Download Concerto Dynasties Conquest and Faith The Rise of Islam

Dynasties, Conquest, and Faith: The Rise of Islam
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“Mohammed quietly declared war on Mecca’s main merchants. He sent out forces
to raid their richly laden processions of camels that passed nearby on their way to
and from distant towns. In 626 he planned to attack a caravan said to consist of
1,000 camels. Though Mecca learned of the plan and applied superior forces, it
suffered a surprising defeat. Mecca, the larger and richer town, should have been
capable of trouncing Medina; but Mohammed was a skilled general, many of his
troops were enthusiasts, and he increased his military strength by making alliances
with nomadic tribes, several of which were Christian. In the year 630 he captured
Mecca with ease.
His creed took shape with speed and precision. Its rules were simple. The
believers had to pray five times daily, facing Mecca as they prayed: the first man to
call the muezzin or summons for prayer was to be a black man. The holy day was
Friday, which marked out the Mohammedans from the Jews with their worship on
a Saturday and the Christians with their Sunday. Devout believers had to try to
make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their life. They had to give generously to the
poor. And they had to fast between daylight and sunset in the lunar month called
Ramadan. The fasting rule now seems strict, but at that time most Christians also
fasted during the 40 days of the season leading up to Easter. Other rules protected
worshippers of Islam from moral danger, though women were more protected than
men. Women wore veils in public so that their face could not be glimpsed. On the
other hand, richer men could each take four wives, and Mohammed himself in his
last years also slept with Māriya, a Coptic concubine.
Alcohol and other stimulants were forbidden by the new religion; but the
prohibition cannot have been too comprehensive, because the evergreen bush that
produced one of the world’s most popular stimulants, coffee, was to be first farmed
in southern Arabia in the 15th century. Many worshippers were said to chew coffee
beans quietly during the long services in the mosque on Friday. Coffee was soon
banned by the Orthodox leaders, thus permitting more of the crop to be exported to
European coffee houses at a time when Arabia was the world’s sole supplier.” ~ A
Short History of the World
1- Why was Mohammed able to defeat Mecca?
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2- Identify significant rules of Islam.
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3- How did Muslims differ from Jews and Christians?
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4- What rules protected worshippers of Islam from moral danger?
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5- Discuss the status of women.
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6- What was forbidden in Islam?
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7- What role did coffee play in the history of Islam?
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Notes:
I. The Caliphate
A. When Muhammad died unexpectedly in 632, Abu Bakr, one of his first
followers in Mecca, became caliph
B. Caliph head of state, military commander, chief judge, religious leader
1. Theocracygovernment officials regarded as being divinely guided
2. Theocratic Islamic Empire was referred to as a caliphate
3. But no clear line of successioncaused trouble
C. The First Four Caliphs
1. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali
a) Ali was assassinated and was succeeded by his son, Hasan
b) Under pressure from prominent family in Mecca, Hasan relinquished
title, leading to establishment of Umayyad Dynasty
II. The Umayyad Dynasty
A. Capital moved to Damascus, Syria, although Meccaspiritual center
B. Arabic became the official language of government
C. Conquered subjects were “encouraged” to convert to Islam
1. Those who chose not to convert were forced to pay a tax (jizya)
D. Empire grew enormouslyextending as far as northern African and into
Spain (ruled the southern Iberian peninsula from the city of Córdoba)
1. Charles Martel, Frank, stopped Muslim advance towards Paris
E. Despite successes (the Dome of the Rock was built in Jerusalem and Córdoba
was one of the richest cities in Europe), problems with succession
1. Muslims split into two camps, Shi’ite and Sunni
a) Shi’ite (Shia) Islam holds that Mohammad’s son-in-law, Ali, was rightful
heir to empire, based on Mohammad’s comments to Ali
b) Sunnis believe that leaders should be drawn from the people
