Mohammed and the Rise of Islam



600’s A.D.
loss of much of the Eastern Roman Empire
to a new religious and political power
– Islam
Middle East, ca. 600 A.D.
Islam




Bedouin Arab named Mohammed
born ca. 570 A.D.
Merchant family, Hasimites
Qurayshis tribe, who dominate Mecca
– controlling much of the religious pilgrim trade

raised by relatives
-father and mother died by age six
-raised by an impoverished uncle
Mohammed

formal education ?? We don’t know
– Normally only the Poets of the Tribes could
read and write

commercial agent for a wealthy widow
– Khadijah
– supervising caravans from Mecca, north to
Jerusalem
– contact with both Jews and Christians
Mohammed, con’t

He seems to have made an impression on his boss,
because of his reputed honesty
– married her and retired from commerce
– to devote himself to religion
– and to making society more fair and equitable
Mohammed, con’t




monogamous until his wife died
eventually married nine wives and had
assorted concubines
last marriage at 53 to Aishah, daughter of a
friend
wives: widows of friends or political marriages
• Women alone is such a world were very vulnerable
Origins of Mohammed’s
Teachings

periods of unconsciousness are indicated:
explanations
– revelations from Allah by holy trances, spoken to by Gabriel

– epilepsy or a similar neurological disorder?
– mental illness or hallucinations ?
Mohammed’s explanation:
– revelations from God
– Very unpleasant and painful for him
The Quran


Record of revelations received during
visions
Committed to writing c. 650 CE, compiled
(Muhammad dies 632)
– Under the third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan

Tradition of Muhammad’s life: hadith
Nature of Revelations


diverse
social, agricultural, medical, military,
astronomical, etc.
Historical Origins of His Ideas





Arab polytheism
Hanifism: a belief in one God traced to Abraham, by
tradition
Judaism
Christianity: Orthodox, Nestorian, Arianism
Manichaeism: a mixture of Zoroastrianism,
Christianity, Judaism, and so forth
Beginning of His Ministry



at about age 40, after a number of revelations
began to preach publicly
continued to receive revelations until death
– usually related to current problems or concerns
– Religious, political, social, economic
Early religious career





not particularly successful
threatened the social, political, and religious
structure, with his doctrine of social equity
threatened the economic basis of Mecca as a center
of religious pilgrimage
particularly the Black Rock
– sacred to the chief deity of the Arabs
run out of town, or at least encouraged to leave
– Went to the desert with his family and lived for about a year
The Hijra






flight from Mecca, to Yathrib (Medina)
-tradition: invited by the Jews of Medina
622 A.D.
beginning of the Islamic calendar
forms the umma (community)
welcomed, then resisted
Mohammed becomes an absolute theocrat
Muhammad’s Return to Mecca



Attack on Mecca, 630 -- jihad
Conversion of Mecca to Islam
Destruction of pagan sites, replaced with mosques
– Ka’aba preserved in honor of importance of Mecca
– Approved as pilgrimage site
Jihad



holy war against Mecca
ten year blockade
a deal was made
The Deal


Mecca preserved as a holy city and place of
pilgrimage
– to preserve the economic prosperity
the Ka’aba preserved as the central shrine
– idols and icons destroyed
– story of its origins emphasized the role of
Abraham in its placement
– pilgrimage as an act of faith, at least once in your
life
The Ka’aba in Mecca
The Religion: the Koran (Qu’ran)



the Koran (Qu’ran): contains much of Mohammed
recounting of Allah’s teachings
written down by his followers after his death
– from notes and memories, on “stones and
parchments”
Short: 114 chapters
– arranged from longest to the shortest
– not by subject or chronologically
– length is the criterion of order for the text
The Koran, con’t

some “Old” and “New” Testaments stories
– but sometimes the story seems a bit different to
Jews and Christians



parables and fables
political polemic and prophecy
“non-religious” subjects
– not dissimilar to Jewish and Christian scriptures in
some ways
Five Pillars of Islam

uniqueness of God
– ‘There is no god, but God….’




prayer five times a day
observe the month of Ramadan
give alms to the poor
pilgrimage to Mecca
– If possible, once in your life
Additional teachings







dietary laws
no gambling or drinking
no sexual irregularities, as defined by tradition and
custom
no faulty weights or usury
no infanticide
elaborate rules concerning inheritance and property
improvement in the status of women and children
Changing Status of Women


Qu’ran improves status of women
– Outlawed female infanticide
– Brides, not husbands, claim dowries
Yet male dominance preserved
– Patrilineal descent
– Polygamy permitted, Polyandry forbidden
– Veil adopted from ancient Mesopotamian practice
Similarities to Judaism and
Christianity





monotheism (defined a bit differently)
insistence on the responsibility of human beings
final judgment and rewards
angels and spirits
practice of virtues: truthfulness, compassion, etc.
Differences





an emphasis on compassion and mercy
alms giving moderate
heaven conceived a bit differently
no priests or sacramental system
easy conversion: the Shahadah
– ‘There is no God by Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.’
Islamic Law: The Sharia



Codification of Islamic law
Based on Quran, hadith, logical schools
of analysis
Extends beyond ritual law to all areas of
human activity
– This is the basis the idea of an “Islamic
republic” for instance
Expansion of Islam


early victories
backsliders (tribes) punished
– Apostasy = treason = death

assaults on:
– the Byzantine (Roman) empire
– the Persian empire
Spread of Islam
Dome of the Rock,
Temple Mount Jerusalem
Victories



