Rise of Islam
• Origins of Islam in 7th
century Saudi Arabia
- Bedouins (nomads who
herded sheep, camels, and
goats) were prevalent there
- Polytheism, animism in
area; worship of idols
- caravan trade led to
contact with Judaism and
Christianity in the Fertile
Crescent
Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam
- born in Makkah (Mecca)
ca 570 CE
- orphaned at an early age,
he was raised by an uncle
- during his teens, he worked
first as a camel driver, then as a
caravan leader on a trade route
- married his employer, a
wealthy widow named
Khadija, when he was 25
- relief from financial worries gave him
time to reflect upon life’s meaning
- he often went outside town and into the
desert, to pray and meditate
- in 610 CE, Muhammad experienced a
revelation, or vision (he said the angel
Gabriel (Jobril) appeared to him)
• Muhammad preached in Makkah and
gained followers; however, he also
antagonized some rich merchants and
religious leaders, and was forced to flee
to Madinah (aka Medina or Yathrib) in
622 CE
• This Hijrah (aka hegira) , or emigration,
marks the beginning of the Muslim
calendar
• Muhammad and his followers returned
in triumph to Makkah in 630 CE
• Muhammad died in 632 C.E. and was
succeeded by Abu Bakr as leader (or
caliph)
• Islam spreads to entire Arabian
peninsula by 634 CE
MAIN BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF ISLAM
The Quran (aka Koran) – Muslim holy book (comprises revelations made to
Muhammad over a 22-year period)
The 5 Pillars of Islam
1. The Confession of Faith
2. Prayer five times a day
3. Alms to the poor
4. Fasting during Ramadan
5. Hajj (or pilgrimage to Makkah)
Other important beliefs and practices:
No eating pork;
no drinking alcohol;
no gambling;
prohibition against dishonest behavior;
polygamy allowed in some cases (a man may marry up to four wives)
Role of Shari’a – law code formulated by Muslim scholars
The Ka’aba (in Makkah)
The Ka’aba in Makkah – a shrine
roughly in the shape of a cube (or
ka’aba) housing a large black
meteorite; the most sacred site in
Islam, it is located in the Grand
Mosque; according to the Quran (2:
27), Abraham and his son Ishmael
were the first to build a house here
A black silk cloth covers the outside of
this building
During Hajj, Muslims walk around this
shrine counterclockwise 7 times to
honor Allah
Old City of Jerusalem – a general view
Muhammad’s Night Flight to
Jerusalem
The Dome of the Rock is built on
top of the Temple Mount (where
Herod’s Temple was before the
Romans destroyed it in 70 CE)
Interior of the Dome of the Rock
Division in Islam in the 8th century after
Muhammad’s death between Sunni and
Shi’ites (Ali’s followers)
Ali, Muhammad’s cousin
and son-in-law (he was
married to Fatima,
Muhammad’s daughter),
claimed that he was the
rightful successor to
Muhammad; this claim led
a civil war ; eventually Ali
lost and was killed in 661;
the Imam Ali Shrine in
Najaf, Iraq, purportedly
marks the spot where he
died
Differences
between Sunni
and Shi’ites
1) Dispute over succession
(Shiites believe that only
descendants of Ali are
legitimate; Sunni believe that
any upright Muslim can be
the leader (caliph))
2) role of hadith (accepted by
Sunni, rejected by Shiites)
3) For Shiites, clergy (or
imams) are more important
intermediaries between man
and Allah than for Sunni
Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasties
I.
Ummayad Dynasty (661-750 C.E.)
A. Muawiyah (661-680) Founder
B. Key event: Umayyad army defeated
Husayn ibn Ali’s forces at Karbala in 680
C. Dynasty is based in Damascus
D. Dominated by Arabs
II. Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258 C.E.)
A. Abu al-Abbas as-Saffah (+754) - Founder
B. Abbasids take power by defeating the
Umayyads at the Battle of the Zab in 750
C. From 762 C.E. their capital is Baghdad
D. Dominated by Persians and others
E. Golden Age: Harun al-Rashid (r.786-809)
E. Key event: Mongols sack Baghdad in
1258
III. Caliphate of Cordoba (756-1031 C.E.)
IV. Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt (1261-1519 C.E.)
Important philosophers, jurists and physicians
• Avicenna (980-1037)
1. Lived mostly in
Uzbekistan &Persia
2. Wrote the Canon of Medicine
• Averroes (1126-1198)
1. Lived mostly in Spain &
Morocco
2. Wrote on law, philosophy,
and astronomy
• Maimonides (1135-1204)
1. Lived mostly in Spain , Morocco,
and Egypt
2. Rabbi, physician and philosopher
Important poets and writers
-Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) –
Persian poet and physician; lived in
both Uzbekistan and Persia; wrote
the Rubaiyat
-Saadi (1184-1291) – Persian poet;
traveled extensively, from India to
Persia to Syria to Palestine to Egypt;
wrote The Orchard and The Rose
Garden
-Rumi (1207-1273) – Persian poet,
jurist, and Sufi mystic; lived most of
his life in Turkey; wrote Spiritual
Couplets