The World of Islam

Chapter 12

The Rise of IslamThe Arabs

Arose in the Arabian Peninsula and influenced Western Asia and beyond.

They were a nomadic, Semitic-speaking people who lived in the arid climate of the Arabian Peninsula.

The environment was harsh, they were organized into tribes and were led by a sheikh who was chosen from a council of elders. The tribes were independent, but worked together

Early Religion-Most Early Arabs were polytheistic, many recognized a chief, or supreme god who they called Allah which is Arabic for “God.”

-Allah was symbolized by a sacred stone, each tribe had their own stone, but there was one central stone called the Black stone which was placed in the shrine called the Kaaba.

-This shrine was located in the city of Makkah (Mecca) in what is now Saudi Arabia.

Trade

The Arabian Peninsula became an important center for trade. The city of Mecca became rich from the caravan trade traffic which passed through the area.

The domestication of the camel enabled traffic to cross the deserts and as empires grew up in the region trade increased greatly.

As the merchants became rich from the Caravan traffic the life of the poor people of the area suffered.

The Life of Muhammad

Muhammad was born in Makkah in present-day Saudi Arabia to a merchant family. His parents died when he was young and he ended up living with his uncle who was a merchant and he became a caravan manager.

Muhammad in

Arabic Calligraphy

Muhammad married an older widow named Khadija.

Over time, he found the richness and corruption of the merchants and townspeople to be troubling.

He decided to visit the hills to meditate. Muslims believe that while he was meditating in the hills he received revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel.

Muhammad’s Revelation

Muslims believe the Angel Gabriel told Muhammad to recite what he heard, it was believed that Allah had already revealed himself through Moses and Jesus, but now had a final revelation for man.

This final revelation became the religion of Islam. Which means submission to the will of God.

The Quran (Koran)

The revelations to Muhammad were written down by scribes and became known as The Quran, which is the holy book of Islam.

The Quran contains ethical guidelines and laws by which Muslims (followers of Islam) should live their lives.

The Nature of The QuranThe Quran is written in Arabic, which was the language

of Muhammad.

The Quran is considered to only be true when it is written in its original language. Translations are thought to lose the true meaning of the original words which are believed to be a direct revelation from God.

The Muslim observance of Ramadan is to commemorate the recording of the holy text.

The KaabaAfter Muhammad took the city

of Makkah he cleansed the Kaaba of idols and dedicated it to Allah, who he taught was the one true God.

All Muslims are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to Makkah known as the Hajj at least once in their life if they are physically and financially able.

The Teachings of MuhammadIslam is Monotheistic, like Judaism and Christianity.

Islam teaches a belief in an afterlife, those who hope to achieve this afterlife must submit to the will of Allah.

Muslims do not believe the Muhammad was divine, they believe that he was a man.

Islam is seen not just as a religion, but as a way of life.

Muslims believe that Islam was God’s final revelation for mankind. Muslims feel that in order to achieve salvation that they must obey the will of Allah, or God.

In order to do this they must follow the five major principles of Islam known as the Five Pillars of Islam.

The Five Pillars of Islam• 1-Declaration of Faith– Muslims must state that there is not God but Allah

and Muhammad is his prophet.

• 2. Daily Prayer– Muslims must pray five times a day facing the

Kaaba in Mecca. • Pre Dawn• Noon• Afternoon• Sunset• Evening

Five Pillars Continued . . .

3. Charity– Muslims are supposed to help others and donate

part of their income to charity.

4. Fasting-RamadanMuslims must fast from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan which celebrates the recording of the Quran.

Hajj• 5. Pilgrimage: Hajj– The fifth pillar of Islam is the Hajj. – Once in a lifetime, if they are physically and

financially able , Muslims are to journey to Mecca (Makkah) in Saudi Arabia and perform the rituals of the Hajj.

Islamic Law• After the death of Muhammad there were further

interpretations of his teachings. These are known as the Hadith. There are different versions of the Hadith for different branches of Islam.

• These teachings were further interpreted in the Shari’ah. This is a set of laws which regulate many aspects of Muslim life. It does not separate between church and state and covers family life, business, government, and moral conduct.

• Muslims are expected to practice honesty and justice in dealing with others and are forbidden to gamble, eat pork, drink alcohol, or engage in dishonest behavior.

Facts about Islam

• Quran (Koran)-Holy book of Islam

• Muslim- A follower of Islam

• Mosque- A Muslim House of Worship

• Minarets- The towers located on a Mosque from which the Muezzin calls the faithful to prayer.

Minaret

Creation of An Arab Empire• After the death of Muhammad, unity was difficult to

maintain.• The friend and father-in-law of Muhammad, Abu

Bakr, was chosen to be the first Caliph, or successor to Muhammad.

• Abu Bakr helped to unify the Muslim world and expanded in Arabia and beyond.

• Under the idea of jihad, or “struggle in the way of God” the early Muslims expanded their territory. The believed that defensive warfare was permitted by the Quran.

Arab Rule• The Arabs were now united and expanded their

territory instead of fighting each other. • They defeated the Byzantine army in 636 taking the

province of Syria. By 642 they took Egypt and by 650 they controlled the Persian Empire

After Abu Bakr died there was conflict over who would be the next Caliph.

The next two Caliphs were both assassinated.

After that Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali wasappointed Caliph, but five years later he too was assassinated.

Administration• Muslims administrators were fairly tolerant of

the people they defeated.

