Chapter 22 The Spread of Islam
Words, Terms and People to Know
Abbasids
 Alchemists
 Abu Bakr
 Muhammad
 Quran
 Mosque
 Islam
 Allah
 Avicenna

Baghdad
 Bedouins
 Damascus
 Hajaz
 Makkah
 Anno Hijrah
 Pillars of Faith
 Omar Khayyam
 Rubaiyat

1
The Arabian Peninsula is a crossroads of three continents. Africa, Europe and Asia. Only a
tiny strip of fertile land in the south and Oman can support agriculture. The rest of
the land is desert inhabited by nomadic Arab herders. Towns were located near the
coast or near oasis.
2
Bedouins: Arab-speaking desert herders and
warriors. Nomadic Arabs, recognized by their nomadic
lifestyles, specific dialects, social structures and culture.
(Ahl Bedu, " dwellers in the open land," or
Ahl el beit, " people of the tent," as they
call themselves),
 "I and my brothers against my cousins, I
and my brothers and my cousins against
the world."
 Needed to defend themselves against
constant raids by other clans seeking their
water, grazing territory and food supplies.

3
Persian battling Ancient Arabian
Tribesmen
4
The Spread of Islam
500A.D. –1300A.D.


Feudalism and
Transitions



3. Describe the conditions that gave rise to
feudalism, as well as political, economic and social
characteristics of feudalism, in Asia and Europe.
4. Explain the lasting effects of military conquests
during the
Middle Ages including:



a. Muslim conquests;
b. The Crusades;
c. The Mongol invasions.
5
God is beautiful and
loves beauty.
(Inn Allaha jameel wayuhibbu l-jamaal)
(A hadith of the Prophet
Muhammad (s)in Sahih
Muslim 1.93:91. Muslim
contributions to art
come decorative
design—not painting
pictures of people and
the world
Each Mosque has this niche
used to indicate the direction
to Mecca
6
Section One: describes the rise of
Islam.

I. Islam means “the act of
submitting to the will of God.”



A. Allah—“The God”
B. Makkah
Defined(Mecca)
primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of
Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better-known for the Islamic holy
C. Makkah
cities of(Mecca)
Mecca and Medina. As the site of Islam's holy places the Hejaz has significance in the

Arab and Islamic historical and political landscape.Geographically, the region is located along
1. Three
major cities in the Hejaz (Mountainous area
the Great Rift Valley. The region is also known for its darker, more volcanic sand. Depending
in the
part
ofincludes
Area)
: Yathrib,
Taif and
on thewestern
previous definition,
Hejaz
the high
mountains of Sarawat
which topographically
separate
Najd
from
Tehamah.
Makkah. Even before Islam, the holiest city in Araba
was Makkah

(a.) Mecca largest and richest

(b.) Supported by trade and religion

(c.) Arab pilgrims visited he Ka’bah

(1.) low, cube-shaped building surrounded by
idols and containing a black stone (meteorite?)

(d.) Ka’bah build by Adam and later rebuilt by
Abraham and Ishmael
7
 C.
I. cont.

Muhammad
(WSJ on images)
Christian Church splits 1054—
Martin Luther 95 Theses 1517—
Protestant Reformation/Counter
Reformation—Enlightenment
1700s—Democratic
Governments, Separation of
PHILADELPHIA – Colleen LaRose, accused of conspiring with fighters overseas
and pledging to commit murder in the name of a Muslim holy war, or jihad is accused of
The controversial cartoons of
trolling the
Internet
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie,
KBE
; bornas
19Jihad
June Jane
1947)and agreeing to marry a suspected terrorist and kill a
Muhammad,
as they were first
Swedish artist targeted by radical Muslims cooperated with (arrested
2010)
is a British-Indian novelist and essayist.
published in Jyllands-Posten in
September 2005. The headline,
"Muhammeds ansigt", means "The
face of Muhammad".
In February
the Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, Supreme Leader of Iran issued a fatwa calling on
all good Muslims to kill or help kill Rushdie and his publishers. Following the fatwa, Rushdie was put
under police protection by the British government. As of early 2010 Rushdie has not been physically
harmed, but 38 others have been killed in violence against those connected with the book.
Church and State, Freedom of
Speech etc.
1989,
Riots in 2005
8
9





1. born 570 A.D., orphaned at 6
2. in teens worked as a business person
3. at 25 years of age married a 40 year old widow
4. 610, Muhammad had a revelation that in time will
make him the founder of the Islamic religion and its
Allah’s prophet.
 (a.) angel appeared and ordered him to read
some writing
 (b.) Angel Gabriel told him to preach about God
 (c.) Holy man tells Khad’juh Muhammad was to
be a prophet of his people and Arabs should
worship only Allah.
 (d.) 613 Muhammad begins preaching to people
of Makkah.
 (e.) Share with the poor, life preparation for the
Day of Judgment
5. leaders of Makkah were threatened and were
afraid visitors would stop coming to Makah
10
I. cont.







