Chapter 11
Section 1
The Rise of Islam
Arabian Peninsula
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1,400 miles north-south along the Red Sea
1,250 miles east-west
Mostly desert – an occasional oasis
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a fertile spot in the desert where underground
spring comes to the surface
Early Inhabitants
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Nomads called Bedouins – herders used
camels (ships of the desert) for travel
Divided into clans
Worshiped hundreds of gods & spirits
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Believed they resided in natural objects
Known for their hospitality to travelers
Founding of Islam
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Muhammad – born Mecca – 570
Orphaned at 6
Worked as camel driver
25 married Khadija – wealthy
older widow women
Marriage produced two sons and
four daughters
Muhammad
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Age 40 – believed the angel
Gabriel spoke to him &
ordered him to preach the
word of Allah – the one true
God
Muhammad’s early preaching
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Mecca’s rulers opposed to Muhammad’s
teachings
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Many pilgrims came to visit the Kaaba – small
stone building that housed statues of the Arabs
360 gods—plus Black Stone
No pilgrims = no money for local merchants
622 Muhammad & followers travel from
Mecca to Medina – the Hijra – the first year
of the Muslim calendar
Islam =
“submission to the will of God”
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Followers of Islam – called Muslims means
“one who submits”
Won many converts in Medina—preached that
all people were to submit to Allah—seen as a
prophet and political leader
630 leads an army that captures Mecca –
destroys the statues of idols in Kaaba
632 – Muhammad dies but by then most of the
Bedouins had converted to Islam
Quran
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Abu-Bakr – elected Caliph (means
successor to Muhammad) writes down the
words of Muhammad into the Quran – the
holy book of Islam
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Contains 114 chapters – suras – same as New
Testament
Written in Arabic – the only language allowed in
worship
Quran
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Arranged according to length not subject
Only the Quran written in Arabic is
considered to be the true words of
Muhammad
Arabic became the common language of
all Muslims
Islamic social teaching found in the Hadith,
collection of traditional sayings and acts of
Muhammad
Quran
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States that people are responsible for their
own actions
Day of Judgement for all Muslims
Everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah
Islam is based on strict monotheism
Muslims must meet five obligations known
as the 5 Pillars of Islam
Jews & Christians
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Muhammad said that the Torah & Bible
contained partial revelations from God
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Abraham, Moses, David & Jesus all prophets
Jews & Christians are “People of the
Book”
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Superior to idol worshippers
Tolerated in early Muslim society
Islam – A way of Life
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Sharia – system of law that regulates the
moral conduct, family life, business
practices, government & other aspects of a
Muslim community
Does not separate matters from criminal or
civil law
Islam – A way of Life
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Islam – religion & way of life
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Must show temperance, humility, justice,
tolerance, generosity, courage, & obedience to
authority
Muslim men could have up to 4 wives but
only if he treated them all equally
Could not marry non-believers
Islam – A way of Life
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Forbidden to eat pork or drink alcoholic
beverages—gambling and money lending
forbidden
Permitted slavery but couldn’t enslave other
Muslims
Believes in Jihad – fighting to defend or spread
the faith (tongue, heart, the hand, sword)
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Warriors sins forgiven & receives rewards in
heaven (72 virgins—Paradise)
Islamic religious practices
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No religious images
No elaborate ceremonies
No formal priesthood – mullahs – learned men
in the Islamic faith & law
Muslims worship in Mosques
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Men & women do not worship together
Friday holy day of worship
Called to worship by muezzin at prescribed
times throughout the day
Status of Women
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Women had greater protection under the