Syria: 635 A.D.
Palestine: 636 A.D.
Persia: captured in one battle
– expansion into India
– expansion to the borders of China


Egypt: help by local Christians
North Africa: the Berbers
Expansion, con’t


Spain 711-720 A.D.
Battle of Tours: October 732 A.D.
– Charles Martel

Siege of Constantinople: 717-718 A.D.
– Leo III
– Greek fire

beginnings of Christian reconquest of
former Roman/Christian territory
Reasons for success

exhaustion of Rome and Persia
– End of a 400 year war





nationalist sentiments in Egypt and Syria
arguments among Christian factions
speed and size of Moslem armies
simplicity and uncomplicated nature of Islam
acceptance of the Old and New Testament
– People of the Book
Consequences of Expansion





loss of the oldest and most central lands of
Christendom
aided the ascendancy of the bishop of Rome
virtual collapse of Zoroastrianism as a major religion
radically altered the balance of power between the
Roman Empire and the East
disruption of the Mediterranean economic community
Early Problems

Succession ?
– Mohammed had no surviving male children
– Daughter: Fatima
– Son-in-law: Ali, child of his uncle

generated a permanent split in the
Islamic community
– Sunnis
– Shi’as
Sunnis





considered themselves the “orthodox” followers of
Mohammed
consider the Shi’as to be “dissenters”
issue: who leads after Mohammed ??
the Caliph (or “leader”)
went successively to followers
-Abu Bakr, then Oman
-then Uthman and
The Shia




Disagreements over selection of caliphs
Ali passed over for Abu Bakr
Served as caliph 656-661 CE, then assassinated
along with most of his followers
Remaining followers organize separate party called
“Shia”
– Traditionalists: Sunni
Abu Bakr




not particularly popular with the Muslim
community
allowed raid, then invasions of
Byzantine and Persian territory
subjugated any dissident elements or
tribes
disposed of any “new prophets”
Success = strain

success introduced luxury and change
– From original caliphs to the Umayyad caliphs


new ideas and new ethnic groups
– with their own customs and heritage, to try to
assimilate
rise of a sort of “revivalist element”
– Islam had strayed from its original path and purity
– Muslims were being led back to paganism
– caliphs were becoming idle, corrupt, tyrants
Uthman: the third Caliph





murdered: warfare broke out
Ali: cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed
originally passed over as too young
contested the succession
Uthman supported by the Umayyad clan
– early enemies of Mohammed
– refused to accept Ali’s claims
Umayyeds


successful in the war
Ali assassinated in 661 A.D.
– by the Kharijites

beginning of the Umayyed dynasty
Policy toward Conquered Peoples




Favoritism of Arab military rulers causes
discontent
Limited social mobility for non-Arab
Muslims
Head tax (jizya) on non-Muslims
Umayyad luxurious living causes further
decline in moral authority
Sunnis


accepted the legitimacy of early caliphs
“Sunni” : from an Arabic word
– “usage” or “custom”
– implies: “precedent”
Shi’as


accepted Ali
word means: “party”, “faction”,
“following”
Factions


Sunni and Shi’as dominant
originally political
– Eventually the differences became
dogmatic in emphasis

Shi’as become a party of religious
dissent
Perceptions

Sunni: conservative, in favor of the
“status quo”
– consensus is the guiding principle

Shi’as: defenders of the oppressed,
critics of privilege and power
– obedience is required only as long as it can
be forced, and no longer
Umayyed empire



Atlantic Ocean to India
Syria: center of the Islamic World
eventually displaced by the Abbasids
– an Arab family claiming decent from
Mohammed
The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258
CE)



Abu al-Abbas Sunni Arab, allied with Shia, non-Arab
Muslims
Seizes control of Persia and Mesopotamia
Defeats Umayyad army in 750
– Invited Umayyads to banquet, then massacred
them
– Only Spain remains Umayyad
– North Africa is disputed territory, ultimately
Fatamid
Nature of the Abbasid Dynasty




Diverse nature of administration (i.e. not exclusively
Arab)
Militarily competent, but not bent on imperial
expansion
Dar al-Islam
Growth through military activity of autonomous
Islamic forces
Nature of the Abbasid Dynasty




Diverse nature of administration (i.e. not
exclusively Arab)
Militarily competent, but not bent on
imperial expansion
Dar al-Islam
Growth through military activity of
autonomous Islamic forces
Caliph Harun al-Rashid (786-809
CE)



High point of Abbasid dynasty
Baghdad center of commerce
Great cultural activity
Abbasid Decline





Civil war between sons of Harun al-Rashid
Provincial governers assert regional independence
Dissenting sects, heretical movements
Abbasid caliphs become puppets of Persian
nobility
Later, Saljuq Turks influence, Sultan real power
behind the throne
Formation of an Islamic Cultural
Tradition

Islamic values
– Uniformity of Islamic law in dar al-Islam
– Establishment of madrasas
– Importance of the Hajj

Sufi missionaries
– Asceticism, mysticism
– Some tension with orthodox Islamic
theologians
– Wide popularity
Cultural influences on Islam

Persia
– Adminstration and governance
– literature

India
– Mathematics, science, medicine
• “Hindi” numbers

Greece
– Philosophy, esp. Aristotle
– Greek medicine
Cultural Importance of Islam



Development of these received
influences
Distribution throughout the Muslim world
Introduction and reintroduction of these
ideas to medieval Europe
– Through Spain
– Spanish Jews