ISLAM

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ISLAM

• THE FIRST TRANS-REGIONAL CIVILIZATION

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CURRENT MUSLIM WORLD
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PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIA

• The Arabian peninsula
• Largely deserts with mountains, oases
• Fertile areas in the southern mountains around
  Yemen
• Nomadic Bedouin
• Lived in the desert-covered peninsula for
  millennia
• Kept herds of sheep, goats, and camels
• Organized in family and clan groups
• Importance of kinship and loyalty to the clan
• Many tribes seem to have been matrilineal with
  some rights for women
• Post-classical Arabia
• Romans (Byzantines) and Persians had client
  kingdoms in area
• Active in long-distance over land trade
• Trade from Damascus to Mecca/Medina to Yemen
• Trade across desert to Persian Gulf and along
  coast
• Part of Red Sea trade system links between Yemen
  and Abyssinia
• Trade includes gold, frankincense and myrrh
• Religion was polytheist
• Groups of Jews in Arabia Monophysite Christians
  in cities

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6TH CENTURY ARABIA
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PHYSICAL MAP OF ARABIA
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MUHAMMADS EARLY LIFE

• Muhammad ibn Abdullah
• Born in a Mecca merchant family, 570 C.E.
• Difficult early life orphaned, lived with uncle
• Married a wealthy widow, Khadija, in 595
• Became a merchant at age 30, exposed to various
  faiths
• Muhammad's spiritual transformation
• At age 40, he experienced visions
• There was only one true god, Allah ("the god")
• Allah would soon bring judgment on the world
• The archangel Gabriel delivered these revelations
  to Muhammad
• Did not intend to found a new religion, but his
  message became appealing
• The Quran
• Followers compiled Muhammad's actual revelations
  after his death
• Quran ("recitation"), became the holy book of
  Islam
• Suras are chapters organized from longest to
  shortest
• A work of magnificent poetry
• The Hadith
• Sayings attributed to Muhammad not included in
  Quran
• Three levels from most accurate/likely to highly
  suspect

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THE HIJRA (FLIGHT)

• Conflict at Mecca
• His teachings offended others, especially ruling
  elite of Mecca
• Attacks on greed offended wealthy merchants
• Attacks on idolatry threatened shrines,
  especially the Kaa'ba
• The hijra
• Under persecution, Muhammad, followers fled to
  Medina, 622 C.E.
• The move, known as hijra, was starting point of
  Islamic calendar
• The umma
• Organized a cohesive community called umma in
  Medina
• Led commercial adventure
• Sometimes launched raids against Mecca caravans
• Helped the poor and needy
• The "seal of the prophets"
• Referred himself as "seal of the prophets," -
  final prophet of Allah
• Held Hebrew scriptures and New Testament in high
  esteem
• Referred to followers as Peoples of the Book
• If they did not threaten umma, were to be
  protected
• Determined to spread Allah's wish to all
  humankind

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CONQUEST OF ARABIA

• Muhammad's return to Mecca
• Conquered Mecca, 630
• Imposed a theocratic government dedicated to
  Allah
• Destroyed pagan shrines and built mosques
• The Kaa'ba
• The Kaa'ba shrine was not destroyed
• In 632, Muhammad led the first Islamic pilgrimage
  to the Ka'ba
• The Five Pillars of Islam
• Obligations taught by Muhammad, known as the Five
  Pillars
• The Five Pillars bound the umma into a cohesive
  community of faith
• Profession of faith, prayer, tithing, pilgrimage,
  fasting at Ramadan
• Islamic law the sharia
• Emerged during the centuries after Muhammad
• Detailed guidance on proper behavior in almost
  every aspect of life
• Drew laws, precepts from the Quran
• Drew traditions from Arabic culture, Hadith
• Through the sharia, Islam became a religion and a
  way of life

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SYMBOLS OF ISLAM
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EXPANSION OF ISLAM

• The caliph
• Upon Muhammad's death, Abu Bakr served as caliph
  ("deputy")
• Became head of state, chief judge, religious
  leader, military commander
• First four called Orthodox caliphs because they
  were original followers
• The expansion of Islam
• 633-637, seized Byzantine Syria, Palestine,
  Mesopotamia
• 640's, conquered Egypt and north Africa
• 651, toppled Sassanid dynasty
• 711-718, conquered the Hindu kingdom of Sind,
  Iberia, NW Africa
• Success due to weakness of enemies, vigor of
  Islam
• Dar al Islam
• The Islamic world where the Sharia is in force,
  Islam dominates
• Dar el Harb is the land of the unbelievers, or
  non-Muslims
• The Shia and Sunnis
• The Sunnis ("traditionalists") accepted
  legitimacy of early caliphs
• Were Arab as opposed to Islamic
• Did not feel caliphs had to be related to
  Muhammad
• The Shia sect supported Ali (last caliph and son
  in law of Muhammad)
• A refuge for non-Arab converts, poor followers
  in Irag, Iran

