Download File - World History

The World of Islam
Chapter 6
The Rise of Islam
Chapter 6 Section 1
The Arabs
• Arabs - nomadic, Semitic-speaking people
who lived in the Arabian Peninsula.
• Harsh desert with little water
• Lived in loosely connected, independent
tribes.
• Sheikh – tribe leader that is from a leading
family chosen by a council of elders
The Arabs
• They were sheep herders and farmers
on the oases
• Domestication of the camel allowed
expanded trade (caravans)
• Became major carriers between the
Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean
• Early Arabs were polytheistic, but
Allah was the supreme God
The Arabs
• Ancestry traced to Abraham and his
son, Ishmael. Most believed they built
the Kaaba at Makkah (Mecca).
• Kaaba – the Black Stone
• Trade route through Makkah and
across the Indian Ocean flourished
• Tensions rose between rich and poor
The Life of Muhammad
• Born into a wealthy merchant family
in Makkah
• Orphaned at a young age
• Became a caravan manager
• Married Khadija a rich widow (his
employer)
• He was troubled by the gap between the
rich merchants (greedy) and most
Makkans (honest and simple).
The Life of Muhammad
• After seeing the inequalities, he went
to the hills to meditate where he received
the revelations of God.
• Given by the angel Gabriel
• He believed that Allah partially
revealed himself through Moses
(Judaism) and Jesus (Christianity)
and final revelations were to him
The Life of Muhammad
• The Quran (the holy scriptures of
Islam) came from these revelations.
• It also contains ethical guidelines
for Muslims.
• Muslims – those who practice Islam
• Islam has one God, Allah, and
Muhammad is God’s Prophet
The Life of Muhammad
• After three years of preaching he only
had 30 followers (they were persecuted)
• 622 – He and his followers moved
north and founded Madinah (Medina)
– City of the prophet
• The journey is known as Hijrah
• 622 is the first year of the Muslim
Calendar
The Life of Muhammad
• Gained support from the residents of
Madinah and the Bedouins – Arabs of
the Desert
• First community of practicing
Muslims
• He did not separate religious and
political authorities
• Muhammad becomes a religious,
political, and military leader
The Life of Muhammad
• The military was created to protect
Madinah and soon they gained several
victories
• In 630 he leads 10,000 soldiers to Makkah
– City surrenders and many residents
convert to Islam
– Kaaba declared a sacred shrine
– Muhammad dies two years later and Islam
begins spreading through the peninsula
Teachings of Muhammad
• Islam is monotheistic
• Allah the all powerful Creator of
everything
• Islam offers salvation and hope of
an afterlife for those who subject
themselves to Allah’s will
Teachings of Muhammad
• Muhammad is a prophet, but not
divine
• Direct and simple faith stressing
the importance of Allah’s will
• The Five Pillars – Belief, Prayer,
Charity, Fasting, and Pilgrimage
The Arab Empire and Its
Successors
Chapter 6 Section 2
Creation of the Arab Empire
• Muhammad had no son, only
daughter's and they were not able to
lead (male dominated society)
• Abu Bakr –Muhammad’s Fatherin-law was name caliph – successor
to Muhammad
Arab Conquest
• Islam grows under Bakr
– Muslims expand over Arabia
– 650 - Egypt, Syria, and the Persian Empire
were part of the Arab Empire
– The Quran permits fair, defensive war
known as Jihad - Struggle in the way of
God
– Brilliant generals with a large army
– It was believed that if a Muslim died in
Battle they are assured a place in Paradise
Arab Rule
• Early caliphs ruled from Madinah
• After Abu Bakr the first two caliphs were
assassinated
• 656 – Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law becomes
caliph, but he’s assassinated after 5 years
• Conquered territories were often allowed to keep
the same government
• No one was forced to convert to Islam
• If they did not convert they were required to be
loyal to Muslim rule and pay taxes.
The Umayyads
• 661 – Mu’awiyah, rival of Ali,
becomes caliph – his virtue: Use
force only when necessary
• Made caliphate herditary and began
the Umayyad dynasty
• Moved the Capital city to Damascus
in Syria
Umayyad Conquests
• Arabs conquered and converted the
Berbers - pastoral people of coastal N.
Africa
• Spanish Conquest
– 710 – combined forces occupied S. Spain
– 725 – Most of Spain a Muslim state
• 732 – Arab forces were defeated at the
Battle of Tours (France)
Umayyad Conquests
• 717 – Muslims attacked
Constantinople – Navy defeated by the
Byzantines
• Uneasy border of Byzantine and Arab
Empire
• By 750 -Persia, North Africa, parts of
the Mediterranean, and Spain make
up the Arab Empire
A Split in Islam
• Internal struggles threatened the Arab
Empire (non-Arab vs. Arab Muslims)
• Revolt against Umayyad rule in 680
by Hussein (Ali’s 2nd son)
– Most of the soldiers defect, leaving 72 to
fight an army of 10,000
– Results in two distinct groups emerging
A Split in Islam
• Shiite – Descendant of Ali – only true
rulers of Islam
• Sunni – Did not all agree with
Umayyad rule, but accepted it
• The split still exists today
• Most Muslims are Sunnis, but Shiites
exist mostly in Iraq and Iran
The Abbasid Dynasty
• Resentment of the Umayyad grew
–In 750, Abu al-Abbas, a descendant
of Muhammad’s sets up the Abbasid
dynasty
–Lasts until 1258
Abbasid Rule
•
•
•
•
762 – made the capital city in Baghdad
Persian influence
Warriors no longer the heroes
All Muslims can hold civil and military
offices
• Harun al-Rashid – golden age of the
dynasty
– Known for charity and patron of the arts
– His son al-Ma’mun – patron of learning
Abbasid Rule
• Economic prosperity as Baghdad
becomes the center of the huge
trading empire
• Caliph becomes more regal and
bureaucratic with a council headed
by the vizier – prime minister
Decline and Division
• Sons of al-Rashid fought over caliphate
• Wealth leads to financial corruption
• Shortage of qualified Arabs for government
positions led to non-Arabs to become a
dominating force
• Provinces break away from the empire and
establish their own caliphates
• Spain had a Umayyad prince
• 973 - Fatimids have a new dynasty in Cairo
The Seljuk Turks
• Seljuk Turks – nomadic people from
central Asia that converted to Islam and
prospered as soldiers for the Abbasid
caliphate
• Took over much of the Abbasid empire and
when Baghdad was captured the Turkish
leader became sultan – holder of power
• Began invading and taking over the
Eastern Byzantine Empire
The Crusades
• Alexius I Byzantine emperor asks Christian states
for assistance
• Crusades start in 1096
• European states get the upper hand early on
• 1169 - Saladin ends Fatimid dynasty by taking
control of Egypt and appointing himself sultan
• 1187 Saladin’s army invades Jerusalem and
destroys Christian forces
• Saladin did not permit a massacre of Christians
• Result of the Crusades?
The Mongols
• Pastoral people from the Gobi desert
• Seized control of much of Asia through
destruction and terror
• Genghis Khan takes over Northern China
• Hulegu takes over Persia and Mesopotamia
– Takes Baghdad in 1258 and orders the city
destroyed
• Begin to convert to Islam and intermarry
• Arab Empire collapses and Cairo is the center
of the Islamic world