THE ISLAMIC

EMPIRE

Essential Question:What was the impact of the

Islamic Empire under theAbbasids and the Umayyads?

Overview of Islam Around the year 600 CE, a new monotheistic religion

called Islam began

Islam was founded by the Prophet Muhammad in the

Arabian city of Mecca

After the Hijrah to the city of Medina, Muhammad gained Muslim converts and returned to Mecca,

conquering the city

Muslims believe in the Five Pillars of Islam:

Faith: belief in one God, Allah, and the Prophet MuhammadPrayer: 5 times per day towards Mecca Alms: 2.5% to charityFasting: During the month of RamadanHajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca

MECCA

Islam After MuhammadWhen Muhammad

died in 632, the Muslim community

elected a new leader called a

caliph (successor)The first four caliphs all knew Muhammad and promised to stay true

to the Qu’ran and Muhammad’s message

They became known as the “Rightly Guided Caliphs”

Islam After MuhammadThe first caliph was

Muhammad’s friend and father-in-law, Abu Bakr; his goal

was to keep Muslims under his government (the

“caliphate”) He used jihad to

control and expand the Islamic Empire

The Rightly Guided Caliphs The empire expanded under the next caliphs

During the Rightly Guided Caliphates, the Islamic Empire expanded “Dar-al-Islam”

(the areas where Islam is practiced)

The caliphate never forced non-Muslims to convert, especially “People of the Book” (Jews and Christians); they allowed religious tolerance

as long as taxes were paid to the Empire

The caliphs used the Shari'a (laws of Islam) to govern the Empire

The Umayyad EmpireAfter the death of the

fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, a civil war for control

of the Empire began

The clan that came to power started the

Umayyad Empire

However, the rise of Umayyads led to a

division in Islam

The Sunni-Shi’a SplitBefore the Umayyads, caliphs were

elected members of Muhammad’s familyShi’a Muslims

rejected the rule of the Umayyads

The Shi’a believe that caliphs must

come directly from Muhammad’s

bloodline

Sunni Muslims accepted the rule of

the UmayyadsThe Sunni believe

that caliphs should follow Muhammad’s example, but do not have to be relatives

The Umayyad EmpireThe Umayyads expanded the Empire, which brought wealth and new Islamic converts

In 750, the Umayyad Empire was overthrown by the Abbasids

Under the Abbasids, the Islamic Empire grew to its greatest

extent

The Abbasid EmpireThe Abbasids’ rule over the Islamic Empire

lasted from 750 to 1258

The Abbasid caliphate built a strong government bureaucracy to rule the Empire

The Abbasid Empire

Muslim merchants expanded the Empire’s wealth by trading across Africa, the Indian

Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea

The Abbasid EmpireWealth from trade led to a “golden age”, a time of great

Muslim achievements

in science, mathematics, medicine, and architecture

Closure Activity

Complete the Monotheism Chart on the back of your

notes