijrah• Merchants of Mecca became hostile to his teaching,

because they feared it would ruin their business from pilgrims coming to visit the many idols in the Kaaba. Also, it contradicted their polytheistic beliefs.

• 622AD: Muhammad & his followers were persecuted by the merchants of Mecca, and they fled to Yathrib (later renamed Medina, “city of the Prophet”).

• This flight from Mecca is called the “Hijrah”, and it became the year 1 in the Islamic Calendar.

Muhammad, Return to Mecca• Muhammad preached to the people of Yathrib/Medina,

and became an important leader there. .• Many people in Yathrib/Medina, as well as many desert

tribes, responded by accepting his message. • Then war broke out between Yathrib/Medina & Mecca• After several battles, Yathrib/Medina began to win the

war.• 630AD: Muhammad led an army of his followers and

took control of Mecca• Muhammad “cleansed” the Kaaba throwing out the

idols and consecrating it to Allah, the One God.

630-632AD: More and more Arabs accepted Muhammad’s ideas

Religion became known as Islam, the followers of Islam were called Muslims

Muhammad died 2 years later, in 632, and was buried in Medina.

By the time he died, many people in Arabia had accepted Islam

In the years following Muhammad’s death, the religion spread over a wide area.

The central belief is that there is One God.

Five Pillars of Islam• 1) Faith (Shahadah)– ‘There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his

messenger “• 2) Prayer (Salat) five times a day, facing Mecca• 3) Fasting (Sawm) from food and drink from sun-up

to sun-down during the month of Ramadan• 4) Charity (Zakat) to the poor-a minimum of 2.5% of

your wealth.• 5) Pilgrimage (Hajj)to Mecca, if you can afford it,

once in your life

Holy Books• The Qur’an-–Most holy book of Islam

–Muslims believe: • The Qur’an is the word of God as

revealed to Muhammad

• The authentic Qur’an is always in the Arabic language, because it was revealed to Muhammad in Arabic, and if it is translated, God’s words could be distorted or changed.

– Includes many of the same people and stories that are found in the Christian & Jewish scriptures.

Lesser Holy books• Books that are important and respected, but are

not as holy as the Qur’an. They are not directly the word of God. – 1)Hadith-Traditions of Muhammad’s life

– 2)Sharia-Book of Islamic law based on teaching in the Qur’an & Hadith

– 3)Some parts of the Jewish & Christian Scriptures: particularly the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel (story of the life of Jesus). Muslims believe that in their original form these were true, but over time some parts were changed and some inaccuracies came in.

People of the Book

• Jews & Christians are called “People of the Book” because they have holy books that are similar to the Qur’an. These religions are recognized as having a closer connection to Islam than other religions.

Articles of Faith1) One God, who is supreme, eternal, infinite, & merciful (Allah is the word for God), the same God worshiped by Christians & Jews. However, Muslims do not believe in a Trinity. 2) Angels: beings of light who serve God. 3) Scriptures: primarily the Qur’an, and to a lesser extent, Hadith, Sharia, parts of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures.

Articles of Faith4) Prophets: Muhammad was the last & most important. Other prophets include Ibrahim (Abraham), Moses and Jesus. 5) Resurrection: At the end of the world, every human will be resurrected & judged for whatever they have done. The innocent will stay in heaven, the guilty will go to hell. 6) Divine Will (Predestination): God knows everything, including what will happen. God has given humans free choice. However, He knows what they will choose.

Islam-Worship & other practices• Mosque-Muslim place of worship

• Very little furniture; people kneel on rugs• A niche showing the direction toward

Mecca• No pictures of people or animals• Prayer leader called an Imam, but no

priests.

Prayer• Prayer can be at any time, in any place,

using our own words and in any language, but there are formal prayers 5 times a day. The formal prayers are traditionally in Arabic.

• Traditionally the call to prayer was issued by a “muezzin” from a tall tower called a “minaret”

• The traditional way to pray is on a special prayer rug, after a ceremonial washing, facing Mecca.

