Islam 600-1450

Overview “Islam” = “submission” in Arabic “Muslim”= “those who submit” “Quran”= Muslim Holy Book that recounts the life of Muhammad Muhammad is considered the most recent prophet of God (“Allah” in Arabic) Teachings of the Quran and Muhammad can only be fulfilled through the development of the “umma” (Muslim community that includes political regulation)

Expansion Developed in the Arabian Peninsula Will spread through Middle East, Northern Africa, and Spain as a political empire Will spread into Eastern Europe, central and south Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa sometimes without political support Will spread into China and SE Asia without political support

Origins Arabia was inhabited by Bedouin tribes organized in clans Lack of water prevented development of major city centers Trading centers developed in small oases in the desert Tribes were polytheistic Mecca important religious center due to the Ka’aba; became trade and pilgrimage site

Muhammad Was orphaned and became a merchant for Khadija (a wealthy widow) whom he married had had 4 kids with Often meditated on hill near Mecca In 610, Gabriel spoke to Muhammad during meditation For the next 20 years Gabriel spoke to Muhammad Muhammad told people these revelations who memorized them

Development of the Quran Eventually people started to write these down After Muhammad’s death, Umar I (r. 634-644) put these together into the Quran Considered to be the absolute, uncorrupted, word of God In poetic form Introduction of paper will help expand the availability of the Quran

5 Pillars of Islam Ritual expressions that define orthodox Muslim belief and practice Declaration of creed “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet” Prayer 5 times a day toward Mecca Giving alms to the poor Fasting during Ramadan Making the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)

Jihad “sacred struggle” in Arabic Sometimes called the “sixth pillar” Interpretation is an issue Some feel it is a call to physical warfare to expand dar al-Islam (territory that Islam and religious laws may be practiced) Some feel it is meant to explain the personal struggle to live Islamic practices to their fullest

Universalizing Religion Those who observe Islam faithfully will reach paradise in the afterlife Those who reject Islam will burn in the afterlife Similarities to Judaism, Zorastrianism, and Christianity: There is one God Rich need to help the poor Final Judgment Day (not in Judaism) Regular prayer Recital of creeds Animal sacrifice (Judaism & Zorastrianism) Ritual washing (part of Zorastrianism)

Basic Teachings Muhammad was a another prophet Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, and Jesus are also considered prophets Abraham is the first Muslim Earlier prophets teachings were corrupted Jesus as god corrupts the idea of monotheism Jews didn’t like the politics of Islam Jews and Christians were free to practice their religions as long as they paid a tax

Muhammad and Politics Some in Mecca converted, but there were some who thought the morality was too demanding & he was crazy He moved to Medina (the hijra) to become a political and religious leader Marked as the beginning of Islam 622 Medina had a large population of Jews While in Medina, Muhammad created law codes for business, family laws and marriage, and inhertance

Muhammad and Politics Defeated a Meccan tribe in 624 at the Battle of Badr After several battles, Mecca surrendered to Muhammad in 630 Muslims destroyed any relics of polytheism in the city He died in 632

Successors to the Prophet Elected Ali Bakr (r. 632-634) as caliph (spiritual and political leader) Tribal warfare led to expansion Arab-Muslims captured Damascus in 636 and Jerusalem in 638

Successors to the Prophet Umar I (r. 634-644) Troops were not to interfere with the way of life of conquered people Did not encourage conversion (taxes) Muslims were to build away from those they conquered

Civil War Egyptian troops assassinated the 3rd Caliph Uthman (r. 644-656) Ali was elected by the “party of Ali”(Shi’a or Shi’ites in Arabic) Felt the successor of Muhammad should be from the family of the Prophet Ummayad Clan (Uthman’s family) said blood line was necessary Sunni

Civil War A third group assassinated Ali An Umayyad leader (Mu’awiya) declared himself caliph Moved the capital to Damascus When Mu’awiya died in 680, his son (Yazid I) and the son of Ali (Husayn) fought Husayn was killed

Shi’ite Beliefs Felt that political ambitions were not part of pure Islam Would recognize only the descendants of Ali as imams (religious leaders who should be political leaders) Shi’ites will fight for their leaders to also be caliph Only 16% of today’s Muslims of Shi’ite 95% of Iran’s population 60% of Iraq’s population 11 imams were assassinated 12th imam went into hiding Accept current government systems Twelver Shi’ites waiting for 12th iman

Umayyad Caliphs Built mosques in Jerusalem, Medina, and Damascus Created bureaucracy Wanted to convert non-Muslims Arabic began the language of government, literature, and everyday speech Expanded Expansion Map Will not make it into Europe due to the Battle of Tours in 732 Will lose Spain in 1492

End of the Umayyads Abbasid clan in northern Iran (descendant of Muhammad) revolted Many people were upset over taxation so they joined the clan In 750 Abbasids overthrew Umayyad ruled and would rule until 12 58 (Mongols)

Abbasid Caliphs Continued to use Arabic Continued to encourage conversion But non-Muslims in government jobs Regularized taxes Used spies and armed troops

Weakening of the Abbasids Had problems with succession Began to hire slave troops (Seljuk Turks) Bureaucracy was becoming more corrupt Caliphs were not in public often Created a separation socially, which is against the ideals of Islam

Creation of little Muslim States Slave revolt in Iraq for 15 years Iran gained independence Fatamid clan took over Egypt Baghdad declared independence in 945 Seljuk Turks (nomads from Asia) conquered Baghdad in 1055, but kept Abbasid caliph on the throne as a religious leader Political leader (a Turk) took the title Sultan Mongols will take out both the sultan and caliph in 1258

Islam after Political Fall Creation of shari’a Muslim law that regulates daily activities Creation of hadith Quotations of Muhammad Following of the ulama Religiously trained scholars

Intellectual Achievements in History Al-Tabari: created formal historical record keeping in his History of the Prophets and Kings Ferdowsi: created an epic poem about the history of the Persians Al-Juvaini: wrote of the conquest of the Mongols in his History of the World Conquerors Rashid al-Din: wrote World History; Chinese, Indian, European, Muslim, and Mongol history Ibn Khaldun: Universal History; was the first to introduce the idea of cyclical events; first to apply social science to historical events

Intellectual Achievements in Philosophy “House of Wisdom” established in Baghdad Translated over 80 Greek authors Translated Sanskrit, Syrian, and Persian works

Intellectual Achievements in Math, Science, and Medicine Used the idea of decimals and the concept of zero from Indians (hence Arabic numbers) Development of algebra Al-Biruni developed the idea of a heliocentric world Created books of pharmacology

Intellectual Achievements in Architecture Built massive political centers ( Baghdad, Damascus, Cordoba) Baghdad became the largest city in the world Create dome shape and minarets

Dome of the Rock-Jerusalem

Mosque in Medina

Mosque of Cordoba (Spain)