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How did the early Islamic empire expand?
Document 1
In this excerpt, Mohammad gives choices to the leader of a Christian
Arab tribe.
Document 2
This quotation from the Quran offers specific directions.
Ye shall do battle with them, or them profess Islam…whoever shall
Believe or else pay tribute [money]…obey the Lord and His
obey God and His Apostle, He shall bring him into the gardens of
Apostle [Mohammed], and he will defend you… But if ye oppose [Paradise]; but whosoever shall turn back, He will punish him…
and displease them… I will fight against you and take captive
your little ones and slay the elder…
Paradise: heaven
apostle: disciple
SUMMARY:
SUMMARY:
How did the early Islamic empire expand?
Document 3
Document 4
This description of the Battle of Tours in 732, from Fifteen Decisive Battles of
the World by Sir Edward Crecy (E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc.) provides a
perspective on the Muslim fighting style.
Fred Donner is a historian at the University of Chicago who specializes in early Islam
and early Islamic expansion. Below is an excerpt from his book where he challenges
some of the common knowledge about early Islamic conquests.
The Moslems struck their enemies and laid waste to the country and
took captives without number…everything gave away to their
scimitars [swords]… All the nations of the Franks trembled as that
terrible army...attacked Tours…and the fury and cruelty of the
Moslems towards the inhabitants of the city were like the fury and
cruelty of raging tigers.
Excerpt from Fred Donner, The Early Islamic Conquests, 1981.
Moslem: another spelling for Muslim
Franks: Germanic people who established large kingdoms in western
Europe (stretching from France to Germany) during the Middle Ages,
their greatest king was Charlemagne
Tours: city in France
Fury: wrath, violent anger
SUMMARY:
During the conquest period the granting of gifts, which had been practiced by
Muhammad, became more regularized and eventually institutionalized. In
the first place, there was established a system of stipends or direct salary
payments ('ata-') to warriors serving in the Islamic armies. . . . Tribesmen in
the Islamic armies who rebelled against the regime now did so at the cost of
losing the stipends that the regime provided. Similarly, stipends were granted
to some Persian or Aramean nobles (dihqans) who cooperated with the
Muslims in Iraq. In most cases, it appears that these individuals were required
to embrace Islam in order to receive their stipend.
institutionalized: established as part of the government
stipends: payment
regime: government in power
nobles: ruling class
SUMMARY:
How did the early Islamic empire expand?
Document 5
In this excerpt from The Spirit of Islam, by a Muslim writer, Syed
Ameer Ali (London: Chatto and Windus, 1964), the expansion of Islam
is defended and that of Christianity criticized.
Islam never interfered with the dogmas of any moral faith, never
persecuted…Islam “grasped the sword” in self-defense;
Christianity grasped it in order to stifle freedom of thought and
liberty of belief. Wherever Christianity prevailed, no other
religion could be followed without molestation. The Muslims, on
the other hand, required from others a simple guarantee of peace,
tribute in return for protection, of perfect equality – on condition
of the acceptance of Islam…
Document 6
Philip K. Hitti, in History of the Arabs (MacMillan, 1946), offers another
explanation for conquest.
The passion to go to heaven in the next life may have been operative
with some, but the desire for the comforts and luxuries of the civilized
regions of the Fertile Crescent was just as strong in the case of
many…The campaigns seem to have started as raids to provide new
outlets for the warring tribes, the objective in most cases being riches
and not the gaining of permanent foothold…The movement acquired
momentum as the warriors passed from victory to victory…the
creation of the Arab empire followed inevitably.
SUMMARY:
dogmas: sets of principles or teaching about faith and morals
stifle: choke, suffocate, or suppress
molestation: to disturb, interfere or annoy
SUMMARY:
How did the early Islamic empire expand?
Document 7
Muslim forces took control of Syria in 636 CE when they fought the Eastern
Roman Empire (which included Greece) at the Battle of Yarmuk. This account,
written by Muslim historian Ahmad al-Biladuri in the 800s CE, describes the
battle.
Document 8
This treaty was signed in 713 CE between ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, the commander of the
Muslim forces invading Spain, and Theodemir, the Christian King of a region in
southern Spain.
The Treaty of Tudmir, 713 CE.
Al-Biladuri, “The Battle of the Yarmuk (636) and After,” written in the
800s CE.
The Muslims gathered together, and the Greek army marched against
them. The Greeks and their followers in this battle tied themselves to
each other by chains, so that none of them would run away. The battle
they fought at al-Yarmuk was of the fiercest and bloodiest kind. In this
battle 24,000 Muslims took part. By Allah's help, some 70,000 of them
[the Greeks] were put to death, and their remnants took to flight,
reaching as far as Palestine, Antioch, Aleppo, Mesopotamia and
Armenia. In the battle of al-Yarmuk certain Muslim women took part
and fought violently. Among them was Hind, daughter of 'Utbah and
mother of Mu'awivah ibn-abi-Sufyan, who repeatedly exclaimed, "Cut
the arms of these non-Muslims with your swords!"
remnants: rest of the army
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In the name of God, the merciful and compassionate. We [Abd al-Aziz’s
forces] will not harass him [Theodmir], nor remove him from power. His
followers will not be killed or taken prisoner, nor will they be separated from
their women and children. They will not be coerced in matters of religion,
their churches will not be burned, nor will sacred objects be taken from the
realm, as long as he remains sincere and fulfills these conditions that we have
set for him: He will not give shelter to fugitives, nor to our enemies, nor
encourage any protected person to fear us, nor conceal news of our enemies.
He and [each of] his men shall [also] pay one dinar every year, together with
four measures of wheat, four measures of barley, four liquid measures of
concentrated fruit juice, four liquid measures of vinegar, four of honey, and
four of olive oil. Slaves must each pay half of this amount.
coerced: forced
sacred: religious
fugitives: people running from the law
dinar: Muslim coins made of gold or silver
protected person: person under the rule of the empire
conceal: hide
SUMMARY:
How did the early Islamic empire expand?
Document 9
This excerpt suggests that there are options to conversion depending on the
religion of the people facing conversion. (From J.J. Saunders, “The Caliph
Omar: Arab Imperialist,” in History Today, March, 1961, pp. 180-181.)
Koranic revelation commanded them to “Fight in the cause of
God against those who fight you, but do not be the aggressors.” The
early Muslims thus fought their heathens enemies…war against
unbelievers was sanctioned by divine revelation and the example of
the Prophet.
But many Arabs were Jews or Christians: What was to be done
with them? Mohammed respected the older monotheistic faiths…he
called them “People of the Book” …they were not forced into Islam but
were allowed to retain their ancestral religion on payment of tribute.
Koranic: of, relating to, or contained in the Koran (Islamic sacred book,
believed to be the word of God, as dictated by Muhammad)
heathens: nonbeliever
divine revelation: knowledge or information given to by a diety/god
the Prophet: Muhammad
monotheistic faith: religions that believe in only one god; the three
major monotheistic faiths are: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
tribute: a payment in the form of a gift to a state or a ruler made
periodically
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