THE WORLD OF ISLAM

600-1500

The Arabs

Nomadic, organized into tribes, lived in the Arabian Peninsula

Ruled by a sheik Farmers,

sheepherders Ruled the caravan

trade, carried goods along Silk Road

The Arabs

Polytheistic, religious center Mecca

Mecca- sacred black stone called Kaaba

Supreme god Allah

Life of Muhammad

Born in Mecca, became caravan merchant Received revelations from God and angel

Gabriel Revelations became the Quran (635) Muhammad was God’s prophet, religion

became Islam Gained followers, moved to Medina Journey called Hijrah, year 622, year 1 on

Muslim calendar

Life of Muhammad

Muslims saw no separation between political and religious authority

Muhammad political, religious leader

630 return to Mecca, conquer city, convert all to Islam

Kaaba becomes sacred shrine of Islam

Teachings of Muhammad

Islam monotheistic Salvation, afterlife, submit to will of Allah Muhammad not divine Acts of worship Five Pillars of Islam Law Code- shari’ah, applies Quran to

daily life Regulates all parts of life- religion,

government, civic life

Five Pillars of Islam

Islam means “to submit to the will of God”

Belief Prayer Charity Fasting Pilgrimage

Arab Empire and Successors

632 death of Muhammad , left no successor

Abu Bakr named caliph, capital Medina

Islamic movement began to grow Quran permitted fair, defensive

warfare- jihad 636 Arabs defeat Byzantines 640 take over Syria 642 Egypt and North Africa 650 Persian Empire

Arab Rule

Reasons for successA. Arab rulers tolerantB. Conquered people not required to convert to Islam, just

pay taxes and be loyal to Muslim ruleC. Weakness of Byzantine, Persian Empires- Arabs seen

as liberators.D. Simple direct message of Islam (no religious hierarchy)

Abu Bakr no successor, fight over who would be caliph Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali ruler for five years

Umayyads

661 Muawiyah becomes caliph, established Umayyad Dynasty

Center of power- Damascus, Syria.

Conquered rest of North Africa, 710- 732 conquered Iberian Peninsula (major Islamic city Cordoba)

732 Muslim army defeated at Battle of Tours, halted expansion in Western Europe

Umayyads 732 Muslim army

defeated at Battle of Tours, halted expansion in Western Europe

717 Muslim navy defeated Constantinople

Arab advance ended Empire southern

Mediterranean, Spain, Southwest Asia, Central Asia

Split in Islam

Internal struggles, succession, Arabs vs. non Arabs

680 revolt against Umayyad rule Led by grandson of Muhammad Two groups emerge Shiite, Sunni Shiite- accepted descendants of Ali as

true rulers Sunni accept Umayyad rulers

Abbasid Dynasty Umayyad rule declined from corruption,

resentment by non- Arabs 750 Abu- Abbas overthrew Umayyad,

established Abbasid Dynasty Abbasid capital Baghdad New cultural outlook- not warriors but judges,

merchants, government officials

Abbasid Dynasty

Period of tolerance for non- Arab Muslims

Support for learning and the arts

Growing prosperity because they controlled the trade routes between Asia and Europe

Abbasid Dynasty

A. Fights over succession of caliphateB. Financial corruptionC. Caliphs recruited Persians and Turks for

positions in military and civil serviceD. Rulers of provinces break away from

central authority, establish independent dynasties (Spain, Morocco, Egypt)

Seljuk Turks

Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt and Abbasid’s used Turks for soldiers

1055 Turks capture Baghdad Abbasid Caliph was the religious leader.

Seljuk's held political, military power 1071 Seljuk’s defeat Byzantines and take

over Anatolian Peninsula

Crusades

Byzantine Emperor asks Christian Europe for help, began a series of Crusades 1066

Saladin defeated Christian invaders in Jerusalem (1187)

Beginning of mistrust between Muslims and Christians

Mongols

Mongols early 13th century came from Central Asia controlled most of Eurasia

Goal was to create terror so people would not fight back

1258 attacked Baghdad burned schools, libraries, mosques. Ended Abbasid Dynasty

Mongols eventually intermarried with locals, converted to Islam

Result of Mongol invasions new center of Islamic culture Cairo ,Egypt

Islamic Civilization

Period of 700-1500 Arab Empire prosperous

Trade with Asia, Africa, Europe Trade led to rise of cities (Baghdad,

Cairo, Damascus, Cordoba) Cities better than European cities

at the time Cities administrative, cultural,

economic and trade centers Vast majority made their living

herding, farming

Cities of the Islamic Empires

Cities had distinctive physical appearance

Palaces, mosques, fountains, secluded courtyards, marketplace (bazaar)

Art and Architecture Mosques dominated

cities, symbolic of Muslim architecture

Dome, arch adopted from Byzantines (Romans)

Walls and ceilings decorated with mosaics, abstract and geometric patterns, no human representation in religious art

Grand palaces

Muslim Manufactured Goods

Artisans produced leather (Spain), steel tools, swords (Damascus), cotton textiles (Egypt), carpets (Persia)

Trade led to new business practices, bought and sold on credit, sophisticated accounting

Islamic Society

Muslims live life according to Allah’s teaching in the Quran- politics, economics, social life followed Islamic teachings

Society more open than in Medieval Europe Social mobility possible All people were equal (except slaves, but they

were treated fairly) Women – inherit property, ask for divorce Women and men social and spiritual equals

Men could have more than one wife, had to pay a dowry

Culture of Islam

Muslim civilization influenced by traditions of diverse cultures Greeks, Romans, Persians, India

Arabs translated Greek works of Plato, Aristotle, math texts from India

Europeans discovered works of Greek philosophers from Arabic translations

Paper brought from China led to booksellers, libraries

Philosophy, Science, History

Pioneered study of algebra Developed medicine as a scientific field

of study, advances in public health Wrote medical text became standard in

Europe for 500 years (Muhammad al- Razi)

Europeans attended medical schools in Spain

Scientific study of history Studied astronomy (observatory in

Baghdad) Perfected astrolabe, used for ocean

navigation

Muslim Literature

Tradition of oral poetry

Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat

Collection of oral tales of adventure, romance, anecdotes set in Baghdad- 1001 Nights