Download Philosophy - Alpine Public School

Chapter 15
Islamic Civilization
Islamic Beliefs
 Muslims refer to God as Allah
 “Islam” means: “submission” to in Arabic
 “Muslim” is one who has submitted to God’s will.
 Please God by following his teachings
The Five Pillars
Belief
Only 1
God
Muhammad
is the
messenger
of God
Prayer
Religious
duty for
Muslims
to pray 5
times a
day
Charity
Fasting
Giving to the
needy Muslims
must share
wealth with
less fortunate
During
Ramadan, no
eating or
drinking
daybreak to
sunset
Devout
Muslims give
25% of
wealth each
year
This tests
commitment
to God
Broken by
Eid al-Fitr`
Pilgrimage
Trip to the
holy city
(Hajj)
Quran says all
Muslims
should make
the Hajj at
least once and
strengthen
the global
community of
Muslims
Factors that helped build an Arab
Muslim empire
 Decline of the Persian and Byzantine Empires
 Ability and devotion of soldiers in Muslim armies
 Muslim tolerance for other religions
After Muhammad died…
 Rulers called caliphs led the Muslim community and
eventually the empire.
 The word “caliph” in Arabic means Successor.
 A government run by a caliph is called a caliphate.
Philosophy
 Studied the ideas of Aristotle & other
Greeks
 They worked to combine Islamic faith
with principles in Greek logic
Medicine
 Studied ancient Greek scholars and improved on
Greek medicine
 Produced a medical encyclopedia which covered every
disease and treatment known at the time
 They had hospitals which included pharmacies and
where difficult operations were performed including
cancer and brain surgeries
History & Geography
 History of the world that explained the rise and fall of
dynasties
 Some wrote about travels around Muslims countries
Folk Tales
 Comes from a long tradition of story telling
 Describes animals, heroes, and adventures
 The Thousand & One Nights tells us a lot about
Muslim life in that time period
Poetry
 Started as oral story telling
 It allowed nomads praise tribes and mock enemies
 Some wrote about religious themes, some about
desire, giving up worldly possessions, & seeking
nearness to God
Mathematics
 Decimal system based on Indian numerals
 Today we call it Arabic numbers because the Arab
world introduced it to Europe
 Advanced algebra allowing people to solve complex
problems
 Chemistry also came as a result of math
Astronomy
 Built observatories (buildings for viewing and studying
stars)
 Created charts that showed positions of stars and
planets
 Measured the size of earth and developed precise
calendars
Design & Calligraphy
 Decorative designs appeared on everything
 Arabesque consists of patterns of curved shapes &
lines resembling flowers & vines
 Calligraphy – decorative writing
 They used this form to write verses of the Quran on
walls or plaques
Architecture
 Built mosques, fountains, gates, gardens, baths &
palaces
 Domes & arches were common features, just like the
Romans had
 These styles spread to Muslim lands including India &
East Africa