• Initially, both Christians and Jews were allowed to practice their religions, with some restrictions, because they were “People of the Book” who had written scriptures revealed to them by God before the time of Muhammad. Those who chose not to convert had to be loyal to the Muslim state and pay a special tax.

Sunni vs. Shi’a (Shiite)

• Sunni Muslims supported the Umayyad Dynasty. They believe the Caliph does not need to be a direct descendant of Muhammad.

• Shi’a Muslims supported Hussein and believe that the Caliph should be a direct descendant of Muhammad through his son-in-law Ali and his grandson.

Seljuk Turks and the Crusades

• As the Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt became more powerful they became the new center of the Muslim world.

• One group which came to power in this region were the Seljuk Turks. – The Turks played a large role in the military and

many rose through the ranks to gain a lot of political power.

• The Turks were originally a nomadic people who converted to Islam and were great soldiers in the Abbasid caliphate.

• As the Abbasids weakened, the Turks became stronger moving into the areas of Iran and Armenia. They eventually took over many Abbasid territories.

The CrusadesThe Crusades• The Byzantine Emperor Alexius I sent a letter

to the Pope (Urban II) asking for help against the Turks.

• This led to a series of wars in 1096 known as The Crusades.

• At first the Crusaders were successful and took the city of Jerusalem.

• In 1187 the Muslim leader Saladin retook the city, leaving the Christians with only a small collection of land holdings in the Middle East.

• The Crusades had a lasting impact-breeding centuries of mistrust between the Muslim world and the Christian World.

Prosperity in the Islamic World• The Muslim empires carried on extensive trade with China,

the Byzantine Empire, India, and SE Asia.• Trade was done by ship and by camel caravans which traveled

from Morocco in to West to the countries beyond the Caspian Sea in Central Asia.

• Goods– Sub Saharan Africa: Gold and Slaves– China: Silk and Porcelain– E. Africa: Gold and Ivory– SE Asia and India: Sandalwood and Spices.– Egypt: Grain– Iraq: Linen, Dates, and Precious Stones– W. India: Textiles

• The development of banking helped to facilitate trade and eventually influenced European banking systems during the European Renaissance.

Agriculture

• While cities were expanding a vast majority of the people still lived in the country and made their living in agriculture.

• Originally the land was owned by peasants, but was eventually bought by aristocrats and was worked by slave labor.

Islamic Society• Islam is considered more than just a religion, it is seen as

a way of life that encompasses politics, economics, and social life.

• According to the Quran, all people were equal in the eyes of Allah, but in reality, the Muslim Empires did not follow this ideal. There was a well developed upper and lower class.

• Non-Muslims were not considered equal to Muslims and slavery was widespread (as in the rest of the ancient world). Slaves were usually non-Muslims because Islamic law made it illegal for one Muslim to enslave another.– Slaves served in the military or served as domestic servants.– Slaves could sometimes purchase their freedom and it was

considered a good act to free ones slaves.

The Role of Women

• Originally, the Quran granted women spiritual and social equality with men. Both men and women were to be friends and protectors of one another.

• Women could earn a living and own and inherit property. They played a prominent role in the rise of Islam.

• Men and Women had assigned social duties, but most societies in which Islam arose were male dominated

• Women in these societies had to have a male guardian and parents arranged marriages for their children.

• Men could have up to four wives, but they had to pay a dowry (gift of money or property) to their wives’ families.

• Women did have the right to divorce and adultery was forbidden for both men and women.

• After the spread of Islam local traditions began to assert themselves and many of the rights that were initially given to women in Islam were replaced by older traditions which denied women equal rights. A similar thing happened to the rights of early Christian women once Christianity became merged with Roman influence.

The Veil• The veil worn by Muslim women is traditionally

called the Hijab.• The ideal of women wearing veils was common in

many Middle Eastern cultures before the advent of Islam. – In Ancient Mesopotamia a veil was a symbol of status,

purity, and moral character.• There is some controversy over this use of these

veils today. There are different interpretations of this tradition in different parts of the Muslim world. In general, women and men are supposed to dress modestly, the degree of that modesty varies from region to region according to local custom and tradition.

• In the Quran the Hijab has different meanings it can mean a curtain or partition dividing rooms--in other

verses it is a sacred divide between the earth and holy, god and human, light and dark, and men and women.

The Hijab covers the head and Neck The Chador covers the full body with a head scarf underneath.

The Burka (Burqa) is a veil that completely covers the face and body.

The covering that women wear varies from country to country.

Philosophy, Science, and History

• The Arab world was aware of Greek thought and had been in the process of translating and preserving these works for years. This becomes very important later on when this knowledge is rediscovered by Europe during The Renaissance.

• The knowledge of the Muslim world was preserved in Baghdad in a library known as the House of Wisdom.

Preservation of Knowledge• Muslim scholars helped to preserve the

knowledge of Greece and Rome by translating works and making them available to other scholars.– It is because of this that European scholars were

able to rediscover the works of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers.

– In the twelfth century these works were translated into Latin .

– The discovery of paper-making technology from China made this much easier.

Islamic Advancements

• Muslims scholars not only preserved works of Greek philosophy, they also interpreted the works and wrote extensive commentary on them.– The Muslim philosopher

Ibn-Rushd wrote on nearly all of Aristotle’s works.

Math and Science

• Muslim scholars adopted and passed on the numerical system of India, and the use of zero. These numbers came to be known in the west as Arabic numbers.

• A ninth-century Arab mathematician also developed algebra.