law in early Muslim societies
Can not kill baby daughters
Can inherit property
Had to freely consent to marriage--divorce
Must obey husband, care for children,
manage household
Muslim Women
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Will begin practice of veiling and secluding
them within the home (Harems—separate
part of Muslim household reserved for
wives, concubines, and female servants)
More restrictions on women as Islam
developed
Spread of Islam
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Spread of Islam will be rapid throughout the
Middle East—Arabs united for first time
People converted because of message was
clear and simple
One God, equality of all believers, no need
for clergy or church
Corruption of Byzantine and Persian
Empires
Split in Islam
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Caused by dispute over Muhammad’s
successor
Sunni believed caliph should be chosen by
leaders of Muslim community—not a religious
authority
Shiites (Shia) believed true successors (Imam,
would be the political and religious leader of
the community of believers) to the “Prophet”
were descendants of Muhammad’s daughter
and son-in-law (Fatima and Ali)
Spread of Islam
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By the 9th century Islam included North Africa,
Spain, Middle East, and Egypt
The term Dar Al-Islam, “world of Islam” was the
conception that all areas ruled by Muslim
Caliphs belonged to a larger Islamic world—
appearance of one culture or state
Made Islam a whole way of life—Islamic
kingdoms everywhere ruled by the same set of
laws (sharia)—fostered trade and commerce
Development of Sufism
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Developed in Baghdad, a mystic Islamic
movement—Allah could be reached through
movement and song (“whirling dervish”)
Men and women wore a coarse wool robe
called a suf
Taught that individuals could find salvation
through fasting, prayer, and meditation
Played role in spreading Islam in Africa, India,
and Southeast Asia
ACHIEVEMENTS
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In architecture used domes and arches in
Byzantine style
Distinguishing feature is the minaret,
slender towers on mosques
LITERATURE
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Greatest work of Islamic literature is the
Quran
Other works included poems
Firdawsi wrote the masterpiece Shahnamah or King’s Book of Kings
Omar Khayyam was a famous poet,
scholar and astronomer who wrote The
Rubaiyat
LITERATURE
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Storytelling was prized in Arabia
Most famous collection is titled The
Thousand and One Nights
Group of tales narrated by the fictional
princess, Scheherezade
PHILOSOPHY
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Like Christian thinkers Muslim scholars tried to
harmonize Greek ideas about reason with
religious beliefs based on divine revelation
Ibn Rushd or Averroes put all knowledge to
the test of reason—influenced Christian thinkers
in Europe
Ibn Khaldun set standards for the scientific
study of history—studied causes of events
MATHEMATICS
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Greatest mathematician was al-Khwarizmi
whose work pioneered the study of algebra
MEDICINE/PUBLIC HEALTH
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Muslims made remarkable advances in these fields
Early emergency rooms—government set up hospitals
(separate wards for women)
Muhammad al Razi wrote many medical books and
pioneered studies on measles and smallpox
He stressed treating the mind as well as the body
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Ibn Sina or Avicenna wrote Canon on
Medicine which was huge encyclopedia
about diagnosis and treatment of disease
Physicians and pharmacist had to pass test
before practicing
CALIPHATE
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Abu Bakr led for two years—sent out military
expeditions, collected taxes, dealt with tribes on
behalf of the entire community
Three successors to Bakr were–Umar, Uthman
and Ali which made the caliphate an institution
Uthman will be assassinated—accused of
nepotism, using his position to put his family in
powerful and lucrative jobs
UMAYYAD DYNASTY (661 CE)
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Civil war erupted after Ali became caliph
Ali eventually assassinated and the Umayyad clan took
control and set up Umayyad Dynasty
Moved the capital of Islamic state from Medina to
Damascus in Syria
Transformed the caliphate into a hereditary monarchy
Conquered Syria, Egypt, Persia, Byzantine territory in
West Asia, North Africa, and Spain
UMAYYAD DYNASTY
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Military skills, commitment to Islam, and the
promise of blunder made them successful
Bureaucratic structure set up in which local
administrators governed the conquered areas
All cultures were tolerated as long as they
