The Early Islamic World 600-1258. Pre-Islamic Arabia, c. 600 Bedouin clans Camel herders and town...
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Transcript of The Early Islamic World 600-1258. Pre-Islamic Arabia, c. 600 Bedouin clans Camel herders and town...
The Early Islamic World
600-1258
Pre-Islamic Arabia, c. 600 Bedouin clans Camel herders and town dwellers Frequent feuds over pasturing/water
resources Trade network Place of women Role of religion < tribal customs
Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam Merchant, travels introduced him to
monotheism Revelations 610-632, later written into the
Qur’an (=recitation) Escape from Mecca, 622 Return in triumph, 628 Death left no clear successor
The Appeal of Islam
Uncompromising monotheism in a land that had known only insignificant gods
Belonged to no single tribe or clan – possibility of unity
Arab in origin (alternative to foreign faiths of Judaism and Christianity)
Ethical system to heal social divisions
Five Pillars of Islam
Statement of faith: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”
In Arabic: http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch3-16-1.htm
Prayer 5 times a day,
facing Mecca
How to pray: http://english.islamway.com/prayer/BegSound.htm
Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
Final two pillars:
Fasting during RamadanZakat (tithe for charity)
After Muhammad – Division Within… 4 caliphs, though disagreements about
whether the caliph should be a direct relative of the prophet
Ali, 4th caliph and Muhammad’s cousin and brother-in-law, was rejected and assassinated by the Umayyads
Continued split between Sunni and Shi’ites Muslims
…but also great success Under caliphs, Arabia was reunited
following brief breaking away after Muhammad’s death
Sassanid (Persian) empire conquered and much Byzantine territory seized
Strength of Arab armies combined with weakness of neighbors
Motives for expansion? Release of martial energy? Payback for centuries of contempt? Not a motivation at least at first: conversion.
Qur’an: “There is no compulsion in religion.” Also: did not want to share booty of conquest or give up right to tax non-Muslims.
Umayyad Empire, 660-750
Women Dhimmis Mawali Shi’ite Merchants Ayan Small farmers
Treatment of
Umayyads alienated many Placed capital at Damascus Soldiers, especially on frontiers, unhappy
with distant, corrupt, unfair rulers Abbasid rebellion started in eastern part of
empire (Iran) but spread, drawing support from dissident groups, among them Shi’ite ans and mawali
Abbasid Empire
Women Dhimmis Mawali Shi’ite Merchants Ayan Small farmers
750-850: unified, center at Baghdad
Treatment of
Abbasid Empire, cont. 850-1050: breakup into regional dynasties:
Umayyads in Spain, Fatimids in Cairo (ruled Egypt & Syria), Turkish tribes swept into Middle East from Central Asia, converted to Islam and controlled the Islamic heartland Authority of caliph became more religious than political Regional sultans sought confirmation of their power from the
caliph
Abbasid Empire, cont. 11th-13th c.: new external threats
Christian Crusades Mongols – threatened entire Middle East,
remained in power in Iran & Iraq, where they converted to Islam
Invasions helped cause the fall of the old states & slow creation of 3 new states
3 New states emerge, 1258-1600 Safavid (Shi’ite) dynasty in Iran Moghul dynasty in India Ottoman Empire centered in Asia Minor
(which will conquer Byzantines in 1453)
CreditsSlide 6 photo: (Uzbek Muslims paying)
http://www.helsinki-hs.net/picpage.asp?IsoID=4B7WRDh8w
Slide 7 photo: http://lexicorient.com/e.o/index.htm (search for Hajj)
Slide 8 photo: http://lexicorient.com/e.o/index.htm (search for Ka’ba)
Slide 13 map: http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~davidyag/map6-a.jpg
Slide 14 map: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/maps/islam2map.gif
Slide 19 map: http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~davidyag/map6-b.jpg