I. Introduction:
• By the 6th century C.E. the Byzantine
government was the only centralized
authority in what remained of the Roman
Empire.
• Its only rival was the Sasanid Empire of
Persia (224-651 C.E.), who guarded the
Silk Road.
• However, a social and economic
transformation was underway in the Middle
East. The outcome would not be a return to
a fragmented less urbanized pattern of life,
which had developed in western Europe.
Rather, the Sasanid and Byzantine Empires
set the stage for a new and powerful
religio-political movement called Islam.
-42 modern
nations are
completely
Islamic. There
are 1 billion
Muslims in the
world. Only
20% of the
world’s
Muslims are
Arabs.
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Medina
Mecca
-Arabia was fragmented into dozens, of
tribal, nomadic clans, called Bedouins.
Each clan had its own deity (usually
associated with the goddess of heaven or
the moon, which nomadic people could
worship anywhere.
• The city of Mecca was
the main religious and
trading center for the
Bedouin tribes of
Arabia.
• Before Islam, the
Bedouins believed
that their many gods
were housed in the
Kaaba, a black stone
shrine in the heart of
Mecca.
- The leader of a clan was called the
shaykh. He was elected by a council of
elder and usually had large herds of
animals, and several wives. His will was
enforced by a class of warriors.
- The struggle for
subsistence in the
harsh Arabian desert
created strong loyalties
to the clan.
To be cut off from the clan was fatal.
- War often broke out for minor events (an
insult, or theft), thus pre-Islamic Arabia
was a world of constant fighting.
II. Muhammad
-Muhammad was born in Mecca in
570C.E.. He was orphaned at age 6, and
was raised by his uncle, who owned a
caravan trading business.
- Working for his uncle brought
Muhammad in contact with Jews and
Christians living in Palestine (Damascus &
Jerusalem).
• Muhammad became very
acquainted with Judaism and Christianity,
and his religion shows similarities with
both beliefs.
• On one of his many trading trips to
Palestine, Muhammad met and married
Khadija, a wealthy merchant widow.
- Muhammad became a
wealthy merchant. But he
was bored and spent lots of
free time in the mountains
outside Mecca. In 610
C.E., while meditating in
the Mountains, Muhammad
began to receive revelations
from the angel Gabriel,
these revelations
continue for 20 years.
- His first
revelations
attacked idolatry,
and the traditional
beliefs of the
Bedouins. His
message was
rejected and
mocked in Mecca
when he tried to
preaches publicly.
Medina
Mecca
•In 622 C.E., Muhammad fled Mecca and
traveled to Medina to establishes his new
government.
•This event is called
the “hijra,”
and it marks
the beginning
of the Muslim calendar.
Medina
Mecca
• In 629 C.E.,
after converting
the people of
Medina to
Islam,
Muhammad led
them in the
conquest of
Mecca.
The Spread of Islam:
• While in Medina,
Muhammad was able to
create the umma
(Community of the faithful.)
• Muhammad knew that his
religion would not be safe
until he created an empire to
protect it.
• By 632 C.E., he had
conquered most of Arabia.
- Muhammad died suddenly in 632 C.E.
before appointing a successor. This led to
arguments over who should be Caliph of
Islam, causing divisions among Muslims to
this day.
Caliph:
• Caliph (Deputy) refers to the Islamic
rulers after the death of Muhammad. A
Caliph had both religious & civil
authority.
• The first four caliphs continued the
expansion of the Islamic kingdom that
Muhammad began.
- Sunnis believe
the true Caliph
should be chosen
by those close to
Muhammad; but
he did not have to
be a relative.
Most (85%)
Muslims are
Sunni.
- Shi’ite (word
means “division”)
believe
Muhammad
appointed Ali, his
son-in-law, before
he died. They
maintain that the
true Caliph must be
a direct descendant
of Muhammad.
The Ulama:
• The caliph was never “emperor and pope
combined.” Religious leadership in the
Umma developed in the office of the
Ulama (persons of right knowledge.)
Originally the Ulama were companions of
Muhammad. But over time the term was
applied to a person who dedicated their
life to preserving, interpreting, and
applying the Qu’ran to the norms of the
Umma.
• As the guardians of the Muslim
conscience, they often criticized caliph
rulers when they strayed too far from
Muslim norms.
• Caliphs regularly sought their advice.
And their personal legal opinions
established a basis for religious and social
order.
• Thus, without building a formal clergy,
Muslims developed a workable morallegal system based on formally trained
scholars.
III. The Islamic Faith:
• Islam’s sacred text is the
Qu’ran. Written in the
Arabic language it means
“recitation” because the
faithful recite it daily.
• Any version of the Qu’ran
that is not in Arabic is
considered a transliteration
(not a translation).
- The Qur’an was composed
throughout Muhammad’s life,
sometimes written with the aid of his
wife and daughter.
- The Qur’an is
divided into 114
chapters called
suras, arranged
from longest to
shortest (its a little
shorter than the
New Testament.)
- Muhammad
accepted the
Jewish Torah,
Psalms, and
Gospel of Jesus
as “Holy
Scripture.”
-Muhammad accepted Jesus as God’s
prophet; but he was not crucified nor
resurrected.
Muhammad on camel; Jesus on donkey
God’s City:
• Jerusalem is widely considered the most holy
city in the world:
– Jews; see it as the center of Biblical Zion, and
site of Solomon’s Temple.
– Christians; see it as the location of Last Supper,
and Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.
– Muslims; see it as the location where
Muhammad ascended into heaven.
The Dome of the Rock
• Constructed in 692 C.E. on location of
Muhammad’s
ascension.
Location where
Abraham sacrifice
took place.
Interior of Dome of the Rock
Basic Islamic Beliefs:
-The foundation of Islam is submission to
God’s will. The word Islam means
submission.
