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Hist 100 World Civilization I Instructor: Dr. Donald R. Shaffer Upper Iowa University Lecture 9 Significance of Islam Islam: the third of the great monotheistic religions in the world Originated on the Arabian peninsula in the 7th century CE With 100 years of its founding, it spread with Arab conquerors as far west as Spain and as east as India Today the religion has about 1 billion adherents, second only to Christianity Estimates of Muslims in the U.S. range from 1.1 million to 6.7 million Islam is a controversial religion on the worldwide scene because of the increasing militancy of some Muslims in recent years Geographical distribution of the world’s major Muslim population concentrations Lecture 9 Islam: The Arabs The population group in which Islam originated The term originally referred only to people of the Arabian peninsula After Arab conquests, their language and culture spread with Islam and other peoples assumed an Arab identity Arabia in the 7th century CE Most of the population settled Either in irrigated farmland in the southwestern mountain valleys or in trading towns around oases Also Bedouin herders who wandered the desert interior Their numbers were small, but they were important militarily because of their toughness, warrior traditions, and ability to control trade routes and lines of communications Lecture 9 Islam: Muhammad (1) Founding prophet of Islam Muhammad came from a lesser branch of Mecca’s leading trading clan He was a merchant trader until a marriage to a wealthy widow gained him more leisure for religious contemplation Had a religious vision around age 40 in which the Archangel Gabriel commanded him to preach revelations God would send him His followers initially limited to his family and friends His preaching met resistance from Mecca’s merchant and religious community Leaders feared his teachings threatened Mecca as a pilgrimage center for the Kaaba 16th century depiction of Muhammad at the Kaaba Lecture 9 Islam: Muhammad (2) Persecution in Mecca forced Muhammad and his followers to flee to Medina, 280 miles north This event is known in Moslem history as the “Hegira” The Muslim calendar is dated from the year the Hegira commenced The Hegira was the turning point for early Islam, for Muhammad found in Medina willing followers Eventually he became Medina’s spiritual and civil leader Eight years after fleeing Mecca, he returned with a Median army and conquered his home town Islam’s spread continued and before Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, it had spread throughout Arabia Muhammad and his followers hide in a cave during the Hegira Lecture 9 Islam: Beliefs of Islam Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic religion Muslims believe they worship the same God as Jews and Christians Muhammad believed he was completing the work of previous prophets such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus The essence of Islam is submission to God Islam means “submission” in Arabic Five Pillars of Islam Shadah: profession of faith Salah: 5 daily ritual prayers Zakah: alms giving Sawn: ritual fasting Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca Koran: Islam’s holy book Mecca and the Kaaba during the Hajj Lecture 9 Islam: Arab Expansion After 632, Arab armies moved out of Arabia seizing Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and then all of North Africa from the Byzantines They crossed the Strait of Gibraltar conquering the Visigoths, and only were stopped by the Franks at the Battle of Tours in 733 Arab armies also went east into Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Reasons for Arab success: Military Political Economic Religious Jihad Tolerance Arab conquests: 622 – 750 CE Lecture 9 Islam: Civil War Muhammad had been succeeded by Abu Bakr, who was given the title of Khalifa or Caliph After a number of successors, Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law became Caliph, but his succession disputed by the family of his assassinated predecessor, Uthman Although the supporters of Uthman won the civil war, Ali’s supporters never were reconciled Shiites: faction originating with Ali’s supporters. Believes the Caliph must be related by blood or marriage ties to Muhammad Sunnis: Caliph does not need to be related to Muhammad—most Muslims are Sunnis Distribution of Sunnis and Shiites Lecture 9 Islam: Umayyad Dynasty Established by Mu’awiya, son of Uthman, who did not accept the legitimacy of Ali as Caliph Gained legitimacy after Ali’s assassination by a disgruntled follower Ruled the Islamic world from Damascus in Syria The Umayyads saw the expansion of Islam west into Spain and east into Indus Valley For instance, it was under the Caliph Hashim, that Umayyad were defeated at Tours in 732 CE The Umayyads were overthrown by the Abbasid clan in 750 CE A grandson of Hashim, Abd al-Rahman survived the massacre of his family and found refuge in Spain where he revived the Umayyad Caliphate in that region Dynasty lasted until 1031 CE Umayyad Great Mosque Damascus, Syria Lecture 9 Islam: Abbasid Dynasty The Abbasids established their capital in Mesopotamia in Baghdad Administration As had other empires before them, the Abbasids tried to keep their domains tied together with a road network, express riders, and governors (“emirs”) Increasing numbers of non-Arabs served in administering their Caliphate Over time some emirs in far-flung regions established real or de facto independence Puppet Caliphate This helped take pressure off the Byzantines as it oriented Abbasid expansion east toward India In 945, the Buyids overran Baghdad In 1055, the Abbasids fell to the Seljuk Turks The final fall came in 1258 when Mongol invaders captured and sacked Baghdad They executed the last Caliph and reportedly killed all of Baghdad’s residents Lecture 9 Islamic Civilization: Social Patterns (1) Although the Arabians themselves were not a very advanced culture in the 7th century CE, the society that emerged from their conquests became one of the most advanced in medieval period Arabian Society in 600 CE Organized around tribal groups tied together by loyalty to a strong leader and the belief they had common ancestry Head of the tribe was a “sheik” elected by family heads While the Koran preached all people were equal in the sight of Allah, the sense of aristocracy among the Arabian elite survived the rise of Islam and encouraged Arab conquerors to feel superior to subject peoples Mosque interior Cordoba, Spain Lecture 9 Islamic Civilization: Social Patterns (2) Divisions in Early Islamic Society Caliph’s household and ruling Arab Muslims constituted the elite Converts Attached themselves to Arab tribes as clients Converts came to dominate business and the professions Gradually intermarried with Arabs, becoming Arab in language and culture Dhimmis (“Protected People”) Initially a person had to be born into this elite Jews, Christians, or Zoroasterians Tolerated as long as they accepted Muslim supremacy and paid “jitza” Slaves Came from non-Dhimmi conquered people Christians in the Arab world Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine Lecture 9 Islamic Civilization: Social Patterns (3) Women in Islamic Society Islam initially led to an improved position for women They could own property Had freedom of movement Participated with men in religious observances This position declined during the late Umayyad period Arabs seemed to have gradually adopted practices of veiling and secluding women prevalent among conquered peoples, especially the Persians Trade and Commerce Islam was very favorably disposed toward trade and commerce—after all, Muhammad had been a merchant Ottoman harem Lecture 9 Islamic Civilization: Social Patterns (4) Urban culture Although Islam became practiced in rural and urban areas, it originated in the latter and only gradually spread into the former outside Arabia Some of the great medieval cities of the world were Islamic Baghdad Cairo Cordoba Education Medieval Islam greatly valued education and the acquisition of knowledge Madrasa: Islamic schools Islamic education and the Arabic language proved a great unifying force in the Islamic work Muslim disdain for Christian Europe not just religious—they saw Europe as backward and uncultured