c) As Shia began to assert themselves, Umayyad Dynasty went into decline
III. The Abbasid Dynasty
A. Against forces of Abu al-Abbas (descendant of Mohammad’s uncle who was
supported by descendants of Ali, Shia, and Mawali – non-Arab Muslims),
Umayyaddefeated
B. Established Abbasid Dynasty around 750 in all areas except Spain
C. Dates: 750 to 1258 (Until defeated by Mongols)
D. Ups and downs but experienced a golden age, from the early to mid-ninth
century, during which arts and sciences flourished
E. Built a magnificent capital at Baghdad
F. Importance of tradeMerchants introduced the unique idea of credit
G. Advances in Math and Sciences
1. Mohammad al-Razi published a massive medical encyclopedia
2. Expanded knowledge learned from India; contributions in algebra
H. Papermaking
1. Defeated Tang Chinese army during the Battle of Talus River in 751 CE
2. Chinese prisoners of war were carrying paper money
I. Location of empire at crossroads of Europe/Asia allowed to monopolize trade
J. Preservation of Greek and Roman learning
1. A significant role in preserving Western culture (like the Byzantines)
K. Crusades and Rediscovery
1. Muslims and Christians battled for control of Levant (present-day Israel,
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon) during Crusades
2. Europe found its own history preserved in Arabic libraries
L. Often tolerant
1. Particularly of Jews and Christians (“People of the Book”)
M. Sufis
1. Islamic mysticswere its most effective missionaries
2. Stressed personal relationship with Allahmade Islam highly adaptable
N. Women
1. While women remained subservient to men, women began to be treated
with more dignity, had some legal rights, considered equal before Allah
2. Infanticide forbidden and after a divorce, dowry returned to woman
3. But a man allowed four wives and land passed to males
4. A woman’s testimony in courtonly half weight of a man’s testimony
5. And women were veiled in public – although this custom began earlier
O. Islamic empire regularly endured internal struggles and civil wars
1. Turkish slaves, or mamluks, revolted and established a new capital at
Samarra in central Iraq and new Shia dynasty in Iran
2. External foes too: the Persians, Europeans, Byzantines, and Mongols
a) Mongols destroyed the city of Baghdad in 1258
Complete the graphic organizer below:
Caliphate:
Abbasid Dynasty:
Umayyad Dynasty:
Sufis:
Problems with Succession
(Sunni/Shia):
Islamic Empire
Achievements:
Conflict within
Empire:
(Mawali,
Religious
Minorities)
Women:
Questions:
 Describe the role of the caliph.
 How did the death of Muhammad affect the Islamic world?
 Explain the rise of the Umayyad dynasty.
 What factors led to the collapse of the Umayyad dynasty.
 Explain the Sunni and Shi’ite split.
 Describe the Abbasid dynasty.
 Discuss the Islamic golden age.
 What factors led to the collapse of the Abbasid dynasty.
1. Which of the following is true of the
4. Islamic Spain, known as al-Andalus,
Sufis?
was
(A) They were very effective
(A) Controlled by Muslim Berber
missionaries
conquerors.
(B) They sought and emotional and
(B) Not part of the Abbasid Empire.
mystical union with Allah.
(C) The source of a failed invasion of
(C) They used emotional sermons
France.
and song and dance to encourage
(D) The home of Ibn Rashd
devotion.
(Averroes).
(D) They tolerated observances of
(E) All of the above.
some non-Islamic customs.
(E) All of the above.
5. Which of the following was not a
right of Islamic women?
2. The Five Pillars are to Muslims as
(A) They could legally inherit
(A) The hadith is to Muslims.
property and divorce husbands.
(B) The Noble Eightfold Path is to
(B) They could engage in business
Buddhists.
ventures.
(C) The four Vedas are to Aryans.
(C) They were equal to men before
(D) The book of Genesis is to
Allah, not the property of men.
Christians.
(D) They could take up to four
(E) None of the above.
husbands, just as a man could
take up to four wives.
3. During Abbasid times, the Arabs
(E) None of the above.
learned from China the technique of
making
6. Which of the following is true of the
(A) Fine silk.
early caliphs?
(B) Wood block prints.
(A) The early caliphs quickly
(C) Gunpowder and cannons.
rejected many of Muhammad’s
(D) Paper.
teachings.
(E) All of the above.
(B) The caliph was strictly a political
leader, not a religious leader.
(C) The early caliphs were
unanimously agreed upon by the
umma.
(D) The early caliphs concentrated
on religious doctrine, not
expansion.
(E) None of the above.
Thesis Statement: Continuity and Change Over Time: Succession after Muhammad
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