View of the Mosque of the Prophet in
Medina
6. 620 Muhammad pilgrims from Yathrib
ask him to be their leader
7. 622, Anno Hijrah, year of migration,
becomes first year of Muslim calendar
8. City of Yathrib renamed Madina, “City
of the Prophet”.
9. People of Makkah invade Madina
unsuccessfully several times
10. 628 Muhammad signs peace treaty
with Makkah
11. By 630 all the people of Arabia
declared faith in Islam
12. 632 Muhammad dies.




Terms
Terms
Terms
Terms
to
to
to
to
Learn:
Learn:
Learn:
Learn:
Pillars of Faith
Mosque
Imam
Hajj
11
2007 OAT QUESTION
10. Which is the sacred book
of the Islamic religion?
A. Bible
B. Torah
C. Koran
D. Vedas
12
I. more

D. The Quran (Muslim
scriptures)
 1. Muslims believe the
Quran is the direct word
of God as revealed to
Muhammad
 2. Written in Arabic
 3. Pillars of Faith (next slide)
13
As part of their Islam religion Muslims have 5 duties
they must perform, called the Five Pillars of Faith
Shahada (affirmation) The duty to recite the creed:
"There is nothing worthy of worship save Allah, and
Muhammad is the Messenger of God"
Salat (prayer) The duty to worship the One God in
prayer five times each day (Friday noon prayer is
usually recited in a mosque, led by an imam)
Zakat (almsgiving) The duty to distribute alms and
to help the needy
Siyam (fasting) The duty to keep the Fast of Ramadan
Hajj (pilgrimage) The duty to make the pilgrimage
to Mecca at least once in a lifetime (all believers
who fulfill these duties will go to Paradise)
14
2. The Salat
 The call to prayer by the
muezzin in the minaret.

Pray in the mosque on Friday.
2
15
Section Two: describes the formation of the Arab
Empire and the spread of Islam
II. The Arab Empire





Places to Locate: Damascus
Places to Locate: Baghdad
A. in 632 Muslim leaders choose a
caliph (successor)
B. The Rightly Guided Caliphs

1. 1st Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s fatherin-law elected for life, as were his two
successors

2. ruled from Madina and kept in
touch with the people and trusted
advisors

3. sent warriors into Palestine, Syria,
Iraq, Persia, Egypt and North Africa
16
II. continued

The term "Jihad" used without any qualifiers is generally understood in the
West to be referring to holy war on behalf of Islam. In broader usage and
interpretation, the term has accrued both violent and non-violent meanings. It
can simply mean striving to live a moral and virtuous life, spreading and
defending Islam as well as fighting injustice and oppression, among other
things. The relative importance of these two forms of jihad is a matter of
 (a.) Islam held them together
controversy.
4. Success came for many reasons:
 (b.) Arab warriors believed that struggling on
behalf of Islam earned them an eternal place in
paradise if they died in battle. (Jihad)
 (c.) Lenient treatment of conquered people
 (1.) must pay a tax
 (2.) could keep their land
 (3.) those who fought paid tax and lost their
lands
 (4.) Muslims refer to Jews and Christians
(sometimes Zoroastrians and even Mandeans)
as "People of the Book". When these people
reside in states that practice Sharia law, they
are called dhimmi ("protected person"). As
dhimmi, they are subject to various
protections and disabilities, which are called
dhimma. People of other religions do not
17
have this protected status.
C. The Umayyads







1. Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law was killed in 661
2. Muawiya, MUAWIYA B. ABI SUFYAN (c.602-680) new Caliph moved
the capital to Damascus and founded the
Umayyad Dynasty.
3. Title of Caliph becomes hereditary at this time
4. Rule as political leaders rather than religious
leaders.
5. minted first Arab money, created postal
routes, built mosques (Muslim house of worship)
and encouraged arts.
6. Conquered people were not treated the same,
received less money for serving in army and paid
higher taxes.
7. Muslims divided into 2 groups



(a.) Shi’ah—believed the office of caliph should be
held only by descendants of Ali- venerate imams
(b.) Sunni—followed the Rightly Guided Caliphs and
all caliphs after them (minor groups-esp. sufi)
(c.) War breaks out between Abbasids and
Umayyads in 750 led by Abu Abbas Mussin
18
Abbasid Caliphate (green) at its greatest extent, c. 850.
19
Abbasids based their claim to the Caliphate on their descent from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib
(566-652), one of the youngest uncles of the Prophet Muhammad., by virtue of which descent
they regarded themselves as the rightful heirs of the Prophet as opposed to the Umayyads.
D. The Abbasids