Dietary rules: food and Drink

• Dietary rules: • Muslims do not eat pork or drink alcohol

Other practices• Modesty in dress– Muslims are expected to

be modest in their dress.– Different individual

Muslims interpret this differently.

– Some women wear the whole burqa, some wear the hijab (head scarf). Some don’t wear the hijab, but they are still expected to be modest.

– Men are also expected to be modest

Worship• Worship on Friday at noon

(Fri-Islam; Sat-Judaism; Sun-Christianity)

• Women at a Mosque usually pray in a separate area, often behind a screen

• People take off their shoes. They kneel on a rug for prayers. Traditionally they line up for prayers. Prayers involve kneeling and a sequence of motions.

Jihad• Means “struggle against evil”• Greater Jihad-struggle with evil within

oneself• Lesser Jihad-struggle with evil in the world• Often translated “holy war”, but this is a

misunderstanding• Corresponds to the word “crusade” in

English

“Rightly Guided Caliphs” –the 1st 4 Caliphs- 632-661AD

• Muhammad died in 632AD• Caliph: successor of Muhammad, both

political and religious leader.• Caliphate-land ruled by a Caliph

Abu Bakr-1st Caliph

• Upon the death of Muhammad in 632AD, the Muslim community chose Muhammad’s close friend Abu Bakr as their leader, or “Caliph”. • A Caliph was a successor of Muhammad as the leader

of the Muslim community.• In his 2 years as Caliph, Abu Bakr spread Islam

throughout Arabia• Abu Bakr died in 634AD. • Abu Bakr was the first of 4 Caliphs called the “Rightly

Guided Caliphs”: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali

Umar – 634AD-644AD• Chosen as 2nd Caliph. • Led Muslim armies to quickly conquer more land,

including Egypt, Palestine & Syria, which had been part of the Byzantine Empire, and Iraq, which had been part of the Persian Empire.• Reasons for success of the conquering Muslim

armies– Common faith– Fast horse & camel cavalry– Old Empires, the Byzantine Empire & Persian Empire,

were weakening.

Spread of Islam

Rule of Conquered people

–Many people in the conquered lands chose to convert because of the simple message of one God (Allah) and the belief in the equality of all believers, regardless of race

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK• Jews and Christians are called “People of

the Book”, because they have holy books similar to the Qur’an

• Judaism and Christianity were respected, and as Islam spread and became the official religion of many countries, they were not forced to convert.

• However, Jews and Christians were required to pay a special tax called the Jizrah.

UTHMAN 644-656

• Chosen as 3rd Caliph; • Continued the conquests, conquering lands that had

been part of the Byzantine & Persian Empires• Uthman was assassinated by rebels who believed he

favored his own clan. .

•

ALI 656-661• Ali was the son-in-law of Muhammad, the husband

of Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah. • Chosen as the 4th Caliph after the assassination of

Uthman• Muawiyah (a relative of Uthman) and his

supporters were angry, because he believed that Ali and his supporters were involved in the assassination of Uthman. A civil war broke out. • Ali was assassinated, and later Ali’s son Husayn was

also assassinated

SPLIT IN ISLAM- Some Muslims wanted Muawiyah as the next Caliph and

some did not. There was a civil war and a split in Islam- Sunni –

- Muslims who supported Muawiyah, Majority of Muslims;

- they said any devout Muslim man was qualified to be Caliph, no preference to relatives of Muhammad

– Shi’ites (Shi’a)»minority group that refused to acknowledge

Muawiyah» said the Caliph should be a relative of Muhammad

– .

SPLIT IN ISLAM-continued• Sufi-– a 3rd sect of Islam that

formed later. – Sought union with God

(Allah) through mystical practices such as meditation and dance. The Sufi dancing features spinning

– Rabi’ah al Adawiyah was a famous Sufi poet (female)

UMAYYAD DYNASTY – 661AD-750AD

– Muawiyah, of the Umayya clan, was recognized as Caliph by the Sunni (majority of Muslims)

– Muawiya established the Umayyad dynasty, and leadership of the Muslim Empire became inherited

– Umayyad family moved the capital of the Muslim Empire from Medina to Damascus in Syria.

