Rise and Spread of Islam

I. Religious beginnings Muhammad (570-632) Early life: Adopted and raised in Bedouin culture Trader and businessman Interested in religion, but not set on one specific belief 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 Dedicated his life to spreading ideas

I. Continued… Islam – “submission to the will of Allah” Muslim – “one who has submitted” The Hijrah Muhammad left Mecca in 622, because followers were being attacked Migrated to Yathrib (Medina) Gained many followers along the way In Medina, became skilled political leader, uniting Arabs and Jews 630 – returns to Mecca with 10,000 followers Mecca surrendered, Islam became dominant religion Joined umma – Muslim religious community

II. Beliefs & Practices of Islam Monotheistic: Allah (Arabic for “God”) Five Pillars of Islam (duties all Muslims have to perform) Faith – testify to the following statement: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” Prayer – pray towards the direction of Mecca 5 times a day All mosques have a wall that indicates the direction of Mecca

II. Continued… 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 Forbidden to eat pork, drink alcohol Friday reserved for communal worship

III. Connections to Judaism & Christianity Islam teaches that Allah is the same God that is worshiped in Christianity and Judaism Jesus was a prophet, but not son of God Qur’an is the final holy book, along with Tanakh and New Testament Trace ancestry to Abraham

IV. Muslim authority After death of Muhammad (632), Muslim community elected series of caliphs – meaning “successor” or “deputy” First four caliphs, called the caliphate, were most successful leaders Abu-Bakr (first caliph) faced a number of people abandoning Islam, refusing to pay taxes, false prophets Called for jihad – can refer to inner struggle against evil or armed struggle against unbelievers Used as justification for expansion of territory

V. Expansion Why so successful? By 750, Muslim empire stretched 6,000 miles from Atlantic Ocean to Indus River Why so successful? Armies well disciplined, expert commanders Byzantine and Sassanid Empires to the north were very weak from fighting each other People persecuted under other empires welcomed Muslim invaders Other empires persecuted those that did not follow official state religion Many converted to Islam on their own to avoid tax

VI. Division Within the Empire Political struggles within the new empire will cause split within the Muslim Empire 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”

VI. Continued… Some claimed that caliphs had to be descendants of Muhammad Became known as Shi’a – “party of Ali” Opposed the Umayyads, but were in minority Third group called Sufi Rejected the luxurious life of Umayyads, political focus Pursued life of poverty and devotion to spiritual path

VII. Continuing to expand Further political problems in Muslim Empire Umayyads overthrown in 750 Abbasids took control of Empire Murdered entire Umayyad family (except one prince) Moved capital to Baghdad in central Iraq Located on key trade routes Allowed for better communication and access to material goods Lasted until 1258

IX. Social & Gender issues Social classes Upper class: Muslims by birth Second class: converts Third class: “protected people”, “people of the book” – Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians Lower class: slaves Gender issues Declining rights of women Older cultures influenced the Muslim Empire Women had to be “modest” – wear head scarf, or full body covering (burka)

IX. Continued… Women were kept from working outside the home Thousands of women were kept as slave concubines for the caliphs Although, in some cases, slaves more free Did not have to wear veil or robe in public places

X. Muslim Culture Combination of many different cultures (Arabic, Persian, Jewish, Christian) created a culture that was unique and sophisticated for its time Rise of cities Baghdad, Damascus, Cordoba, Cairo – all populous and centers of learning and trade Baghdad reached 1 million people at its peak Arts and sciences Muhammad stressed the need for learning Medical physicians for treating illness Math & astronomy to calculate times of prayer and direction of Mecca

X. continued… House of Wisdom Located in Baghdad Scholars of different cultures & beliefs worked to translate texts from all over the world to Arabic Relied on experimentation rather than simple logic to solve scientific problems Muslim scholar, Ibn al-Haythan, discovered that rays pass through the eyes to enable sight Helped develop lenses for telescopes and microscopes

X. continued… Philosophy Break-up of unified Muslim empire Scholars studied philosophy from Aristotle and Plato Many were criticized for attempting to blend Islam with Greek philosophy Break-up of unified Muslim empire Split into 3 distinct empires – Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal Muslim culture would continue to gain strength and provide basis for European scholarship