Islam in the Heartlands and Beyond

Consolidation of Sunni Orthodoxy

• Decline of Caliphate enables rise of Ulama (scholars of Islamic law).

• Rise of the Madrasa formalized Ulama training

• Sunni forcus on Orthopraxy--correct practice, not Orthodoxy--correct belief

• Orthopraxy is defined by the Ulama. • By 1000, Orthopraxy is fairly settled

Sufi Piety

• Sufi are mystics who focus on simple life and communion with Allah

• Asceticism and/or devotionalism

• By 11th century, brotherhoods arise, often persecuted

Consolidation of Shi’ite Tradition

• Seveners / Isma’illis:– 7 Imams– Often Revolutionary– Esoteric, Mystical Interpretation of

Koran/Hadith– Fatmid Empire was Apex (10th-12 century AD)

Consolidation of Shi’ite Islam (II): Twelver Shi’a

• 12 Imams before line ends

• More literal interpretation of holy texts

• 80% of Shi’ites

• Add Hadith from the 12 Imams

• The last Imam will return at end of time as the Mahdi; together with Jesus, he will reform the world to purity– Lots of would be revolutionaries claim the title

The Islamic West

• Umayyad Dynasty in Spain (755-1086 AD)

• Almoravid Dynasty (1086-1147 AD)

• Almohads (1147-1225 AD)

Ibn-Rushd

Ibn Rushd / Averroes (1126-1198 AD)

• Doctor, Philosopher, Polymath

• The Incoherence of the Incoherence– A Defense of Aristotelian Philosophy– Religion and Philosophy = two views of same

truths– Religion = Based on Faith, open to all– Philosophy = Grounded in Reason, only really

accessible to the educated.

Ibn Arabi (1165-1240 AD)

• Mystic and Philosopher and Sufi

• Emphasized mystic path on unlocking human potential to approach the divine

• Wrote 300 books

• The Seals of Wisdom was his masterpiece.

Moses Maimonides (1135-1204 AD)

• Jewish rabbi, doctor, and philosopher

• Many Greek ideas pass from Islam to Christianity through his work passing ideas to other Jews in Europe

• Tried to reconcile the Torah with Greek Philosophy

• Overcame initial opposition.

The Fatmid Empire (969-1171 AD)

The Fatmid Empire (969-1171 AD)

• Claimed descent from Mohammed through Fatima

• Tunisian Dynasty --> Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Sicily and Egypt

• Founded a Shi’ite Caliphate (Sevener)

• Founded Cairo as capital.

Fatmid Decline

• Isma’ili Assassins– Founded 1000 AD by Fatmid Defector– Esoteric, Mystical, Drugged Assassins– Destroyed by the Mongols

• Saladin and Nur al-Din– Rulers of Syria– Conquer Egypt in 1171 AD– Impose Sunni Islam

Mamluks (1250-1517 AD

• Slave Soldiers

• Used to overcome loyalty of tribal warriors to local leaders by Caliphs

• Overrused by Saladin’s descendents

• During Saint Louis’ crusade, they took over Egypt in 1250 AD

• Defeated the Mongols in 1260

Mamluk Apogee and Decline

• Sultan Baybars (1260-1277) overcomes Crusaders, sets up puppet Caliph

• Conquered by the Ottomans in 1517 AD

The Islamic East

• Abassid Usurpers:– Samanids at Bukhara (875-999 AD) and the

Buyids at Baghdad (945-1055 AD)

• The Seljuk Turks (1055-1194 AD)– Tugril Beg, Sultan--“Authority” (1037-1063

AD)– Seljuks controlled much of Abassid Caliphate;

for a time, trade and culture revived.

Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 AD)

• Sufi theologian, ulama, mystic, and philosopher

• Helped acceptance of Sufis by others

• The Incoherence of the Philosophers– Heavily condemned Greek-style philosophy as useless at best

and evil at worst– Only God’s will determines events– Most Islamic writers henceforth turned against philosophy;

contributes to eventual decline of Islamic nations compared to Europe

Islam and the Mongols

• Ilkhanid Dynasty (1261-1335 AD)

• Hulagu Khan founds it in 1250s

• Checked by the Mamluks in 1250 AD

• Tolerant rulers who eventually converted to Islam

• Decay after 1335 AD

Timurids

• Timur-i Lang (Timur the Lame / Tamerlane), 1336-1405 AD– Devastates central Asia, killing millions– Last of the Steppe Conquerors

• Timurid Dynasty (1405-1494 AD)

Islam in India and SE Asia

• Moslem Merchants spread Islam by Trade

• Various Groups of Moslems conquer pieces of India for a time, repeatedly– Dehli Sultanate (1200s-1400s)– Bahmanids (1347-1527 AD): South-Central India

(The Deccan)– Indonesia: Traditional Orthopraxy was challenged

due to things like the difficulty of pilgrimage to Mecca and Coast vs Interior Conflict.

Religious and Cultural Accomodation

• North India and Deccan = Moslem ruled over Hindu masses

• Ghazis = Warriors of Moslem Faith

• Hindus treated Moslems as new castes

• Persian is dominant Moslem language

• Urdu-Hindi blends local language and Persian and Arabic

Hindus under Moslem Rule

• Indian Buddhism dies

• Vaishnava Brahman Ramnuja (d. 1137) reconciles bhakti (popular devotion to a God) with Upanashadic religious tradition

The Gita Govinda (12th Century)

• By Jayadeva of Puri

• A masterwork of love poetry mixed with Theology, about Krishna (avatar of Vishnu) and his cowgirl lovers

• Redefines Vishnu worship to appeal to non-ruling caste members, as a love affair of bhakti devotion

• Krishna becomes the central figure of whom other gods are aspects.