Dome of the Rock,

Temple Mount Jerusalem

Umayyad Dynasty, continued– Umayyad dynasty continued to spread

Islam across North Africa, to the people called the Berbers.

– In 711AD, a Berber leader named Tariq led armies from North Africa into Spain, at the great rock that overlooks the strait between Africa & Europe( strait-strait of Gibraltar; the strait & rock are named for him: Jabal Tariq.

– Muslims conquered & ruled Spain for several hundred years.

– There was a brilliant culture, centered at a city called Cordoba.

– Muslims of North Africa and Spain were sometimes called Moors.

Expansion into Spain

– Muslims conquered & ruled Spain for several hundred years.

– There was a brilliant culture, centered at a city called Cordoba.

– Muslims of North Africa and Spain were sometimes called Moors

Jabal Tariq-Rock of Gibraltar

Umayyad Dynasty-Europe strikes back!!• Muslim armies attempted to

advance north into France, They crossed the Pyrenees mountains into France.

• In 732AD , the invading Muslim army was defeated by the Frankish leader Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours.

• Thus Muslims ruled Spain but advanced no farther into Western Europe.

End of Umayyad Dynasty• Some Muslims began to think the

Umayyad Caliphs were living in too much luxury

• 750AD: There was a revolt led by Abu al Abbas, a member of the Abbasid clan. The Umayyad dynasty was overthrown

• All the remaining Umayyads were invited to a banquet, and slaughtered. One escaped and fled to Spain, where he set up a Umayyad dynasty in Spain.

ABBASID DYNASTY 750AD-1258AD-Golden Age

• A new Muslim dynasty took control, called the Abbasid dynasty.

• Abbasid Caliphs ruled the Muslim Empire for several hundred years.

• 764AD: Caliph al Mansur moved the capital to a new city, Baghdad, which became a city of great beauty and the center of brilliant Muslim culture. Golden Age of Islamic Culture.

700s-800sAD-High point of Abbasid Dynasty-Golden Age

• The high point of the Abbasid dynasty was from the 700sAD-800sAD, under Caliph Harun al Rashid, who was known for wealth and generosity, and his son, Caliph al Mamun.

• Baghdad was the center of trade and a brilliant culture

Baghdad-Al Mamum-House of Wisdom

• Baghdad was the center of trade and a brilliant culture

• Science and mathematics flourished. A great center of learning, called the House of Wisdom, was established in Baghdad by Caliph al Mamun

Abbasid Dynasty, continued• Pieces began to break off from the main Muslim Empire ruled by the

Abbasid Caliphate• A Caliphate is a country ruled by a Caliph..• Spain broke off, and a separate Caliphate was established there. Later Egypt

broke off and established a separate Caliphate. Soon other pieces broke off. • The main Muslim Empire continued to be ruled from Baghdad.

WHO WERE THE TURKS?• 900sAD-Nomadic people called the

Turks from the steppes of central Asia moved into the Middle East. They converted to Islam

• Turks settled near Baghdad, and became soldiers for the Abbasid Caliph.

• Gradually, the Turks became more powerful, and the leader of the Turks, called the Sultan, had the real power and the position of Caliph became symbolic, but the Caliphate continued.

The Crusades-A SUMMARY• The Turks started taking over land in what is now

Asia Minor, and the Byz. Emperor asked the Pope for help

• From 1095AD-1295AD, Christian knights fought a series of wars against the Turks & other Muslims of the Middle East.

• Goals: protect Byz. Empire; gain control of the Holy land.

• The Christians won some victories, and temporarily gained control the Holy Land (including Palestine & the city of Jerusalem

• 1100s: A great Muslim leader named Saladin led Muslim forces in regaining Jerusalem.

• By 1295, all of the Holy Land (including Palestine & Jerusalem) was again under Muslim control.

CRUSADES-A LITTLE MORE DETAIL

• There were 8 main Crusades.• In the 1st Crusade, the Christian

Crusaders succeeded in capturing the Holy Land, including Jerusalem.

