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Islam and the
Early Caliphates
The Arabian Peninsula Pre-Islam
• Mostly nomadic tribes (Bedouins)
• Tribes often fought
• Worshipped a large variety of
gods
• Took pride in oral traditions/group
loyalty
• TRADERS (Muhammad was a
merchant)
Abraham’s Genealogy
HAGAR
ABRAHAM
Ishmael
12 Arabian
Tribes
SARAH
Isaac
Jacob
12 Tribes of
Israel
Esau
The Prophetic
Tradition
Adam
Noah
Abraham
Moses
Jesus
Muhammad
Mecca
• Major
trading/religious
city
• Located between
Byzantine and
Sasanian Empire
• Importance of the
Ka’ba
The Messenger
• Muhammad (570-632 C.E.)
• Troubled by the corruption and
lawlessness of Mecca
• Retreats and revelations
• Famous text: Quran
• Growing movement towards
Allah/Yahweh as deity #1!
• Followers were kicked out of town
(the Hijra)
• ~When I heard the Quran, my heart was
softened and I wept…~
Quran, Koran, Qur’an
• Holy book of Islam
• Called for a creation of a new
society (Umma) based on
justice
• Considered to be literally the
word of God
• There is not an actual image
of God
The Five Pillars of Islam
1. The Shahada
The
declaration of faith:
There is no god except God,
and Muhammad is His
Messenger.
1
2. The Salat

Prayers performed 5 times a day:
* dawn
* noon
* late afternoon
2
* sunset
* before going to bed

Wash before praying.

Face Mecca and use a prayer rug.
2. The Salat (continued)
 The call to prayer by the
muezzin in the minaret.

Pray in the mosque on Friday.
Prayer
soul.
unifies body mind and
2
3. The Zakat
 Almsgiving (charitable
donations).
About 2.5% of your
wealth.

3
4. The Sawm
 Fasting during the holy month
of Ramadan.

No eating or drinking from
sunrise to sunset during
Ramadan.
4
5. The Hajj
 The pilgrimage to Mecca.

Must be done at least once in a
Muslim’s lifetime.

2-3 million Muslims make the
pilgrimage
every
year.
5
Pilgrims On
The Road to
And Camped
Outside of Mecca
P
i
l
Muslims in the World
Today
Countries with the Largest
Muslim Population
1. Indonesia
230,000,000
6. Iran
62,000,000
2. Pakistan
134,000,000
7. Egypt
59,000,000
3. India
121,000,000
8. Nigeria
53,000,000
4. Bangladesh
114,000,000
9. Algeria
31,000,000
10. Morocco
29,000,000
5. Turkey
66,000,000
* Arabs make up only 20% of the total
Muslim population of the world.
The Spread of Islam

Easy to learn and practice.

No priesthood.

Teaches equality.

Follow one law; The Sharia

Non-Muslims allowed religious
freedom, but paid additional taxes.

Easily “portable”  nomads & trade
routes.
The Weakness of nearby empires
(Byzantine & Persian) allowed conquest

The Dar al-Islam:
The Unity found across Muslim areas supported by
common practice
The World
of Islam
1
2
3
4
5
Arab Empire: Early Years
Muhammad’s death caused
division – who should lead?

Abu
Bakr elected (632-634)
as first Caliph- Ali passed
over (will be the 4th Caliph).
Conquest
important.
Focused
becomes VERY
primarily on
material and territorial gain.
Motives for Conquest

United

Distraction from internal fighting

Promised a share of the booty

AVOIDED mass conversions
so they wouldn’t have to share
their booty

so they could tax subjects at
higher rates

Sunni v. Shi’a/Shi’ite
At issue: Who should lead the Muslim
Umma?
 First 4 Caliphs = “The Rightly Guided”
Caliphs, most agreed on these guys
 Ali killed & Husayn (Ali, the 4th Caliph’s
son) = killed in 680 by Umayyads (10,000
soldiers v. 72 of Husayn’s followers). Some
thought HE should be the next caliph.
 Killing of Husayn = the final split.
 Shi’a = “Party of Ali” (Muhammad’s
relatives are rightful caliphs) Sunni = “The
Majority” (caliph should be chosen by the
umma)

Umayyads (661-759)
Mu’awiya-
Governor of Syria
(responsible for deaths of Ali and
Husayn) will become the Cailphate.
Expansion (central Asia, N.W. India,
N. Africa, Spain)


Capital = Damascus (modern Syria)

Arab conquest state
Bureaucracy – Arab elite ruled over
non-Arab, non-Muslim populations

Segregated into garrison towns to
prevent mixing

Umayyad Decline & Fall
Social Hierarchy:
1.Muslim Arabs
2.Muslim non-Arabs
REVOLT
led by Abbasid family
Non-Arab converts & Shi’ites
joined Abbasids

From Arab to Islamic
Empire: Abbasids (7501258)

Centralized

Capital = Baghdad.
Imitated
Non-Arab

Persian culture
Converts fully integrated
LOTS of conversions
Opportunities
positions
for education/gov’t
Abbasid Economy & Culture

Urban
Trade
& Hajj = constant
and quick ideas exchange

House of Wisdom in
Baghdad = Center of Learning
Library, Translation Institute
(mostly Greek to Arabic), and
Research Center.
•
Ancient
authors translated (especially
Greeks like Aristotle!!!)
Abbasid Decline

Overexpansion

Caliphs hired personal armies of
Turkic Central Asian (Mamluk)
pastoralists(slave soldiers)

Centralization breaks down

Mamluk & Seljuk Turkic slave
soldiers really run the gov’t
(caliph = figurehead)

Mongols – kill the last caliph in 1258
Chart Time!
• Instructions: Make a Venn Diagram
with 3 circles with at least three
examples of how Islam spread by
way of social, religious, and military
factors (at least one of each).
People of the Book
Considered to be Christians and
Jews


paid extra taxes, but tolerated
non-Arab converts still had extra
taxes


few conversions
Family & Gender Roles

Women’s status pretty good
Islam teaches that all people’s souls
are equal

Active


in commerce
Pastoralist background!
More patriarchal over time
• Madrassa schools