The Muslim World
622-1629
Early Expansion: Arab conquests of the first Islamic century brought vast territory
under Muslim rule, but conversion to Islam proceeded slowly. In most areas
outside the Arabian peninsula, the only region where Arabic was then spoken,
conversion did not accelerate until the third century after the conquest.
Rise of Islam
600-1200 AD
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How did Muhammad
become the prophet
of Islam?
What are the
teachings of Islam?
How did Islam help
shape the way of life
of its believers?
How did Arab
conquests grow out
of the career of
Muhammad?
Why did the
caliphate break up?
How did Muslim
societies differ from
region to region?
What was the
relationship between
urbanizations and
the development of
Islamic culture?
Geography
Geographic Context
• Islam emerged from the
Arabian Peninsula
• Mostly desert but farming
was possible in many
areas
• Trading on the coasts
• Bedouins dominated the
desert
• Traded with others
• Frequent wars over water
Arabia (The Empty Quarter) Before Muhammad
• nomadic herders, raided and
fought over water & pasture for
camels and goats
• Valued their camels and
swords
• Enjoyed poetry and music
• No single religion
• Each tribe had their own gods
• Animistic, polytheists
• Some worshipped sprites
called jinn or demons - lived in
trees, streams, and stones.
• Offered no guidance or moral
support
Mecca
Religious and Trade Center
• Market town at the crossroads
of two main caravan routes
• Safety zone-no killing allowed
• Pilgrimage traffic brought good
profits to local merchants
• Arabs came to the Kaaba, an
ancient shrine
• Believed to have been built by
Abraham
• Nearby site thought to be the
place where God asked
Abraham to sacrifice his son not Isaac but Ishmael
• housed statues of many local
gods and goddesses
The Kaaba
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black stone
embedded in its
corner which was a
gift from the angel
Gabriel to the prophet
Abraham
Inside were stones,
statues, and even
some Christian
pictures
The Quraysh-ruling
tribe- encouraged
tribes to place their
idols for protection
By 500 AD 360 idols
were within the
Kaaba
Population of Mecca
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Heterogeneous, diverse
Arab tribes
Syrians-caravan leaders
Merchants
Traveling monks
Christians
Jews
No social unity
Muhammad’s Early Life
• Born in Mecca in 570
• orphan
• Became a shepherd in
his uncle’s Bedouin tribe
• Became a trader
• Married an older, rich
widow, Khadija
• His son died
• Devoted husband and
father to his daughters
Muhammad’s Vision
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Troubled by idol worship and
moral decline in society
Went to a cave to meditate
He heard a voice saying, “Recite”
“Recite in the name of your God,
the Creator, who created man
from clots of blood”
Angel Gabriel, calling him to be
the messenger of God
Khadija, Ali,his uncle’s son & Abu
Bakr, his BFF, believed in him and
became his first converts
He received revelations until his
death
These revelations became the
Qu’ran
Islam means submission or
surrender
The Hijra: A Turning Point
• Muhammad’s
message angered
Mecca merchants
• Feared the loss of
pilgrimage profits
• In 622, faced with
murder, Muhammad
and his followers left
Mecca for Yathrib
• Renamed Medina, or
“city of the Prophet”
• 1st year of the Muslim
calendar
Turning Point
• welcomed in
Medina as
prophet and
ruler
• Reputation
grew,
thousands
converted to
Islam
• Muhammad
and his
followers
attacked and
defeated the
Meccans
Destruction of the Idols
• In 630, he
returned to
Mecca and
destroyed the
idols in the
Kaaba
• United the
Arabs under
Islam
• Died in 632
Teachings of Islam
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Monotheistic
The Quran
God is all powerful
People are responsible
for their actions
• Final judgment before
God
• No official priests to
mediate between people
and God
The Five Pillars
People of the Book
• Same God as
Jews and
Christians
• Quran is God’s
final and complete
revelation
• Torah and Bible
are partial
revelations from
God
• All are “People of
the Book”
Muhammad’s Teachings
• Message of
equality and
God’s
sovereignty
was based on
JudeoChristian
tradition but
with major
differences
Muhammad’s Teachings
• Allah was the one and only God and all should
submit and be thankful to Him
• All believers in Allah were equal under Him
• The rich should share their wealth with the poor
• Allah knows every person’s destiny
• People should strive to live righteously and
avoid impiety
• All would be subject to Judgment Day
Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim Army
Battle of Uhud
illustrated manuscript 1594
The Caliphate
• Muhammad died 632 CE
• Crisis - no heir or
instructions
• Abu Bakr –Muhammad’s
father-in-law and loyal
follower became 1st
Caliph
• “If you worship
Muhammad, Muhammad
is dead. If you worship
God, God is alive.”