obeyed the rules of Islam, paid their taxes, and
did not revolt
Arabic became the language of administration,
business, law, and trade
UMAYYAD DYNASTY
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Constant conflict with Shiites (Shia) due to Ali
(Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law)
Ali had been designated as Imam or leader in
community prayer and thus Muhammad’s
designated successor
Quran offered no solution to issue—Umayyad’s
were Sunni so they believed the caliph had
political and military leadership but not
Muhammad’s religious authority
UMAYYAD DYNASTY
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Constant discontent and rebellions based
on religious opposition
Shiites condemned Umayyads as worldly
and sensual rulers
ABBASID DYNASTY (750 CE—
1258 CE)
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In 750 CE, Abu’ al-Abbas won general
recognition as caliph after leading rebellion
The Abbasid caliphs will found the city of
Baghdad and make it the capital (second largest
city in world at this time)
Greatest city in Islam—flourishing trade, artistic,
and scientific center
New heroes in Abbasid society were judges,
merchants, and government officials
ABBASID DYNASTY
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All Muslims, regardless of ethnic
background, could now hold both civil and
military offices
Opened Islamic culture to the influences of
the civilizations that the Arabs had
conquered
Arabs began to intermarry with people that
they had conquered
ABBASID DYNASTY
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Harun al-Rashid was best known caliph
and whose reign is commonly referred to
as the “Golden Age” of Abbasid caliphate
After his death civil war between sons
Vast wealth gave rise to financial corruption
Abbasid caliphs undermined their own
ruling power
ABBASID DYNASTY
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Life of luxury enjoyed by caliph and his
court in Baghdad was contrary to the strict
moral code of Islam
Divorce was common, caliphs had
hundreds of concubines in harems, alcohol
was consumed in public etc.
Caliphs relied on Persian and Turks to run
government and military
ABBASID DYNASTY
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Muslim world became politically divided
Two common bonds held the world of Islam
together—the Quran and the use of Arabic
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
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Also known as the Eastern Roman Empire until officially
renamed Byzantine Empire
Greek in language, Roman in jurisprudence, and
Christian in culture
Politically, it was distinguished by the twin rule of church
and state, and culturally, it observed a form of
Christianity called Greek or Eastern Orthodoxy
Along with the Muslims, the Byzantines became
preservers of the wisdom of the ancient world
ORIGINS OF BYZANTINE
EMPIRE
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New capital built by Constantine which was
constructed on the Bosporus ( the narrow strait
between the Black Sea and the Sea of
Marmora) and Christianity legalized
Very easy to defend (hard to breech defenses
and shorter frontier with Europe) and excellent
location to Eastern trade routes
CONSTANTINOPLE
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Probably survived due to its impregnable
defenses—at the Golden Horn, or
waterway, on the northern side, a chain
was hung in the water to prevent entrance
of foreign ships
CONSTANTINOPLE
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A system of cisterns freed the city from dependence on
water pipelines that could be cut off in times of attack
Military was small but well-trained and equipped—
soldiering was hereditary—officers appointed by the
emperor
Calvary equipped with stirrups (Eurasian invention)
Byzantine navy used Greek Fire (unknown ingredients)
Bureau of Barbarians served as a CIA type organization
BYZANTINE CISTERN
HIPPODROME
CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
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Roman Catholic Church was led by the pope—
has control over bishops, monks, and doctrine
Eastern Orthodox Church (Greek) was led by a
patriarch who had no such comparable authority
Byzantine emperors recognized no papal
directives from Rome and the emperors
themselves regulated church structure
Church and state ruled cooperatively in the East
CHRISTIAN CHURCH SPLIT
(The Great Schism)
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One factor that separated Eastern and Western
churches was monasticism--religious way of life in
which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to
spiritual work
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Holy men and monks sought to follow Christ by fasting,
celibacy, prayer, and separation from the world
First developed in the East (influence of Eastern
religions (Buddhism etc.)
