Islam After Muhammad’s Death
Vocabulary Caliph Shi’a/Shiite Sunni Leave 2-4 blank lines next to each of these terms (We’ll define them later)
Skimming a reading passage You don’t need to copy this down in your notes
Purpose of Skimming & How-to: Purpose: to get the main ideas of a passage without reading through the entire thing How to skim: Read the first and/or last sentence of every paragraph (For a longer reading passage, also read through the first & last paragraphs of the passage) Look at headings, maps, & charts as you read Pay attention to any underlined or bold words
Practice with pp. 100-101 (textbook) Instructions: Skim through pages 100-101 of your textbook. Be able to answer the following questions: What is a Caliph? Why were the Muslims successful? What was Muslim rule like?
Practice with pp. 100-101 (book) What is a Caliph? Title that means “successor” (of Muhammad) Why were the Muslims successful? Their armies were disciplined and they had skilled leaders Byzantine & Persian empires tired from fighting each other What was Muslim rule like? Blending of cultures Jews Christians got special treatment but couldn’t convert others
Islam’s Schism: Sunni & Shi’a
What caused the schism (split) in Islam?? Guesses? Ideas?
After the first 4 caliphs… Umayyad family took power after death of Ali (Muhammad’s cousin & son-in-law) Founded Umayyad dynasty (we’ll hear more about them later) Moved capital from Medina to Damascus Umayyads’ actions dividing Islam Some Arabs unhappy with new capital (too far) Others thought Umayyads abandoned earlier Bedouin ways & too concerned with luxury
Sunni & Shiite Sunnis Shiites Followed Umayyads & accepted rule of elected caliphs b/c they wanted peace Shiites Rejected Umayyads & thought caliph should always be related to Muhammad by blood Ali was the last true caliph Both Sunnis & Shiites read & followed the Qur’an & Sunnah