The term Muslim
means, one
who submits.
• The Qu’ran teaches that Muhammad was
God’s last prophet (following others such
as Moses and Jesus.)
• Jews, and Christians, like Muslims are
considered “People of the Book.” (God’s
people)
• Thus Muslims do not consider Islam as a
new religion, but a correction of Judaism
& Christianity, which had been corrupted.
• Man is a creation by Allah (God); he is
free to reject God, but will be an outsider
of God’s community.
• Judgment Day of the World; everyone
will receive either eternal paradise or
eternal torment.
• The Priesthood of the faithful; personal
faith in and fellowship with God is
obtained without intermediaries (clergy).
The Islamic holy day is Friday, this is when
Muslims gather for collective prayer.
Prayers are formal
and memorized and
prayed while
prostrated
(kneeling &
bowing.) The word
mosque means
“place of
prostration.”
The Qu’ran requires all believers to follow
certain practices, called the “five pillars of
Islam”.
1. Shahada; A profession of faith that
there is only one God and Mohammed is
his Prophet.
2. Salat; the activity of praying five times
daily, towards Mecca.
3. Zakata; Almsgiving, Muslims are
required to give 4% of their income to the
poor.
4. Hajj; a pilgrimage to Mecca once during
your life, if you are able. A simple white
garment is worn, symbolizing the equality
of believers.
5. Siyam; Fasting in the daylight hours
during Ramadan, the month of the first
revelation.
Forbidden Practices:
•
•
•
•
•
Drinking alcohol.
Gambling.
Eating unclean meat (pork, shellfish, etc.)
Enslaving “people of the book.”
The use of violence to spread Islam. (Violence can
be used against non-Muslims to protect Islam.)
• The Islamic
holy lands
must never
be violated
by nonMuslims.Any
violations
gives just
cause for
Jihad.
• Jihad has two meanings:
–Among extremist fundamentalists, Jihad
refers to a “Holy War” against the
infidels (non-Muslims), or for
Territorial expansion.
–Among moderates, Jihad refers to
“Defense” of one’s faith; and or an
“inner struggle” to submit to Allah by
ridding oneself of evil.
IV. Eras of Islamic Civilization:
• 570-632: Life of Muhammad-Founder.
• 632-661: First four Caliphs, and expansion
within the Middle East.
• 661-750: The Ommayad Dynasty, and
expansion in North Africa & Spain.
• 750-1000s: The Abbasid Dynasty, and the
“Golden Age” of Baghdad.
• 1000s-1400s: The Seljuks & Mugals rulers.
• 1453-WW I: The Ottoman Empire, &
Fragmentation of Islam.
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Characteristics of Islamic Culture
and Society
• Cosmopolitan – Traditional Islam was open to
new ideas as long as they did not contradict
the Qu’ran. This quality was learned from the
Byzantine and Persian cultures.
• Meritocracy – since there is no clergy within
Islam, anyone talented enough could rule.
Thus allowing for social mobility unlike
Western Europe or the Byzantine Empire.
Religious Minorities in Islam:
• Since Islam forbids to use of force to
spread the faith, conquered peoples
were generally protected, and allowed
to maintain their religious autonomy
within their communities.
• In India, Muslim rulers closely
cooperated with Hindu leaders in
order to obtain stable administrators.
Appeals of Islam:
1. Non-Christians
saw Islam as more
tolerant, at that
time, than
Christianity.
2. Islam is a
simple religion
that all could
understand and
become their
own priest
(scholar.)
3. Islamic laws
made it benefical
for non-Muslims
traders, and
slaves to convert.
4. Muhammad’s
warriors spread
Islam by the sword.
V. Historic Contributions of
Islamic Civilizations:
1. Medicine – Muslim doctors understood
the origins of contagions, and
established modern style hospitals that
isolated sick patients.
– Rhazes; was an Islamic medical
expert from the Abbasid Dynasty who
studied optics; and Caesarian
operations.
• Muslim doctors
were active in
the
advancement
of surgical
techniques,
and were
among the first
to use narcotic
and sedative
drugs in
operations.
2. Mathematics- Islamic scholars developed
the decimal system, and concept of the zero.
3. AstronomyIslamic scholars
adopted classical
Greek philosophy
and translated it
into Arabic. Thus
saving many
classical texts for
the modern world.
• Greek text
taught Muslim
astronomers the
heliocentric
concept (the sun
as the center of
the solar
system).
• Muslims were
the first to argue
that the earth
was round.
• Al-Fazari (d. 777
C.E.) a Muslim
astronomer from
Baghdad. Through
contact with Indian
missionaries, he
was able to develop
a modern
astrolabe, used for
star navigation on
the open ocean.
4. Economics – with their ability to sail
into the open oceans, Muslim merchants
were able to
control the
trade routes
of the Indian
Ocean. Thus
controlling all
goods between
Europe and Asia.
5. Literature- Omar Khyyam, a member
of the Abbasid Dynasty was the author of
the Rubaiyat and the Book of 1001 Nights.
6. Art and Architecture- The Islamic world
produced artistic mosaics, marble and multicolored tile flooring, and carpets.
• The Muslim
religion prohibited
the picturing of
human and
natural forms (a
form of idolatry.)
So Muslim art is a
display of great
geometric
complexity and
abstract
ornamentation.
• Cities were organized and built by Islamic
governments, in much the same method
as the Roman system. (examples;
Baghdad, Cairo, Isfahan and Cordoba.)
• The city of
Cordoba, Spain
was built as a
rival to Baghdad.
Its libraries,
hospitals, and
research institutions
Made it an educational
destination for
Christians scholars.
• From 756 –
1031 C.E.,
Cordoba
was the
political and
cultural
center for
the Muslim
world.
The End!