Download Unit 8 Lesson 6 The Spread of Islam

Unit 8
Lesson 6
The Spread of Islam
Generalization: Contact, conflict and conquest often result in cultural diffusion
Big Idea – Muslim armies conquered many lands into which Islam slowly spread and
trade also helped its spread. Muslim scholars and artists made important
contributions to science, art and literature.
– analyzing – what role did armies play in spreading
Islam? As Muslim armies conquered new lands, Islam
slowly spread into the conquered regions
- draw conclusions – how did having a common
language help scholars in the Islamic world? It allowed
scholars separated by great distances to have a shred
method of communication
- evaluating – what do you think was the most important
advance that Muslim scholars made in math or science?
Why?
The Next Leaders
- Abu Bakr became the leader after Muhammad’s death
- takes the title – caliph (successor)
- early caliphs usually not also the religious leader
- Building an empire
- united Arabia under his control
- expansion continued after Bakr’s death in 634 –
- rules for conquered
- designed to make them convert to Islam
- only Jews and Christians could keep their own
religion (Children of the Book)
- less rights than Muslims
- second-class citizens
- pay special tax
- forbidden from converting anyone
Each caliph thought he had a
special relationship to
Muhammad and that they were
the only ones
- this led to conflict
- especially between Arab
and non-Arab Muslims
Umayyad Dynasty
- moved the capital to Damascus
- continued expansion
- lands in Central Asia
- northern India
- trade in the eastern Mediterranean
- parts of North Africa – Berbers
- resisted at first then converted
- helped Arab army invade Spain and attacked France
- called Moors
- ruled Spain for next 700 years
- analyze – why do you think the Umayyad
caliphs moved the capital from Median to
Damascus?
The Abbasids
- the next Islamic dynasty
- descendants of Abbas, an uncle of Muhammad
- ruled the eastern part of the Muslim world
- center of culture, science and economic development
- in time the rulers became too fond of luxury
- order broke down when they raised taxes to pay for their lifestyle
- opposition spread
The Spread of Islam
- mostly through conquest
- but also through trade
- into India, Africa, Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia
- some peoples adopted some Arabic culture
- language
- introduced new products into the Muslim world
- many areas became wealthy from this trade
- summarize – what did Arab Muslims gain
through trade?
New products, crops, and technologies; wealth
– main idea – how did trade affect the spread
of Islam?
As Arab merchants traveled they shared their
Muslim faith with the people they met
- recall – what feature of Arabia gave Muslim
merchants easy access to many parts of the
world?
Location at the crossroads between Asia,
Africa, and Europe
-By mid 600s – united Arabia, took Syria, Israel, and Egypt then
North Africa
- late 600s – conquered the Persian Empire, Iraq, Iran parts of
Afghanistan and India
- invaded Europe in 711 – took Spain – stopped at the Battle of
Tours in 732 by Charles Martel – They remained in Spain until
1492
In the West – the emirs of Cordova governed Spain after 755
- descendants of an Umayyad prince who escaped death
- independent of the caliphs of Baghdad
North Africa broke away from the Abbasids in the 10th century
- founded the Fatimid dynasty – capital –Cairo in Egypt
- descended from Muhammad’s daughter Fatima
Three Empires – Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid
- all shared Islamic religion, the Arabic
language and highly advanced culture
Cultural Achievements
- Astronomy – improved the astrolabe, used to improve navigation
- Geography – explorer Ibn Battutah
- traveled to Africa, India, China and Spain
- made more reliable maps and developed better ways of calculating distance
- Math – combined Indian number system with Greek math and science
- Europeans took their system and called them “Arabic” numerals
- Medicine – combined their own ideas with Greek and Indian knowledge
- first pharmacy school
- treatment for smallpox
- medical encyclopedia – written by Avicenna
- Philosophy – studied ancient Greek philosophy
- Sufism – focused on spiritual issues
- having a personal relationship with God
- explain – how did Muslim scholars help
preserve learning from the ancient world?
The translated works from the ancient world
into Arabic so they could study them and share
their knowledge
Literature and the Arts
- Best known literature in the West – Thousand and One Nights
Architecture
- built mosques to honor God
- minaret – narrow tower used to call Muslims to prayer
- style – complicated domes, arches, colored bricks and tiles
- cannot represent humans or animals in art
- used complex patterns instead
- calligraphy – form of decorative writing
- describe – what function do minarets serve in
mosques?
Provide a place from which calls to prayer were
made
- explain – how did Muslim artist create art
without showing humans or animals?
Used patterns; turned calligraphy into an art
form
- make generalization –
what are some
characteristic features of
mosques?
Huge halls for prayer, large
domes, minarets
1. Muslim scholars in Baghdad and Cordoba translated ancient writings into what
language?
a. French
b. Arabic
c. German
d. Spanish
2. In the 1320s, the explorer who traveled to Africa, India, China and Spain was
a. Shah Jahan
b. Muhammad
c. Abu Bakr
d. Ibn Battutah
3. Muslims made their greatest advances in what subject?
a. Languages
b. Medicine
c. Astronomy
d. Geography
4. A doctor in Baghdad discovered how to treat what disease?
a. Smallpox
b. Mumps
c. Measles
d. Rubella
5. A form of decorative writing is called
a. Decorative
b. Minaret
c. Calligraphy
d. Sufism