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Chapter VIIi
The Rise of Islam
600-1200
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The Origins of Islam
The Arabian Peninsula before Muhammad
• Caravan trading was predominant trade
• Nomadic tribes (Bedouin) traded with both
Byzantine and Sassanid Empires
• Camel replaced oxen and carts and a new saddle
weaponized them
• The Ka’ba in Mecca was holy site for many
religions – Pilgrimages brought lots of $$$
The Ka’ba
Muhammad in Mecca
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Born in 570 in Mecca an orphan raised by his uncle
Married a widow and became a caravan trader
“Night of Power and Excellence” was visited by the
angel Gabriel and was convinced this was God (Allah)
People followed him, Islam (Submission) was created
Followers are called Muslim (one who submits)
Islam worshiped a single god and took care of the poor
Pressure (?) from those in power forced Muhammad and
his followers to flee to Medina in 622, Hijra
Formation of the Umma
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Umma is the term for the community of all Muslims
Joined the separate nomadic kinship bonds of community
Muhammad waged in war with Mecca and surrounding desert
nomads; Mecca surrendered in 630
Muhammad died in 632
Abu Bakr became caliph
He ordered written copies of
Muhammad’s prophesy collected
The Qur’an became sacred text
The Five Pillars of Islam
• There is no god except Allah, and Muhammad
is his messenger
• Prayer five times a day (facing Mecca)
• Fasting during the month of Ramadan from
sunup to sundown
• Alms ($$) to the poor
• Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in lifetime
Fracturing of the Umma
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Not everyone was happy with Abu Bakr
Shi’ites believed that Ali should have been caliph
After a series of assassinations Ali became caliph,
but was assassinated giving way to Mu’awiya who
institutes the Umayyad Caliphate
Sunni Muslims support the first three caliphs and
then as well as today make up the dominant part of
the Islamic faith
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Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750
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Muawiya moved capital from Medina to Damascus, Syria
Created hereditary line to become caliph
Expanded empire as far as Afghanistan and Spain
Created a bureaucracy to govern their vast lands
Non-Arab converts to Islam were not really accepted
Jews and Christians became “People of the Book” and were
allowed to practice their respective religions
Disregard for non-Arabs created resentment and eventually led
to the overthrow of the Umayyad Caliphate and the Abbasid
Caliphate replaced them
Early Abbasid Caliphates, 750-850
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Claimed legitimacy: descendants of Muhammad’s uncle
Opened Islam to all on equal basis
Moved capital to Baghdad
Focused on creating religious law, Shari’a
Religious scholars called ulama interpreted the Qur’an and
the hadith to determine Islamic law codes.
Office of the vizier ran the government, directed by the caliph
and a state council
Greeks, Iranian, Asian and Africans converted to Islam giving
the capital a cosmopolitan feel
Political Fragmentation 850-1050
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Controlling such a vast empire became problematic
It would take weeks for information to travel to the capital and
months to organize military action
Islamic principalities sprang up draining money from Baghdad
The Mamluks (Turkic slaves) were expensive mercenaries
who, at times, would take over Baghdad and control the caliph
Fatimid Caliphate controlled North Africa and parts of Arabia
Umayyad Caliphate was established (pushed into) in Spain
o Unique version of Islam blending the Roman, Germanic,
Jewish, Arab, and Berber traditions.
o Only took the title Caliph after the Fatimid leader did
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Assault from Within and Without 1050-1258
Constant invasion meant power was changing hands
Politically the empire had multiple rulers during this
time: Seljuk Turks, Cursaders, Mamluk, and the
Mongols
Although politically things were uncertain, the umma
experienced a “Golden Age” of Islam
The religion and culture spread throughout the southern
Mediterranean, Africa, Central Asia, and into Spain
Wrap-up
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The foundation of Islamic civilization is the Shari’a, which is
derived from the Qur’an and hadith
Urbanization and religious conversion reinforced each other
and primped the expansion of agriculture, trade, science, and
technology
Women in general enjoyed relatively high status under Islamic
law, though urban women tended to live in seclusion
Slavery was an accepted and continuous practice
Migrations of Iranian scholars centered Islam on the madrasa
and contributed to the rise of Sufism