Section II: Islamic Achievements
(Pages 180-185)



This section is about:
How the values of Islam
affected both secular and
religious activities.
How urban areas became
centers of scientific and cultural
achievements.
Persian and Spanish influences
on Islam.



Muslims brought many
ideas to a lot of
people with a variety
of backgrounds.
One thing that unified
them: Islam
(“Salem” in Arabic:
means peace).
Another: Arabic (the
language of Allah and
the Koran).
The Koran is full of instruction on how society
should be organized and how people should live.
(kindness, generosity, honesty, tolerance…)






All Muslims are supposed to
be equal.
But, some Muslims had
slaves.
If they converted to Islam,
they had to be freed.
They then might become
soldiers, servants, artisans, or
maybe even bureaucrats
(government officials).
Muhammad told people they
should either treat their slaves
fairly, or set them free.
But, if all people are equal,
where do women fit in?
So, this isn’t just a religious book,
it’s also a “Constitution” for their
government’s laws
The Koran says women …







should be educated.
should be allowed to earn a
living.
should be able to inherit
property.
could be teachers and prayer
leaders (for other women).
could study astronomy,
medicine, law, philosophy,
history, literature, philosophy,
etc…
But – they did have arranged
marriages.
And, men could have more
than one wife – as long as
they were all treated equally.
Great cities arose in the Islamic Empire




Caliphs built great
palaces and gardens for
themselves.
Tax monies financed
mosques, schools,
libraries, hospitals, and
bazaars (marketplaces).
Taxes supported the
army and public needs.
Cities were centers of
power, business, and
learning.




A Muslim church is a
mosque.
Every city has one.
Mecca has the Kaaba.
Jerusalem has the Dome
of the Rock.




The bazaar was the main
marketplace in each Muslim
town/city.
Food, cloth, spices, furniture…
Each had their own sections.
Prices were fixed and
inspectors made sure
everything was fair.
Muslim Bazaar (but in Malaysia)
Muslims in Baghdad had
“The House of Wisdom”






A main center of Muslim Learning.
It was a great time of scientific learning
and artistic achievements.
Ancient texts were translated into Arabic.
They could now read the works of great
thinkers of the past, such as Plato,
Aristotle, and read/study the Koran.
It also had a large library and
observatory.
They needed to study the stars to know
when Ramadan would occur. Muslim
months occur according to the phases
and position of the…
In ancient times, sickness and disease was a big part
of everyone’s life, but Muslims had it better than most others.






They had clean hospitals (with
skilled doctors) that were free to
the public.
Muslim doctors were the first to
figure out how many diseases
were spread.
Muslims doctors had to pass
tough tests to become a doctor.
Some Muslim doctors became
famous.
Some wrote books so others could
learn what they already knew.
Muslims opened up the first
“drugstores” (herbs, tonics, and
ointments).
Lets read: Page 185:
History and Medicine
Some of the many famous Islamic writers and poets:





A Thousand and One Nights / The
Arabian Nights: with stories of
“Aladdin” and “Sinbad the Sailor”
(the greatest stories in Muslim
literature).
Omar Khayyam: wrote poems
about nature and love.
Caliphs: wrote heroic tales of great
warriors who conquered land for
the Muslims.
Ibn Khaldun: wrote history books
of the time (and how empires rise
and fall in cycles). But: he warned
people to trust sources “only after a
thorough investigation had been
conducted.”
Ibn Sina: wrote medical
encyclopedias, philosophy books,
astronomy books, and math books
(and also memorized the whole
Koran when he was 10).
Muslim buildings were often designed
to glorify Allah A Mosque - in 4 minutes
(not a vocab. Word)






Muslims decorated with wooden
carvings, carpets, glass lamps, tiles,
and mosaics.
No humans or animals though ?????
Artists also developed calligraphy
(elegant writing) – especially to
write the words of the Koran (the
words of Allah).
Muslims/Arabs/The Middle east are
still known for their carpets and
designs.
Muslims used some of the style of
the Byzantines and Persians, but
also their own styles.
The most important building –
always a mosque –a Muslim
church…………
Only Allah can create life
It’s easy to confuse Persians, Arabs, and Muslims
(but they are all different cultures)





The Persians had a big influence
on Muslims (literature, court
manners, government,
traditions, architecture, and
crafts).
Until 1492, Spain was also a
center of Islamic culture.
Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III
encouraged scholars, poets,
philosophers, historians, and
musicians to move to Spain (and
he paid them well).
He hired book buyers to find
books in Alexandria, Damascus,
and Baghdad and built a library
of 400,000 books.
By the late 1200’s, the only part
of Spain that was strongly
Islamic was Granada.
Top 10 Muslim inventions