1. Interactive Setup 10/30/2017 Spread and Growth of Islam
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2. Spread of Islam
Sunnis vs Shi’ites

3. Umayyad Dynasty
Abbasid Dynasty
Fatimid Dynasty

4. The Expansion of Islam, 632 – 733 CE

5. Spread of Islam
Common faith in one god replaced tribal and ancestral bonds
Muslim were unified into the Dar al-Islam or Islamic civilization
Literally means the house of Islam

6. Spread of Islam
Another prophet was impossible, a "deputy" or Caliph was chosen to oversee the political, religious and military affairs of the Dar al-Islam
Disagreement over required qualification of Caliph caused Sunni and Shi’a split

7. Spread of Islam Islamic civilization encouraged and protected trade
Muslim merchants spread religion during attempts to gain access to profitable trade routes and wealthy agricultural regions
Merchants traveled farther than armies and took their religion to remote areas of Eurasia.
Individuals wanted to gain wealth and social promotion
Expansion unified & provided a common task for the umma that was on the verge of falling apart after Muhammad’s death

9. Spread of Islam
Conversion to Islam not forced on anyone in the Arab Empire
In fact: Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians all considered “people of the book” and were given the status of dhimmis (protected subjects)
In the 400s years following Muhammad’s death, millions of individuals and many whole societies with the Arab Empire adopted Islam

10. Spread of Islam
Not such a dramatic change for Monotheistic people such as Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians
Already familiar with ideas of: monotheism, heaven, hell, final judgment, divine revelation, fasting, ritual prayer, etc.
Islam sponsored by a powerful state lead to wealth and prestige of Arab Empire attracted people
Successful conquest called into question the power of old gods; perhaps God really is all-powerful

11. Spread of Islam
A sect of Islam called the Sufis developed and helped spread the religion as missionaries
Sufism did not stress specific creeds or beliefs
Its mysticism had broad appeal to peoples with traditionally animistic belief systems

12. Sunnis vs. Shi’ites
Conflict over election of caliphs causes conflict immediately
First four caliphs generally accepted as valid, called Rightly Guided Caliphs and lead the Rashidun Caliphate

13. Sunnis vs. Shi’ites
After the death of Muhammad, the caliph, or successor to the prophet was chosen. Abu Bakr was nominated as the first caliph.
Abu Bakr would lead the first caliphate, known as the Rashidun or Patriarchal Caliphate.
The choice of Abu Bakr caused significant dispute as many believed that Muhammad had chosen Alī ibn Abī Tālib, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad to succeed him.
Served as caliph CE, then assassinated along with most of his followers

14. Sunnis vs. Shi’ites
Abu Bakr was followed by three more caliphs, the last of which was Alī ibn Abī Tālib.
Alī’s succession caused a division in Islam to became more defined.
Sunni Muslims believe that Ali was the fourth caliph, a position chosen based on ability to lead.
The Shi’a (Shiites) believe that Ali is the first Imam, and that only blood descendants of Muhammad can lead the Muslim people.

15. Sunnis vs. Shi’ites
Believe the caliph is the rightful political and military leader of Islam
Believe the caliph should be chosen by the Islamic community
Believe the caliph can be any devout Muslim
Religious authority comes from the larger Islamic community; particularly ulama = religious scholars
Believe that the leader of the Islamic community should be a blood descendant/relative of Muhammad
Religious authority comes from prayer leaders called imams
Imams = only ones that can correctly interpret divine revelations and Islamic law

17. Umayyad Dynasty (661 – 750)
Following assassination of Ali, Umayyad tribe seize power, creating first Islamic dynastic system of rule

18. Umayyad Dynasty (661 – 750)
Expanded Islam into Europe
Caliphs became hereditary rulers
Empire’s capital moved from Medina to Roman/Byzantine city of Damascus in Syria
Power of the state was managed through tribal networks
The Umayyads expanded the empire which brought wealth & new Islamic converts

19. Adversary Empires •Byzantine –Eastern Roman Empire
▫Orthodox Christians persecuted Copts and Nestorians in Egypt.
▫Islam gained support of theses religions and defeated the Byzantine in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Palestine
Sasanians–Old Persian Empire
▫Elite were Zoroastrians and they persecuted peasants.
▫When Islam attacked they won the support of the peasants and easily beat the elite.

20. Umayyad Dynasty (661 – 750)
Used the political systems and structures left behind by Roman Empire
Arabic replaced Greek or Persian as the language of government
Muslim coinage was issued for the first time
Ambitious building program showed the growth of Islamic presence in the Near East

21. Built in Jerusalem in 691 CE Built by Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik
The Dome of the Rock
Built in Jerusalem in 691 CE
Built by Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik

22. Umayyad Architecture
Dome of the Rock

24. Umayyad Dynasty (661 – 750) Overthrown because:
Non-Arabs Muslims resented status as second-class citizens
Shia Muslims believed Umayyad caliphs were illegitimate
Many Arabs protested the luxurious living of their rulers

25. Abbasid Dynasty (750 – 1258)
Abbasids took their name and claimed descent from the uncle of the prophet Muhammad, a man named Abu al-Abbas
Built up a new capital for the empire in Baghdad
Non-Arabs now played a prominent role
Persian culture became the culture of Islamic elites

26. Abbasid Dynasty (750 – 1258)
Muslim merchants expanded wealth by trading across Africa, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea

27. Abbasid Dynasty (750 – 1258) Sharia law gave protection to merchants
Regardless of religion or ethnicity
Gov officals called qadis presided over legal and trade disputes

28. The Abbasid Empire
Wealth from trade led to a golden age, a time of great Muslim achievements in science, math, medicine, & architecture

29. Abbasid Dynasty (750 – 1258)
Persian legal traditions of rule began to influence governance practiced by Muslim caliphs
A specifically Islamic culture was nurtured and began a long and brilliant florescence
In the ninth and 10th centuries, Baghdad became a global center of culture and learning
A massive library and center of learning called the bayt al-hikma, or "House of Wisdom," was created in 830

30. Abbasid Dynasty (750 – 1258) Political unity didn’t last long
By the mid-800s many local governors or military commanders asserted autonomy over their regions
Islamic world fractured into multiple “sultanates”
Dynasty officially ended when conquered by the Mongols in 1258

31. Fatimid Dynasty (909–1171)

32. Fatimid Dynasty (909–1171)
Began as a missionary movement whose goal was the spread of the Shi’ite sect of Islam
Initially centered in southern Arabia and then in North Africa and finally in Egypt
Built capital in Egyptian in Cairo
Became a center of science, commerce, culture, and intellectual life within the Islamic world

33. al-Azhar Mosque

34. Fatimid Dynasty (909–1171)
Promoted a Red Sea trade route and used the profits to fund religious missionaries and military missions
Respected diversity within Islam and other faiths
even if they did work to persuade Muslims of the truth of Shiite doctrine
At the end of the dynasty, the Egyptians were still largely Sunni, and Christian and Jewish communities remained strong.
Decline began because of fighting between local tribes and rise of local rulers