The Rise of Islam

Terms to Know Muhammad (c. 571 – 632) The Qur’an Umayyad Dynasty, 661 – 750 Abbasid Dynasty, 750 – 1258

Arabia Before Islam Commercial cities Nomadic culture Polytheistic

Western Afroeurasia before the Rise of Islam

Muhammad (c. 571 – 632) Born into a commercial family in Mecca 610: visited by Gabriel; becomes prophet of Islam 622, Hegira: Forced to leave Mecca for Medina By 627, Muhammad united Medina under Islam with protection for other faiths, peace & prosperity; Islam spread rapidly amongst Arabs 630: returned to Mecca in triumph and worked for unification of Arabia

The Practice of Early Islam Five Pillars: Recitation; Prayer; Alms; Ramadan; Pilgrimage (Hajj) The Qur’an: 114 surahs (chapters) lay out creation, life & laws Sunni: recognized authority of Caliphs Shi’ite: followed lineage of Muhammad Decorations in the Great Mosque of Aleppo demonstrate the sophistication of Islamic decorative art and architecture

Creating an Empire Four Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali – incorporated Persia, Syria, Egypt & North Africa into Islamic Empire Ali’s assassination in 661 ended the direct line of Muhammad’s household in leading Islam The Dome of the Rock, one of the most sacred sites in Islam, was begun in 684 after the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem

Umayyad Dynasty, 661 – 750 Mu'awiyah, governor of Damascus, rebelled against Ali and, after Ali’s asssassination, seized control Umayyad Caliphs focused on expansion in the East (against Byzantium) and the West (against Vandals, Visigoths and Franks) This example of Islamic architecture comes from eighth century Cordoba in Spain

The Empire Grows & Divides

Abbasid Dynasty, 750 – 1258 Caliphs of Baghdad, rebelled against Umayyad caliphs, Islam quickly fragmented –Umayyad dynasty re-emerges in Spain –Africa soon declared its independence –Critics complained of persecution against Shi’a –Harun al-Rashid ( ) was a scholar, poet and military leader who bested the Byzantines –Al-Mu'tasim ( ) began practice of passing power to Turkish household slaves

The Muslim World to 1500 C.E.