Other issues included the Eastern church spoke Greek
and Roman church Latin—when to celebrate Easter
CHRISTIAN CHURCH SPLIT
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In 700s and 800s another controversy emerged
over iconoclasm– or prohibition of veneration of sacred
pictures or images called icons (form of idolatry)
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726 CE Byzantine emperor Leo III issued a
decree that all images and paintings be
removed from the churches (iconoclasts)
Church council in 787 CE declared iconoclasm
a heresy—Byzantine leaders finally agreed to it
CHRISTIAN CHURCH SPLIT
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Clerical celibacy: The western church
demanded celibacy of bishops and clerics at
all levels. Clergymen may and do marry in
the eastern church.
Facial hair: Western clergymen could shave
or not shave as they chose. Eastern clerics
could not shave
CHRISTIAN CHURCH SPLIT
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other sore spots included, (1) the use of Latin
rather than Greek in worship, (2) the type of
bread (unleavened bread in west) used in
communion, (3) the west's encouragement of
fasting on Saturday, (4) the west's eating of
meat from strangled animals(5) the west's
forbidding of the singing of the choral Alleluia
during Lent (eastern churches rejoice during
Lent while western church mourn).
THE GREAT SCHISM
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In 1054 the two churches finally split over the
issue of the nature of the Trinity, or the concept
of God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit which had been established by
Nicene Creed 325
Pope Leo IX excommunicated Patriarch Michael
Cerularius who in turn excommunicated the
Pope
EMPEROR JUSTINIAN and EMPRESS
THEODORA (527-565 C.E.)
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Byzantine Empire reached its greatest height under the
leadership of Justinian and his wife Theodora, who
took an active part in governing with her husband (Nika
riots)
Theodora ruled with her husband for 19 years until her
death by cancer
Together she and Justinian rebuilt and reformed
Constantinople, building bridges and aqueducts, and
more than 25 churches including the Hagia Sophia
EMPRESS THEODORA
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Theodora used her power to close brothels, crack down
on forced prostitution, she opened a convent where exprostitutes could support themselves
made rape punishable by death, forbade killing wives for
committing adultery, also expanded the rights of women
in divorce and property ownership.
She also forbade the exposure of infants, and gave
mothers some guardianship rights over children
she converted to Monophysite Christianity (they
believed that Christ was divine, not half human and half
divine)
JUSTINIAN’S CODE
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Also known as Corpus Juris Civilis (“Body of Civil Law”)
Made up of three parts—Codex 12 books (Codes),
Digest 50 books (Pandects), and Institutes (first year law
students)
Monumental work preserved the Roman legal heritage
and integrated the numerous and conflicting laws that
had been observed in the Roman Empire
Body of civil law is the legal foundation for nearly every
modern European country
JUSTINIAN’S
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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Recovered lost Roman lands in the west—
lands quickly lost (outbreak of plague)
reign contributed to the lasting influence of
classical culture as well as forming
Constantinople and Byzantine commercial
interests and culture into an enduring entity
lasting until 1453
BYZANTINE SOCIETY
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Society was highly regulated and
hierarchical
Trade organized in guilds that controlled
prices, quality, output, and surplus
Emperor had monopolies in minting,
armaments, and silk (Justinian started with
silkworms smuggled from China)
BYZANTINE SOCIETY
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Money lending was legal but also regulated
(8% ceiling on interest)
Idleness was a crime and taverns closed by
eight to prevent drunkenness
Church and government provided free
medical and hospital care
Lacked order of succession which caused
usurpations and assassinations
BYZANTINE SOCIETY
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88 emperors from Constantine I to XI, 13 took to
the monastery while 30 died violently
Wealth of empire derived from trade and
manufacturing
Constantinople’s location gave it control of the
trade routes between Russia and the
Mediterranean, and between Europe, Asia, and
Africa
BYZANTINE SOCIETY
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Byzantines became master craftsmen
In 12th and 13 centuries craftsmen from all
over Europe went to Constantinople to
learn how to work with marble, enamel,
precious metals, and gems; how to make
chalices; how to decorate manuscripts; and
how to make mosaics
Agriculture was a small part of economy
BYZANTINE SOCIETY
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One of Byzantine’s most profound impacts
can be found through the spreading of
Roman culture to Russia