Download - bYTEBoss

The Islamic World 600 to 1500
A.D.
◊Arabia
- Land of Contrasts
- Well watered in the South
- Desert and Oasis communities in the
North
◊Mecca
- Crossroads for trade routes
- Site of the Ka’aba Shrine
Bedouin Society
◊ Nomadic
◊ Basic unit is the tribe
- Townsmen (Oasis), Nomads, Semi-nomads
- Ruler is the Sheikh (warrior in the North and
Religious leader in the South)
- Council of Elders (majlis)
- Tribes are autonomous
- herding and raiding or trade are means of
support
Pre-Islamic Religion
◊ Polytheistic with Supreme God Allah heading a
community of local spirits
◊ Community of faith, no priests
◊ Each tribe possesses a sacred stone
◊ All tribes worship a sacred black meteorite called
Ka’aba located in Mecca
◊ Surrounded and heavily influenced by Judaism,
Eastern Orthodoxy(Christianity) and Zoroastrians
5th and 6th Century Changes
◊ Economic importance of Arabia Grows
- Byzantine/Persian wars cut trade
routes
- Sea route from India to Arabia
expands
- Trading communities become wealthy
- Friction grows between wealthy
merchants and the Bedouins
◊ Into this increasingly intense
world steps Muhammad
◊ Orphaned member of powerful Kurash tribe
in Mecca
◊ Works as caravan manager for his uncle until
he marries a wealthy widow
◊ Age 40 he starts asking questions: How to
live properly?
◊ Meditates and finally receives revelations
from the Angel Gabriel
God calls Muhammad to
Teach
◊ Relies on other religions, but introduces some new
ideas
• Agrees with Rigid monotheism of other religions
and absolute power of God (Allah)
• Contrasts:
◊ No chosen people, God is tied to all people
◊ Jesus is a prophet not God as God can’t mingle
with earthly substance
◊ All pious monotheists are Muslims they are just
misguided and don’t realize it
Principle of Islam
◊ Humans must behave morally
◊ Use reason as a tool to find their way
◊ All who submit to Allah are brothers
(Islam)
◊ Social justice is central to Islam
◊ One is required to exert oneself (Jihad)
to spread the word
Qu’ran
◊ Originally Muhammad memorizes the revelations
from Gabriel and the Qu’ran (recitation) is spoken
◊ Eventually written down about 651 A.D.
• Principles of submission, absolute obedience
• Followers of earlier prophets have strayed and
Muhammad is the last and greatest prophet
◊ hadith (reports of the words/actions of
Muhammad)became the chief source of legal and
religious norms.
5 Pillars of Islam
◊ Confession of Faith: There is no God but
◊
◊
◊
◊
Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet
Daily prayer (first 3 then 5 times daily
towards Jerusalem then Mecca)
Fast during Ramadan (atonement)
Zakat (tithe or charitable giving)
Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca once in lifetime)
Early Islam
◊ Claims to be last prophet of one and only God
◊ Muhammad and 30 followers eventually flee
to Medina a rival city (Hegira)
◊ Basic ideas emerge:
• No alcohol, pork
• Honesty, modesty, fair inheritance
• Women’s rights: marriage, divorce
• Hajj, and worship rituals
Early Islam
◊ Muhammad rejected by Jews of Medina
◊ Forms powerful political block by raiding
caravans and attracts followers
◊ Defines community of followers as the Umma
(community)
◊ Seizes control of Medina and then conquers
Mecca with army of 10,000
◊ People of the Book (dhimmis) are largely left
alone if the submit to Muhammad
The Rise of Islam 610-750 AD.
◊ Muhammad’s Vision (Khadija)
-Monotheism, 5 pillars (declaration of faith,
daily prayer, charity, Ramadan fast, hajj)
◊ People of the book, Sharia
◊ First Four Caliphs to 750 AD. Conquer Syria,
Palestine, Persia, Egypt, North Africa
◊ Why? Neighbors weak, Mobile war, unity
-tax non-Muslims, protect “People of the
Book”
Expansion of Islam
◊ 3 Phases
• 650 Arabic phase
• 650-950 A.D. Ummayad and Early Abbasid
• Post 950 Post Abbasid and Mongol/Turkic
◊ Western
• Arabia, Egypt, Mesopotamia (Arabic Speakers)
◊ North Africa: Trade precedes conquest many elites
are Pre-converted, Spain 711, France, 719, Defeated
by Charles Martel 733
Expansion of Islam
◊ Eastern
• Destroy Persian Army in 651A.D., well into central Asia by
700 and reach India 713 A.D.
◊ Why the success?