• They set up 4 “kingdoms” where Christians and Muslims lived side by side in uneasy peace for a time.

Crusades-a little more detail

• Between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades, a Muslim leader named Saladin arose, rallied the Muslim forces, and took back Jerusalem.

• The 3rd Crusade was launched to try to get Jerusalem and the surrounding land back in Christian hands.

• Leader of the Crusaders: King Richard of England; Leader of the Muslims: Saladin

A little more about the Crusades

• The 3rd Crusade ended in a treaty. Jerusalem would remain in Muslim hands, and several other cities would remain in Christian hands. Christians would be allowed to visit holy places in Jerusalem.

• Unfortunately, the Crusades didn’t end here. After the deaths of Saladin and Richard, both sides broke the treaty and they were fighting again.

END RESULT OF THE CRUSADES

• By 1295, at the end of the Crusades, all the Holy Land was back in Muslim hands.

MORE TROUBLE-THE MONGOLSIn 1258, Mongols

under Hulagu Khan, a grandson of Genghiz Khan, invaded and destroyed much of Baghdad. This ended the Abbasid Caliphate.

.

Ottoman Turks• The Ottoman Turks were a later

group of Turks that gained power and established an empire. The Ottoman Turks expelled the Mongols, and took control of the Middle East.

• The Empire of the Ottoman Turks became the dominant power in the Middle East

• The Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, renamed it Istanbul, and it became the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

TRADE in the Muslim Empire• Trade was very important in the Muslim world: Arabs

had been traders for centuries. Muhammad had been a trader.

• Muslim Empire located between Europe, Africa & Asia. • Goods produced and sold included woven tapestries

and carpets, steel swords (from Damascus & Toledo in Spain), Jewelry, perfume, spices; fine leather goods

EXCHANGE OF IDEAS• Muslims exchanged ideas with other cultures, as well as

trading with them.

• Many Europeans of the Middle Ages regarded the Muslim world as more advanced in science & in areas like banking & commerce.

• Muslim ideas came into Europe from Spain and Sicily, which were the parts of the Muslim world with which Europeans had the most contact.

• Often Jewish scholars, who had contact with both, carried the ideas of Muslim scholars into Europe.

GOVERNMENT• At first, there was one Muslim Empire, with

one Caliph• During the Abbasid Dynasty, Spain and later

Egypt & North Africa broke off. So there were 3 Caliphates, with 3 Caliphs, one in Baghdad, one in Cordoba (Spain) and one in Cairo (Egypt)

• There was no separation of government and religion. All Muslims followed the Qur’an and the Sharia, which was the book of laws based on the teachings of Islam

Government, Society & Daily life• There was no separation of government

and religion. All Muslims followed the Qur’an and the Sharia, which was the book of laws based on the teachings of Islam

• The Qur’an & Sharia gave detailed instructions on how society should be organized, and how people should live their daily lives.

Society• Slavery was common, but followed rules: A Muslim

could not take another Muslim as a slave. • However, if a slave converted to Islam after he/she

had been made a slave, he/she was not set free, but his/her children would be free. children of the master with a female slave were free;

• Qur’an encouraged but did not require Muslims to free slaves, and required them to treat slaves humanely

Society-family• Family was the core of Muslim daily life• Respected the elderly• Everyone in the family had roles & duties; father-

to support the family; mother to care for the home and children;

• Marriages were usually arranged, but both the man and woman had the right to refuse.

• The husband was required to give the wife a marriage gift of property or money.

• Men could have up to 4 wives, but had to support them all equally

Society-Women• Qur’an improved the status of women &

gave them more rights than under traditional Arabic law

• Rights of women: right to an education; to inherit and own property; if she was divorced, she kept her property and could remarry.

• Later, in some Muslim cultures, women began to be secluded and lost some rights, but this was because of culture, not religion.