1. Ruled Arab Empire from 750-1258
2. first 100 years known as Golden Age of Islam
3. built new capital called Baghdad designed by a
Jewish astronomer and a Persian engineer
4. meaning of Arab changes from person from Arabia to
any subject of the empire who spoke Arabic
5. Vizier—Chief Adviser—intermediary between people
and throne
6. did not conquer new lands—Baghdad becomes
intellectual center
7. Caliph instructs Syrian Christians and Jews to
translate Greek writings into Arabic
8. Mathematical and scientific achievements recorded
Minaret at the Great
9. Mathematicians
adapted a numeric
Mosque
of Samarra
system
developed
by the Guptas of India
10. Empire becomes too large for one caliph and breaks
into independent kingdoms.
11. 836 caliph moves capital city to Samarra—then tries
to return to Baghdad
12. 945 Persians take control of Baghdad
20
A room of the palace and a
view of the Court of the Lions. Granada Spain
E. The Golden Age of Muslim Spain







1. Muslim Arabs who conquered North Africa
intermarried with Berbers and became knows as
Moors.
2. 710 Moors invade Spain and defeat the West
Goths
3. set up kingdom that allows religious freedom
and tended to favor not-Arab peoples
4. rule for 400 years and develop a rich
culture
5. Schools were built in which Muslims, Jews and
Christians studied medicine and philosophy
6. Jewish traders travel widely and bring back
spices and silks to Spain from India and China
F. Islamic Life


1. initially, men could have an unlimited number
of wives
2. killing of female children was common
21







3. Islam attempted to correct societal
evils: Sharia Law '‫ شريع‬is the body of Islamic religious law.
4 Muhammad taught female child guaranteed a
reward in paradise
5. Islam improves women’s rights
6. only four wives in most situations
7. At time of birth of a baby the call to
prayers is recited into the baby’s ears
8. memorizing the Quran important
requirement in education
9. tremendous interest in travel and
exploration

Terms to Learn: Alchemist
People to Know: al-Idrisi
People to Know: ar-Razi

People to Know:

People to Know: Ibn Khaldum


Omar Khyy’am
22
Section Three: describes the Arab contributions to
world civilization
III. Arab Contributions

A. Between 770 and 1300’s Arab scholars help
preserve ancient learning

B. Single language contributes to sharing
knowledge.

C. Arab alchemists attempt to turn base metals
into gold

D. Arab astronomers describe eclipses of sun,
prove moon affects tides, determine size of Earth
and the fact it is round

E. Arab mathematicians invent algebra

F. Arab doctors discover that blood circulates,
Baba" by Maxfield
first to understand that "Ali
tuberculosis
is contagious



1. pass numerals 0-9 from Gupta mathematicians to
Europeans
Parrish.
1. Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine used in
European medical schools for 500 years
G. The Arabian Nights—collection of tales put
together
23
III. Cont.




H. Persian poet Omar Khayy’am’s
Rubaiyat translated into many
languages
I. Islamic art does not depict living
creatures, believing to do so is a sin
J. Art is made up of geometric designs
entwined with flowers, leaves and stars
K. Historian Ibn Khaldun first to take into
account the influence of geography and
climate on people
24
 Ibn
Khaldun's chief contribution lies in philosophy
of history and sociology. He sought to write a world
history preambled by a first volume aimed at an
analysis of historical events. This volume, commonly
known as Muqaddimah or 'Prolegomena', was based on
Ibn Khaldun's unique approach and original
contribution and became a masterpiece in literature on
philosophy of history and sociology. The chief concern
of this monumental work was to identify psychological,
economic, environmental and social facts that
contribute to the advancement of human civilization
and the currents of history. In this context, he analysed
the dynamics of group relationships and showed how
group-feelings, al-'Asabiyya, give rise to the ascent of a
new civilization and political power and how, later on,
its diffusion into a more general civilization invites the
advent of a still new 'Asabiyya in its pristine form. He
identified an almost rhythmic repetition of rise and fall
in human civilization, and analyzed factors contributing
to it. His contribution to history is marked by the fact
that, unlike most earlier writers interpreting history
largely in a political context, he emphasized
environmental, sociological, psychological and
economic factors governing the apparent events. This
revolutionized the science of history.
25
http://www.ummah.org.uk/history/scholars/KHALDU
N.html
Pick one of the following :
1. List at least three ways in which the
development of Islam was similar to that
of Christianity and one major
difference.
 2. Explain in an essay how Abbasid
rule of the Arab Empire was different
from that of the Umayyads
 3. Explain the importance of each of the
following for the devote Muslim: the five
pillars of faith, the Kabba, the black
stone and the Quran.

26