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SPREAD OF ISLAM
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UMAYYAD DYNASTY

• The Umayyad dynasty (661-750 C.E.)
• New caliph won civil war murdered Ali
  established dynasty
• Established capital city at Damascus in Syria
• Ruled for the interests of Arabian military
  aristocracy
• Policy toward conquered peoples
• Dhimmis were the conquered Christians, Jews,
  Zoroastrians
• Levied jizya (head tax) on those who did not
  convert to Islam
• Even the converts did not enjoy wealth, position
  of authority
• Umayyad decline
• Caliphs became alienated from Arabs by early 8th
  century
• By the mid-century, faced strong resistance of
  the Shia faction
• The discontent of conquered peoples also
  increased
• Umayyad family slaughtered only one son escaped
  to Spain
• Formed breakaway Umayyad Dynasty in Spain

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ABBASID DYNASTY

• Abu al-Abbas
• A descendant of Muhammad's uncle allied with
  Shias and non-Arab Muslims
• Seized control of Persia and Mesopotamia during
  740's
• Shattered Umayyad forces at a battle in 750
  annihilated the Umayyad clan
• The Abbasid dynasty (750-1258 C.E.)
• Showed no special favor to Arab military
  aristocracy
• Empire still growing, but not initiated by the
  central government
• Abbasid administration
• Relied heavily on Persians, Persian techniques of
  statecraft
• Central authority ruled from the court at
  Baghdad, newly built city
• Governors ruled provinces Ulama, qadis (judges)
  ruled local areas
• Harun al-Rashid (786-809 C.E.)
• Represented the high point of the dynasty
• Baghdad became metropolis, center for commerce,
  industry, and culture
• Abbasid decline
• Struggle for succession between Harun's sons led
  to civil war
• Governors built their own power bases, regional
  dynasties
• Local military commanders took title of Sultan
• Popular uprisings and peasant rebellions weakened
  the dynasty

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AN URBAN CIVILIZATION

• Arab Urban History
• Pre-Islamic Arabs were both urban, bedouin
• Mecca, Medina, Yemeni cities, cities of Palmyra,
  Arab Petropolis
• Center of the city was a market place often
  shared with religious center
• Cities designed with human-environment
  interaction in mind
• Nomads came to city to trade, city often settled
  by whole tribes
• Arabs had settled in cities in Syria, Iraq,
  Jordan
• Arabic cities linked to wider world through
  merchants, trade
• Arab cities exposed to Jews, Persians,
  Monophysites, Sabeans
• Arabic Empire and Urban Growth
• Islam as a culture requires mosque, merchant
  very urban in outlook
• Capital moved from Mecca to Damascus by Umayyads
• Arabs founded military cities on edges of desert
  to rule empire
• As empire grew, needed something more permanent
• Abbasids moved capital from Damascus, Kufa to
  Baghdad
• Other designed for purpose cities include Fez,
  Cairo, Tunis
• Increasing agricultural production contributed to
  growth of cities
• Cities centers for administration, industry,
  trade, education, faith
• Many different ethnic minorities settled in
  Muslim cities (quarters)

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CHANGED ECONOMICS

• Merchants, pilgrims, travelers exchanged foods
  across empire
• The exchange and spread of food and industrial
  crops
• Indian plants traveled to other lands of the
  empire
• Staple crops sugarcane, rice, new varieties of
  sorghum and wheat
• Vegetables spinach, artichokes, eggplants
• Fruits oranges, lemons, limes, bananas,
  coconuts, watermelons, mangoes
• Industrial crops cotton, indigo, henna
• Effects of new crops
• Increased varieties and quantities of food
• Industrial crops became the basis for a thriving
  textile industry
• Foodstuffs increased health, populations of
  cities
• Agricultural experimentation
• Numerous agricultural manuals
• Agricultural methods and techniques improved
• Improved irrigation

