1. The Making of an Arab Empire & Women in Early Islam
The worlds of Islam
The Making of an Arab Empire
&
Women in Early Islam

2. The Making of an Arab Empire
In the centuries that followed the transformation of Arabia (8th century & beyond), the new Arab state became an empire encompassing all or part of:
Egypt
Roman Empire/Byzantium
Persia
Mesopotamia
India
Within & outside of that empire the Islamic faith spread along with the culture and language of Arabia

3. The Making of an Arab Empire
3rd wave civilization of Islam
Emerged from the mixing and blending of these many civilizations
United through a common faith
Divided by
Culture
Class
Politics
Gender
Religious understanding

4. Why were Arabs able to construct such a huge empire so quickly?
Arabs were newly organized into a single state and were able to mobilize the military power of the entire population
The Byzantine & Persian empires were weakened by decades of war with each other
Byzantium & Persia were also dealing with internal revolts
They did not respect the new Arab state as a true threat, just a mere nuisance

5. Why were Arabs able to construct such a huge empire so quickly?
By 644 the Sassanid Empire of Persia was defeated
Soon after southern Byzantium was lost
Spain was conquered in the early 700’s
Reached the Indus River by 750
751 Chinese forces were defeated at the Talas river
Stopped further Chinese expansion west
Central Asia’s Turkic speaking people converted to Islam

6. Motivations for Creating an Empire
Merchant leaders of the Islamic community wanted to control the best trade routes & most productive agricultural regions
Individual Arabs saw military expansion as the way to personal wealth & social promotion
External expansion gave the members of the new Arab state a common task purpose to stay united around after the death of Muhammad

7. Early Spread of Islam

8. Early Spread of Islam

9. Religious Tolerance
Imposing Islam on newly conquered people was not a part of the Arab Empire
“Believers” included Muslims, Christians, and Jews
This religious acceptance made it easier for newly conquered people to accept the new political order & be incorporated into the new growing empire
Familiarity with the core ideas & practices
Prayer
Fasting
Pilgrimage
Divine revelation
prophets

10. Religious Tolerance
Formal agreements recognized Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians as “people of the book”
Gave them status as protected 2nd class citizens
Served in the highest offices in Muslim kingdoms
Served in their armies as well
Permitted to freely practice their religion as long as they paid a special tax

11. Limiting the Disruption of Conquest
Muslim armies stayed in separate garrison towns, segregated from conquered peoples
Prevent indiscriminate destruction and exploitation of native people
Local elites and bureaucratic structures were incorporated into the Arab Empire

12. Conversion
In the ~400 years after the death of Muhammad millions of individuals & societies within the Arab Empire became Muslim
Major elements of Islam were familiar to many
Monotheism
Ritual prayer
Cleansing ceremonies
Fasting
Divine revelation
Heaven, hell, final judgement
From its beginning Islam was associated with the sponsorship of a powerful state
Conquest called the power of older gods into question
Prestige of the Arab Empire attracted many to Allah

13. Incentives for Conversion
Deliberately forced conversion was rare
Living in an Islamic governed state provided incentives for claiming Muslim identity
Slaves and POWs were early converts
Converts could avoid the tax on non-Muslims
Merchants found a religion friendly to commerce
Arab Empire provided a huge & secure area for trade
Those aspiring to official positions found conversion an aid to their social mobility

14. Difficulties in Conversion
Strong resistance by the Berbers in North Africa delayed conversion for centuries
Zealous Spanish Christians insulted the Prophet leading to their own martyrdom
Some Persian Zoroastrians fled

15. Differences in Conversion
In Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and North Africa converts to Islam abandoned their native languages, adopted Arabic, and came to view themselves as Arabs
In Persia (Iran) the vast majority of people had become Muslim, but Farsi remained the language, though enriched by Arabic words
A distinct Persian identity remained in Iran

16. Implications of Persian Identity
Many ideas of Persian Zoroastrianism found their way into Islam
In Iran, Central Asia, India, and the Ottoman Empire Islam was accompanied by Persian influences
Administrative & bureaucratic techniques
Court practices – palaces, gardens, garments
Architecture
Poetry, music, painting

17. Women & Men in Early Islam
The impact of the rise of Islam & the creation of an Arab state on the daily lives of women & their relationship to men still remains debated & highly controversial to this day
At the spiritual level of life, the Quran is clear: men & women are equal!
In social terms, especially within a marriage, the Quran views women as inferior & subordinate

18. How did the rise of Islam change the lives of women?
The Quran provided rights, restrictions, and protections for women
Female infanticide was prohibited
Given control of their own property
Granted rights of inheritance
At ½ the rate of men
Marriage was considered a contract between two consenting parties
Multiple husbands was prohibited
Polygyny was permitted, but men could have no more than 4 wives & must treat them all equally

19. How did the rise of Islam change the lives of women?
Prescriptions of the Quran were only one factor shaping the lives of women
Other factors:
Long established practices of the societies into which Islam spread
The growing sophistication, prosperity, & urbanization of Islamic civilization

20. How did the rise of Islam change the lives of women?
Upper class women were more restricted as Islamic civilization grew & flourished culturally & economically
Women were asked to offer prayers at home
Veiling and seclusion became standard practices among the upper & ruling classes
Wealthy women were given separate quarters in their homes from which they could only emerge totally veiled
Such seclusion wasn’t possible for lower class women who didn’t have servants & had to leave home for shopping & work

21. How did the rise of Islam change the lives of women?
These practices originated more so from the established traditions of Middle Eastern culture than from the Quran
Other signs of a tightening patriarchy were derived from local cultures, not from the Quran or Islamic law
Ex. Honor killings
Other negative views of women emerged from the Hadiths, which became an important source of Islamic law
Traditions about the sayings or actions of Muhammad
Presenting women as weak, deficient, a sexually charged threat to men & social stability

22. How did the rise of Islam change the lives of women?
Islam offered women new outlets in religious life
Sufis
Some Sufi orders had parallel groups for women
A few welcomed women as equal members
The spiritual equality ascribed to men & women in the Quran allowed women to aspire to union with God

23. How did the rise of Islam change the lives of women?
Islam offered women new outlets in religious life
Shia Islam
Women teachers of the faith were called mullahs, like men
Islamic education allowed women to become literate & for a few to achieve higher education
Visits to sacred sites, ritual prayer, and public baths provided the opportunity for women to interact with women outside of their family circle.