Rise and Spread of Islam

I. Religious beginnings Muhammad (570-632) Early life: trader and businessman, roots in Bedouin culture Age of 40 – voice called to him as he meditated outside city of Mecca Voice of angel Gabriel, messenger of Allah Became convinced he was last of prophets and Allah was the one and only god

II. Basic Beliefs & Practices Monotheistic - “Allah” is Arabic for “God” Five Pillars of Islam (duties all Muslims have to perform) Faith – one must have faith in Allah and believe Muhammad to be the one true prophet Prayer – pray towards the direction of Mecca five times a day All mosques have a wall that indicates the direction of Mecca

II. Continued… Other beliefs/practices Alms – responsibility to support those less fortunate Fasting – holy month of Ramadan, do not eat between sunup and sunset Pilgrimage – if physically & financially able, all Muslims perform the Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca Other beliefs/practices Qur’an (holy book) – Arabic version is only true version Shari’a – system of law that regulates family life, moral conduct, business, community life Hadiths – traditions of Muhammad

III. Muslim Empire After death of Muhammad, Muslim community elected series of caliphs – meaning “successor” or “deputy” First four caliphs called caliphate, most successful leaders Abu-Bakr (first caliph) faced a number of people abandoning Islam, refusing to pay taxes, appearance of false prophets Called for jihad – can refer to inner struggle against evil or armed struggle against unbelievers Justification for initial territorial expansion

IV. Imperial Expansion By 750, Muslim empire stretched 6,000 miles from Atlantic Ocean to Indus River Why so successful, so quickly? Armies well disciplined, expert commanders Byzantine and Sassanid Empires to the north were already weak from fighting each other People persecuted under other empires welcomed Muslim invaders Many converted to Islam on their own Against Muslim beliefs to force someone to convert Christians and Jews: dhimmni – “people of the book” Had protected status in Muslim empire

V. Islam’s Split 661 – Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, last of elected caliphs, was assassinated Powerful family called Umayyads took power Moved capital to Damascus Abandoned simple life of previous caliphs, embraced wealth and luxury Most accepted Umayyads’ rule Became known as Sunnis – “followers of Muhammad’s example”

V. Continued… Some claimed that caliphs had to be descendant of Muhammad Became known as Shi’a – “party of Ali” Followers known as Shi’ites Third group called Sufi Rejected the luxurious life of Umayyads Pursued life of poverty and devotion to spiritual path Distribution map

VI. Continuous Expansion Umayyads overthrown in 750 Another powerful family, the Abbasids seized control Moved capital to Baghdad in central Iraq Located on key trade routes, better communication Expanded trade from Mediterranean Sea to South China Sea Merchant and landlord classes grew in both wealth and social status By late era of Abbasid rule, plagued by political divisions Shi’a revolts and assassination attempts

VII. Gender Roles Women had greater role in early days of Islam Muhammad’s wives helped write the Qur’an Muhammad denounced adultery Men could have up to four wives But only if man could support all equally Women had greater inheritance rights and the right to divorce Muhammad’s daughters and wives helped compile the Qur’an As empire expanded, women’s rights diminished Islamic law evolved over time and adapted other cultures’ beliefs

VIII. Medieval Muslim Culture Combination of many different cultures (Arabic, Persian, Jewish, Christian) created a culture that was unique and sophisticated for its time Social classes based mostly on religion Upper class: Muslims by birth Second class: converts Third class: dhimmi – “protected people”, “people of the book” Lowest class: slaves

VIII. Continued… Rise of cities Only China rivaled Muslim Empire in number of large urban areas Baghdad, Damascus, Cordoba, Cairo – all populous and centers of learning and trade Baghdad reached 1 million Intellectual contributions (see video notes) Muhammad stressed the need for learning in original writings Led to Muslim Empire being most sophisticated in world for its time Later helped jumpstart European Renaissance