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A VAST TRADE ZONE

• Camels and caravans
• Overland desert trade traveled mostly by camel
  caravan
• Caravanserais (motel, corrals) in Islamic cities
• Trading goods usually luxury in nature
• Maritime trade based on technological borrowing
• Arab, Persian mariners borrowed
• Compass from the Chinese
• Lateen sail from southeast Asian, Indian mariners
  
• Astrolabe from the Hellenistic mariners
• Organization and dominance of trade
• In North Africa across Sahara, down Nile, SW
  Asia, to India
• Eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf,
  Arabia Gulf down coasts
• Many cities grew rich from trade
• Entrepreneurs often pooled their resources in
  group investments
• Different kinds of joint endeavors
• Banks
• Operated on large scale and provided extensive
  services
• Letters of credit, or sakk, functioned as bank
  checks
• Exchange of Ideas included Islam, technology,
  culture

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ISLAMIC TRADE
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OTHER ISLAMIC REGIONS

• Al-Andalus
• Islamic Spain, conquered by Muslim Berbers
• Claimed independence from the Abbasid dynasty
• Participated in commercial life of the larger
  Islamic world
• Products of al-Andalus enjoyed a reputation for
  excellence
• Cordoba was a center of learning, commerce,
  architecture
• After death of Abd al Rahman III broke up into
  petty kingdoms
• A unique blended culture
• Arab, Latin, German, Islamic, Christian, Jewish
• Very tolerant and integrated society
• Warred for 700 years with Christian kingdoms in
  north
• North Africa
• Strong followers of Shia, broke with Abbassids
• Berbers followed many puritanical Shia like
  movements
• Eventually Fatimids conquered Egypt, formed rival
  caliphate
• Central Asia
• Largely Turkish, Persian and Islamic but not
  Arabic
• Tended to be distant from Baghdad and more
  tolerant
• Integrated into trans-Eurasian trade network

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MUSLIM SPAIN
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MUSLIM CENTRAL ASIA
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WOMENS CHANGING STATUS

• Pre-Islamic Arab Women
• Arabs as nomads allowed women many rights
• Women often poets, tribe leaders
• Some evidence of matrilineal tribes
• The Quran and women
• Quran enhanced rights, security of women
• Forced husbands to honor contracts, love women
• Allowed women to own property, protected from
  exploitation
• What produced the change
• Foreign Contacts changed the perspective
• Adopted veiling from Mesopotamia, Persia
• Isolation from India through purdah, harem
• Muslim rights for women
• Often weaken through Hadith, traditions
• Often reduced, ignored
• Patriarch beliefs reinforced by conquest
• Yet Quran, sharia also reinforced male domination
• Role of Hadith, Arab traditions reinforced male
  domination

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IMAGE OF WOMEN
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ISLAMIC CULTURAL TRADITION

• Quran, sharia were main sources to formulate
  moral guidelines
• Constant struggle between what is Arabic and what
  is Islamic
• Use of Arabic script as only language of Islam
  strengthened trend
• Persians, Turks, Indians, and Africans struggled
  for acceptance
• Promotion of Islamic values
• Ulama, qadis, and missionaries were main agents
• Education also promoted Islamic values
• Sufis
• Islamic mystics, effective missionaries
• Encouraged devotion by singing, dancing
• Led ascetic, holy lives, won respect
• Encouraged followers to revere Allah in own ways
• Tolerated those who associated Allah with other
  beliefs
• The hajj
• The Kaa'ba became the symbol of Islamic cultural
  unity
• Pilgrims helped to spread Islamic beliefs and
  values

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ISLAM OTHER CONTACTS

• Persian influence on Islam
• After Arabs most prominent of Muslims, resisted
  Arabization
• Cultural traditions often borrowed heavily by
  Islam
• Became early followers of Shia
• Government and regionalism
• Many advisors (vizer is Persian word) to Caliphs
  were Persian
• Cultured, diplomatic language of Abbassid court
  became Persian
• Literary achievements
• Omar Khayyam was greatest of Medieval Muslim
  poets
• The Arabian Nights largely in a Persian style
• Turkish influences
• Central Asian nomads converted to Islam,
  developed literary culture
• Invaded SW Asia and made caliphate dependent on
  Turkish nomads
• Formed military might, leadership of late
  Abbassid state
• Indian Influences
• Purdah and harem borrowed from Hindus
• "Hindi numerals," which Europeans called "Arabic
  numerals"
• Greek Influences
• Muslims philosophers especially liked Plato and
  Aristotle Greek math