1. The Arab Empire and its Successor
Chapter 6 section 2

2. EQ: After the death of Muhammad, how did his successors organize the Arabs and set in motion a great expansion?
OBJ: I will be able to describe key economic, political, and social developments in Islamic history.

3. The Creation of an empire
Following Muhammad’s death, there was an issue with determining his successor
Traditionally in their culture, a man would inherit this position, but Muhammad had no sons, only daughters and as women they weren’t seen as capable of leading the group
Muhammad’s followers chose Abu Bakr to be their leader
Abu Bakr was Muhammad’s father-in-law and was given the title Caliph, or successor to Muhammad

4. Arab Conquest and rule
Islam expanded under the leadership of Abu Bakr, and he was able to bring together large numbers of Arabs under his guidance by converting them to Islam
Muslim Arabs typically used force to convert others
The Quran states that violence I permissible if it’s a “struggle in the way of God” or jihad
After Abu Bakr’s death, the issue of succession once again arose
Disagreements among the community members led to assassinations of 2 caliphs

6. The Umayyad Dynasty
In 661 CE, Mu’awiyah was a rival to the position of Caliph to Ali
He created an official office for the caliph known as a caliphate
One of the first things Mu’awiyah was move the capital of the empire to Damascus in Syria from Medina in the Arabian Peninsula
Mu’awiyah did not rule as violently as other caliphs
He is known for saying, “I never use my sword when my whip will do nor my whip when my tongue will do.”

7. The Umayyad Dynasty
The Islamic Empire continued to expand east and west under the Umayyad Dynasty
Thousands of people were converted to Islam along the way
During expansion, new territories were acquired along the way
Northern Africa
Western Europe
725 CE Spain was conquered, converted to Islam, and a capital in Cordoba was established
Expansion was met with resistance as they came in contact with the Byzantine Empire (old eastern half of the Roman Empire)

8. Division of Islam
Ethnic diversity in Islam caused conflict as non-Arabs felt the Umayyad favored Arabs over other ethnic groups
Ethnic group division led to a revolt led by Ali’s second son, Hussein
Hussein's forces were defeated, but this revolt led to Islam breaking into two groups, Shia and Sunni
Shia: Shia Muslims only accept Ali’s descendants to be the true rules of Islam, or Caliph
Sunni: Sunni Muslims believe that Umayyads were the true rulers of the Islamic movement even though many of them disagreed with the way the ran the empire

9. The abbasid dynasty
In 750, non-Arabs were disillusioned with the Umayyad’s reign
A descendant of Muhammad’s uncle, Abu al-Abbas led a movement against the Umayyads
Al-Abbas’ revolution was successful and his dynasty's reign would last for almost 500 years
Under Abbasid rule the capital was moved to Baghdad in modern- day Iraq which was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers which allowed for easier trading and increased wealth

10. Seljuk Turks & the Crusades
After the decline of the Abbasid dynasty, there was conflict over who should rule Islam
War broke out in Baghdad by 2 of al-Abbas’ descendants.
There was a lack of strong leadership in the Islamic empire
A group of non-Arabs known as Turks gained influence within the Islamic empire
The Turks eventually took Baghdad, although they still felt the Abbasid caliph should be the leader of Islam
The Turks held all the political and military authority over Baghdad
They gave their leader the title of Sultan, which means “holder of power.”

11. The Crusades
The Byzantine empire was the main rival to the Islamic empire
After the Turks repeatedly defeated the Byzantines turned to Christian Europe for help
Islamic forces invaded Jerusalem which was Christian territory at the time and defeated the Christian armies there
Constant conflict led to mistrust between Christians and Muslims for many years after

12. The Mongols
The Mongols were a group of nomadic people from Asia who conquered the entire Asian continent
The expanded westward into Islamic territory
The Mongols were not religious and were not Muslims
The conquered Baghdad and ended the Abbasid caliphate in 1258
The Mongols leveled Baghdad by burning it to the ground and ruled over the territory
After some time, many Mongols intermarried with Muslims and converted
They rebuilt the cities they destroyed

13. Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars