Islam and the Arab Empire Chapter Nine Islam and the Arab Empire
Lesson One The First Muslims
The Middle East
The Modern Middle East
World Religions Today
Muslims in the U.S. Today
I. The Arabs A) organized into tribes to help one another; ruled by a sheikh B) lived as farmers and sheepherders on the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabs 1. towns developed along the trade routes b/w the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean
The Arabs C) Arabs trace their ancestors to Abraham who were believed to have built at Mecca the Kaaba, a house of worship whose cornerstone was a sacred stone, called the ‘Black Stone’
Abraham casts out Hagar and Ishmael “Father Abraham” Abraham casts out Hagar and Ishmael
The Kaaba
II. Life & Teachings of Muhammad A) Muhammad was a caravan manager who was troubled by the gap b/w rich and poor
Muhammad 1. Muhammad meditated and received revelations from God (Allah); message was given by the angel Gabriel
Qu’ran 2. from these revelations, the Qu’ran is written, the holy book of Islam
Qu’Ran
Muhammad B) Muhammad and his supporters moved from Mecca to Medina in hopes of gathering strength and more converts
Muhammad Moves to Medina
Muhammad very successful in Medina; Muhammad grew into a religious and political leader Muhammad also built an army to defend the Muslims; returned and attacked Mecca in 630
Muhammad Delivers His Final Sermon
Muhammad C) Muhammad is not considered divine, like Jesus, but a prophet and a man like other men; but one who received the direct words and wishes of Allah
D) Five Pillars of Islam: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” Pray five times a day, facing Mecca
Five Pillars of Islam 3. Giving alms to the poor
Five Pillars of Islam 4. Refraining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset through the holy month of Ramadan
Five Pillars of Islam 5. Make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in your life (hajj)
The Hajj
The Hajj
Five Pillars of Faith
Shari’ah E) the shari’ah – a law code produced by Muslim scholars to regulate the lives of Muslims
Shari’ah regulates business practice, gov’t, moral code does not separate religious matters from civil or political law
The Arab Empire And the Caliphates Lesson Two The Arab Empire And the Caliphates
I. Creation of an Arab Empire A) Abu Bakr is chosen as the successor to Muhammad (caliph) for Muslims Abu Bakr
Jihad the Qu’ran permitted jihad – “struggle in the way of God” Islamic Empire expands throughout North Africa, Persia, and Byzantium
Expansion of Islam
The Umayyads B) the Umayyads – conquered and converted the Berbers in North Africa, and together attacked Spain; by 725, most of Spain was Muslim
The Umayyads
Who is Heir to the Throne? C) in-fighting still occurred over who was the rightful heir to the Muslim throne; a split occurs w/in the faith:
Who is Heir to the Throne? Shia– Muslims accept only the descendants of Muhammad as the true rulers of Islam Sunni – Muslims who did not agree w/ Umayyad but who accepted them as rulers; majority in the Muslim world
Modern Day Sunni/Shia Split
Abbasid Dynasty D) in 750, Abu Al-Abbas overthrew the Umayyad dynasty and set up the Abbasid dynasty, which lasted until 1258 Abu al-Abbas
The Abbasids 1. the Abbasids built a new capital at Baghdad
The Abbasids this new location was ideal to take advantage of trade routes b/w East and West Abbasids unable to keep the empire united; by 973, the Muslims were splintered politically
II. The Seljuk Turks A) the Turks were hired mercenaries for the Muslims who eventually took over the Abbasid Empire
Seljuk Turks
Seljuk Turks 1. in 1055, a Turkish leader captured Baghdad and took command of the empire and adopted the title sultan
Seljuk Turks 2. as the new Turkish Empire expanded north, the Byzantine Empire appeals to western Europe for help against the Turks
Lesson Three Islamic Civilization
I. Islamic Society A) although Allah stressed equality for all peoples, the Islamic social structure did treat people differently:
Islamic Society well-defined upper class of gov’t officials, nomadic elite, and wealthy merchants slaves were imported from Africa and Asia
Islamic Women 3. women were often secluded in their homes and kept from social contact w/ men outside their own families
Islamic Women B) Muslim men could have more than one wife, but no more than four 1. it was not common for men to have multiple wives, b/c each wife required a dowry
II. Islamic Science, Art, and Architecture Muslim mathematicians and scientists among the leaders of the ancient world 1. adopted the use of the ‘zero’; Europeans follow and adopt this ‘Arabic’ system
Islamic Science 2. the astrolabe first developed for navigational purposes in the Islamic world
Islamic Art & Architecture B) the best expression of Islamic art is found in the Muslim mosques
Minarets and Muezzins 1. Samara mosque the most famous; the minaret and muezzin
Minarets
Minarets
Muezzins
Arabesques Arabesques – decorations repeated over and over in geometric patterns w/in Islamic mosques and palaces Muslims do not attempt to imitate God by re-creating pictures of living things
Arabesques
Mosque Interior
Mosque Interior
Mosque Interior