Society-Education• The family and the mosque usually took

responsibility for education• The ability to speak well was important• The ability to read was encouraged, so one

could read the Qur’an• Many people memorized large portions, or

all, of the Qur’an• Some governments supported schools &

libraries, including advanced schools for science, medicine, math & law

Sciences• As they conquered lands and traded,

Muslims got ideas from many places, including: – India-Mathematics & Astronomy– China-paper making– Greece (Byzantine Empire)-Ancient Greek

Philosophy & science. Also architecture (domes, etc).

• Muslims built on these ideas, added many new ones, and excelled at science, medicine and math

Medicine• Built on the work of Greek & Byzantine

physicians• Muslim physicians: – Developed and prepared medical drugs, &

developed techniques, such as distillation– Used dissection to study anatomy– Learned to correctly diagnose many diseases

• Muslim medical practices were much more advanced than in Europe at the time.

Medicine In Baghdad

• Baghdad: – Doctors had to pass

an examination. – World’s first school of

pharmacy – One of the world’s

first public hospitals

Al Qasim

• Abu al-Qasim– Practiced in Cordoba, Spain– Developed surgical techniques– Invented about 200 surgical

instruments, including scalpels, forceps, a better needle, use of catgut for stitching.

– Wrote & illustrated one of the most important books on surgical techniques.

Medicine & famous doctors. • Al Razi: – chief physician at hospital in Baghdad in 900s; first to

study and clearly describe smallpox and measles;

•

IBN SINA • Ibn Sina– Persian. wrote “Canon of

Medicine” , the most important medical book used for hundreds of years

– Called “Avicena” by Europeans.

Geography• Studied Greek & Byzantine maps &

improved them• Al-Idrisi sent people to other countries, had

them draw maps, and then combined them to make larger, more accurate maps

• Adopted and improved a Greek invention called the astrolabe which allowed observers to determine the angle of the sun or stars above the horizon, and then this information was used to determine latitude.

Map of Al Idrisi (Europe, North Africa, Asia)

http://www.astrolabes.org/mariner.htm

MATH• “Arabic numerals”– About 800AD, Muslim traders learned a new number system

from India, in which any number could be expressed using the digits 0-9. The numbers also had “place value”. This was the ancestor of our number system.

– When Europeans learned this system from Muslims, they called this number system “Arabic numerals”

Math, continued

• Al-Khwarizmi developed algebra as we know it. He called it al-jabr—algebra--which means “restoring an unknown”.

Islamic Art• The Qur’an forbids using images to show

God. • Islamic teaching also discourages pictures of

humans or animals in religious art (they were permitted in purely non-religious art).

• Muslim artists developed forms of art that did not involve people or animals:– Calligraphy-beautiful writing of Arabic verses

from the Qu’ran– “Arabesque”-geometric & floral designs for

decoration

Calligraphy- beautiful writing, usually arabic writing from the

Qu’ran

Calligraphy

Calligraphy

Calligraphy

Arabesque

Arabesque

Arabesque

Rugs, including Prayer Rugs

• Prayer Rugs are used for kneeling in prayer 5 times a day

• Placed on the floor so the arch in the design points toward Mecca

• Also elaborate rugs and carpets were woven and used for non-religious purposes.

Architecture-Mosques• Architecture became one of the greates

forms of Islamic Art• Inspired by Byzantine Architecture• Included mosques, palaces, libraries, but

the most famous examples were mosques

Mosques• The first mosques were modeled after

Muhammad’s private courtyard in Medina, where he led community prayer

• The early mosques were simple, open courtyards, but gradually became more elaborate

• Often mosques were used not only as religious centers, but also as community centers and schools.

Mosques• Interior– Large space for prayer-very little furniture– Niche that faces Mecca

• Exterior– Minarets – towers– Dome on top (often, but not always)

g

Literature

• Qur’an itself is beautiful literature• Islamic writers also produced beautiful poetry• Most famous collection of stories: “1001

Nights”

“The Thousand and One Nights”

• Main story-Scheherazade uses talent for telling to avoid being executed by the cruel Sultan

• Stories within the story include: Aladdin, Sinbad, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”

Mosques-Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain

“Blue Mosque” - Istanbul

“Blue Mosque” -

Istanbul

“Blue Mosque”