• Jihad – spread the faith
• Religious cohesion and Zeal : Not unusual to have nomad
invasions, but religion keeps them from being absorbed like
earlier invasions
• Equality: no peasants means it is attractive to the poor
• Byzantines and Sassanid Persians locked in a war
• Fine Arnies: Fixed salaries, pay and loot attractive to
Bedouins, Martyrdom, (loot,loot,loot)
• Tolerance of dhimmis (People of the book) NO!!!! polytheists
Successor’s to Muhammad
◊ No clear successor to M when he dies
• Will Islam survive? Revolts follow his death
◊ First 4 Khalifs
◊ Abu Bakr elected Khalifa (successor)
• Enforces Qu’rannic law dies 534
• Duties emerge: links religion and gov’t ,
but not a Pope!!!! Control military and
economy, publish Qu’ran
Successor’s to Muhammad
• Ummar 634-44 surge out of Arabia, seize
fertile crescent, Egypt, Most of Iran, after
he dies continue to N. Africa and rest of
Iran by 650
• 3rd Khalif Uthman
◊ Accused of advancing his family and is
assassinated
◊ Dispute arises: is the Khalif supposed to be
related to Muhammad, the best leader or most
moral person???
Successor’s to Muhammad
• Ali is elected but cousin of Uthman
Mu’aiwya refuses to accept him
◊ Civil war and Ummayad 661-750 family rises to
power with Mu’aiwya Khalif
◊ Leads to permanents split in Islamic Sects
The Ulama
◊ Khalif is not a Caesar-pope
• Religious leaders are separate and preserve, interpret and
apply the Qu’ran
• Develop legal concepts, grammar rules, phonetic alphabet
and script
• Scholars called Ulama
◊ By 9th Century serve as legal advisors, theologians, and
interpret criminal law
◊ Called Sharia Law : legal, social, commercial, political,
ritual, moral issues all addressed
• Ulama not a formal Clergy but form a new
Scholar elite
Islamic Sects
◊ Sunnis (Sunna =tradition)
• Best qualified leader should be Khalif
◊ Absolute ruler, community/unity most important
◊ Rely on Qu’ran, views of the Prophet (sunnas) and
Ulama (Ummayad are Sunnis)
◊ Kharijites (“seceders”)
• Bedouin warriors strict Qu’ran principles
• Total equality, only morally pure can lead
• Depose leaders for immorality
• Khalifs live in luxury are corrupt and sinners are not Muslims
• Constantly split and re-split as each decides who real Khalif
is.
Islamic Sects
• Shi’ites (“Partisans”) are family of Ali
◊ Family of Muhammad or his daughter should be Khalif
◊ Divide political and religious authority
◊ Khalif is political and Military leader
◊ Imam is descended from Muhammad, sinless, inspired by
God
• Resolves conflicts over Qu’ran
• Mahdi, the guided one, will one day arise and create
a Messianic age ending in Judgment day
Umayyad Dynasty 661-750 AD.
◊ 3rd Caliph is murdered and replaced by
Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali and Ali is then
killed
◊ Splits Islam over Caliphate
◊ Umayyad’s =Arab phase
•
•
•
•
local officials, vast wealth, religious bias
Appoint governors, collect taxes
Use local bureaucracy to run empire
Khalif is shadow of God on earth and Emirs
(governors) and Amirs (Military) below him
Umayyad Dynasty 661-750 AD.
◊ Govern Empire with Sharia
◊ Ulama runs schools (Madrasah) in every city and scholars travel
so law code is uniform
◊ Religious and political unity call Dar al Islam
◊ Diwan
• Sets up precedence of tribes Arabs superior
• Arabic survives because Qu’ran is not translated
• Non Arabs are 2nd class, become clients of Arab tribes
• Constant Arab/Persian Tension
• Early on decide Islam is universal and anyone can convert
even though the lose the head tax on non-muslims
Abbasid Dynasty 750-1258
Kill Umayyads at a banquet
End Arab domination
Universal conversion to Islam
Mosques, Minarets, markets, massive
trade in Baghdad
◊ Umayyad Spain breaks away 850,
Seljuk invasion 900 -1055, Crusades
1099-1244, Mongols 1216-1258
◊
◊
◊
◊
Abbasids 750 - 950
◊ Emerge from Oxus River Region in central Asia
• Use Asians and Persians to seize control 750 A.D.
• Leaders form various ethnic groups
• Persian language grows
• Move capital to Baghdad from Damascus
• Spain and N. Africa remain Ummayad
• Come to rely on Viziers (Prime minister) and
Mameluk slave warriors to protect state
• After 850 steady decline and splintering of Empire
Abbasids Decline 850- 950
850 N. Africa Breaks away under Harun Al Rashid
Iran breaks away
Slave revolt in Mesopotamia
Buyid Clan seizes control945 but keeps Abbasids as
figureheads Buyid are Shi’ites
◊ Seljuks invade in 1055 and keep Abbasids as
figureheads to 1258
◊
◊
◊
◊
• Royal court is huge, costs terrible, layers of officials corrupt
Culture
◊ Social mobility, slavery (servants), sea
and desert trade roots (spreads math,
sugar, paper, bank check,
◊ Arabesque, calligraphy, literature,
medicine, astronomy, philosophy