The Caliphate and the Spread of
Islam
• Abu Bakr and the next 3
“Rightly Guided Caliphs”
unified the Arabs and
conquered through a
series of jihads against
neighboring empires
• Attacked Syria, which
was controlled by the
Byzantine Empire
• Iraq ruled by the Persian
Sasanians
The Second “Rightly Guided” Caliph
• Abu Bakr died in
634 CE
• Umar elected as
Second Caliph
• Ruled for 10 years
• Captured
Damascus and
Jerusalem
• By 644 CE
Muslims
controlled all of
the Persian area
of Iraq and most
of Iran
The Third “Rightly Guided” Caliph
• Uthman ibn Affan
• serious conflicts
within the umma
• Uthman’s family
were Umayyads
had opposed
Muhammad and
some resented
his leadership
• Opposition to
Uthman grew
• 659 CE, he was
assassinated
Fourth “Rightly Guided” Caliph
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Ali ibn Talib – son of
Muhammads’ uncle,
Abu Talib
Married Fatima
Second convert to
Islam and had waited
46 years to succeed
Ali’s followers believed
that only those who
were related to
Muhammad should
rule
Conflict between Ali
and Uthman’s clans
Ali was assassinated in
661 by his own
followers who were
unhappy that he had
chosen to negotiate
rather than destroy his
enemies
last caliph who knew
Muhammad personally
Shi’a & Sunni Sects
• Mu’awiyah - governor of Syria took over
leadership
• Moved capital to Damascus
• Began Umayyad Dynasty
• Conflict with descendants of Ali- called
Shi’a- over leadership
• Shi’a led many revolts against the
Umayyads
Sunni
• caliph should be chosen by leaders of the
community
• Should be pious
• Political leader-not religious authority
• Inspiration came from Muhammad’s
example
Shiites
• True successor must
be descended from
Muhammad’s
daughter and son-inlaw Fatima and Ali
• Descendants were
divinely inspired
• Admire martyrdom as
demonstration of faith
Sufi
• Arabic for wool
• mystics who
sought communion
with God through
meditation, fasting,
prayer and other
rituals
• Respected for their
piety and
miraculous powers
• Helped to spread
Islam through
missionary work
• Blended Muslim
beliefs and culture
w/ local traditions
Inducing an Ecstatic State
Which of the following was not under Muslim control by 750?
Spain, Egypt, Syria, Ethiopia?
End of Umayyads (Mostly)
• Vigorous religious and political opposition
led to downfall of the Umayyad caliphate
• Abbasids overthrew Umayyads in 750 AD
• Ruthlessly murdered all Umayyads
• Only Prince Abd al-Rahman escaped and
fled to Spain (al-Andalus) which was
controlled by Berbers-Muslims from N.
Africa
• Set up a rival Umayyad caliphate
Rise of Abbasids
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Moved capital to Baghdad in 762AD
Key trade routes
Strong bureaucracy
Treasury
Army
Diplomats
Taxed land, imports, exports and nonMuslims
More Rivalry
• Abbasids could not maintain the unity of
the caliphate
• Fatimid Caliphate formed in N. Africa and
spread across Red Sea and into Arabia
and Syria
• Still united under Islam, language, trade,
economy
Muslim Trade Network
• Connected to all parts
of the world
• Single language
• Single currency
• Banks
• Sakks (checks)
Islam: A Way of Life
• Both a religion and
way of life
• Islamic law govern
many aspects of daily
life
• Traditions determine
ethical behavior and
influence family
relations
Sharia
•Does not separate
religious from secular
•Applies the Qu’ran to
all legal situations
•Regulates moral
conduct
•Family life
•Business practices
•Government
•Helped unite Muslims
•Legal ruling is called a
fatwa
Reasons for Success?
• Weakness of Byzantine
and Persian empires
• Common faith
– Belief in Islam and
paradise
• Arabs were welcomed as
liberators from harsh rule
by Byzantine and Persian
rulers
• Bold, efficient fighting
methods
– Camel and horse cavalry
Muslim Culture: Cities
• Symbolized strength
of the caliphate
• Baghdad was the
capital of Abbasid
empire
• Baghdad’s city plan
included circular
design and protective
walls
Social Classes
• Muslims by
birth
• Converts to
Islam
• Christians,
Jews and
Zoroastrians
• slaves
Role of Women
“If the wives of a man, or the daughters of a
man go out into the street, their heads are to
be veiled. The prostitute is not to be veiled.
Maidservants are not to veil themselves.
Veiled harlots and maidservants shall have
their garments seized and 50 blows inflicted
on them and bitumen poured on their
heads.”
• All are equal
• Men are the
managers of the
affairs of
women
• Women should
be obedient
• Legal rights:
marriage,
family, divorce,
property
• Shari’a allowed
men to have 4
wives
Responsibilities of Women
• Varied with income of
husband
• Poor women worked with
husband
• Wealthy women managed
household
• Access to education
• Raised children
• During early period
women could participate
in public life and gain an
education
• Over time,
secluded/veiled
Muslim Science & Scholarship
• Muhammad promoted
learning
• Astronomers and
Mathematicians were
necessary:
• Time of prayer
• Direction of Mecca
• Curious about the
world
• Desire for truth
Art and Science Flourish
• House of Wisdom
• Research, editors,
linguists and technical
advisors
• Standards and
techniques for
research
• Used Greek ideas
• Influenced later
European learning
Muslim Literature:
• The Qur’an
• Poetry
• Popular
Literature
One Thousand and One Nights
Muslim Art
• Calligraphy
Muslim Architecture
Muslim Contributions
• Medicine
– Cataract surgery
• Math
– algebra
• Science
– Scientific observation
– Experimentation