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Political Islam
World History - Libertyville HS
Why Did Islam Spread?
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Before death in 632,
Muhammad told
followers to spread
Muslim faith to rest of
world
Abu Bakr – elected
caliph to succeed
Muhammad in 632
He invoked jihad against
non believers
What does “jihad” mean?
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Literally means “striving”
(3 types)
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Personal striving (purify
soul)
Verbal striving (justice)
Physical striving
(contextual)
In Qur’anic context, it
means an Islamic holy
war against unbelievers
Jihad Quotes from the Qur’an
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“But when the forbidden months are past,
then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye
find them, And seize them, beleaguer them,
and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of
war); but if they repent (accept Islam) and
establish regular prayers and practices
regular charity then open the way for them;
for God is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(Qur’an 9:5)
Jihad Quotes from the Qur’an
“O ye who believe! Fight those of the
disbelievers who are near to you, and let
them find harshness in you, and know that
Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto
Him)” (Quran-9:123)
 “….Allah promises you much booty (spoils of
war) that you will capture from the defeated
infidels….” (Qur’an 48:20)
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Historical Jihad
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Invitation was sent to
neighboring locations
of unbelievers to
voluntarily convert to
Islam or face invasion
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Pagans = convert or die
People of the Book
(Jews, Christians ) =
Convert or be
conquered and become
dhimmi
Islam to 661 AD
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Four caliphs after
Muhammad were known as
the “Rightly Guided Caliphs”
Next two caliphs, including
Ali, son in law of Muhammad,
saw expansion of Muslim
Empire into Persian,
Byzantine Empires
Each caliph was
assassinated by rivals
The Umayyad Dynasty (661-750)
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After Ali’s death, the
Umayyads (Arab family
from Mecca) seized
power
Umayyads moved capital
from Mecca to
Damascus
They continued
conquests into Pakistan,
Africa, & Spain
Rise of the Abbasid Dynasty
(750-1258)
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The Abbasids were
primarily Persian rebels
against the Umayyads
They took over after
slaughtering all but one
Umayyad prince, who fled
to Spain and set up a
kingdom there (Moors)
Abbasids moved capital to
Baghdad, mainly for
reasons of trade
Islam in 1000 AD
Golden Age of Abbasid Caliphate
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Baghdad quickly grew as
money from conquest and
tribute flowed
Abbasids established a
strong central government
to control empire
Scholars flocked to
Baghdad
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Large libraries
Muslims very respectful of
learning of all cultures
Abbasid Golden Age
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Translation of Chinese,
Indian scientific works into
Arabic
Muslim state was the most
advanced of this period
They collected knowledge
of all peoples
BUT they did not
necessarily effectively use
that knowledge
Disintegration and Fragmentation
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Islam’s empire was too big
for control from one center
Caliphs were isolated
from and not responsive
to the people
Three way fight for power
developed
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Abbasids (Persia)
Fatimids took over Egypt
Seljuk Turks
Seljuk Turks
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Took over Syria,
Palestine, Islamic Asia
Fought against
crusaders
Eventually eliminated
by the Mongols
The Mongols and Islam
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The Mongols under Genghis
Khan swept through the
Abbasid Caliphate and
destroyed it by 1258
Mongols destroyed
everything in their path
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Irrigation systems of Persia,
Mesopotamia
Main reason why area is desert
today
Mongols stopped in Egypt in
1260 by Mamelukes,
(Christian slave-soldiers)
Rise of the Ottoman Turks
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Ottoman Turks, steppe
people, were driven
from central Asia by
Mongols in 1200s
Made their way to
Anatolia
In 1300s, Ottomans
united and forged an
empire in Anatolia,
fighting the Byzantines
Ottomans Conquer Islamic World
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From Anatolia, the
Ottomans crossed the
Bosphorus Straits into
Europe and began
conquering the Balkans
In 1453, their ruler, Mehmet
II, conquered
Constantinople and ended
the Byzantine Empire
Went on to conquer Muslim
world, parts of Europe
Greatest Extent of Ottoman Empire