The Spread of Islam
in the Post Classical Era
600 C.E. to 1450 C.E.
From 600-1450 in the Middle East the Arabs went from decentralized clans led by Sheiks to unification under the banner of Islam
Led by a Caliph. The early Arab belief of polytheism and animism was supplanted to reflect the Abrahamic tradition of ethical
Monotheism with Muhammad as the final prophet. The role of camel caravan travel and competition over resources would be
Maintained and would facilitate the rise and spread of Dar Al Islam.
Middle East – Beginning
Early Post Classical Period (600 C.E.)
632 C. E. – 1st Islamic
pilgrimage to the Ka’ba
*Mecca)by Muhammad
Muslim forces seized
Byzantine Syria and
Palestine, most of
Mesopotamia, Egypt,
Persia, NW India, and
NW Africa.
Umuyaad then Abbasid
Caliphates
Persians, Egyptians,
Mesopotamians and
others rose to positions of
wealth and power under
Abbasid rule. Abu alAbbas did not show
preference to Arab
Muslims.
Middle East
Middle Post Classical Period 1000
After the 9th century, Sufi Muslims attracted
numerous converts particularly in Persia
and India.
Conversely, in the 12th century Muslim
philosophers sought a rational
understanding of the world through the
works of Aristotle and Plato. House of
Wisdom in Baghdad
Advances made in trade (banking, credit)
Advances in Medicine and Mathematics
Abbasid- “Golden Age of Islam”
Ability to adopt (cultural diffusion) and adapt
(translate works to Arabic and expand
upon ideas)
Middle East
End Post Classical Period 1450
• Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd
followed Aristotle, and his work
found its way into the schools and
universities of western Europe.
• Turks from Central Asia( Seljuks)
to assimilate into Islamic belief
system. Challenge Jerusalem ,
attack Byzantine Empire and
begin fighting Christian forces
over access to the sacred territory
for pilgrims.
Rushd was an Arab philosopher,
physician, philosopher, astronomer,
mathematician, physicist .
Middle East
Continuities 600 to 1450 C.E.
Muslim merchants, pilgrims, and missionaries traded over the
Silk Road.
Trade improved agricultural production which resulted in the
development of commercial centers
Maritime trade in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and
Indian Ocean increased.
Though the Quran recognized women as honorable and equal to
men, the practice of veiling women created a symbol of male
authority in the Islamic community.
Middle East
Continuities 600 to 1450 C.E.
Missionaries, mosques, and Islamic educational institutions were
established throughout the dar al-Islam.
As Muslims made the pilgrimmage to Mecca (Hajj), mosques and
inns were established. Over the centuries these pilgrims
helped to spread Islamic beliefs and values.
Arabic remained the language of religion, theology, philosophy
and law, while the
Persian language dominated literature, poetry, history and
political reflection.
Baghdad flourished as a center of learning and culture.
West Europe
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Moorish (Muslims from West Africa)conquest of Spain 711-1492
Defeated by Charles Martel (Frank) at the Battle of Tours (France) in 732
Southern Spain remains connected to Dar Al Islam linked to prosperity and
Golden Age in the Mediterranean
Al Alhambra - preserved Greek philosophy, mathematics and learning and
engineering
West Europe
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Many wars waged between Muslim lands and Christian world (both Byzantine and Feudal
Western Europe)
Europe far less tolerant of other non-Christian peoples,
Crusades fought against Muslim Seljuk Turks (Arabs not directly involved)
Although crusades were fought over Jerusalem, Europe became introduced to goods from the
East
.
South Asia/India
Beginning Post Classical Period 600 CE
• Arab forces entered
India as early as the
mid 7th century
before the
establishment of the
Umayyad caliphate
South Asia/India
Middle Post Classical Period 1000 CE
• Mahmud of Ghazni, leader of the
Turks in Afghanistan, led raids of
India between 1001 and 1027.
• Mahmud demolished Hindu and
Buddhist sites
• Buddhism declined.
•
Mosques or Islamic shrines were
constructed on the sites where
Hindu and Buddhist structures
were destroyed.
South Asia/India
Late Post Classical Period 1450 CE
• Mahmud’s successors established an
Islamic state known as the sultanate of
Delhi.
• By 1500 CE Indian Muslims numbered
25 million, about 1/4 of the
subcontinent’s population.
• Many Indians converted to Islam to get
out of the caste system.
• The bhakti movement emerged in
southern Indian in the 12th century. It
was a cult that set out to erase the
distinction between Hinduism and Islam.
South Asia/India
Continuities – Post Classical Period 600-1450 CE
Muslim Arab and Persian mariners
dominated trade between India
and western lands from the 7th
through 15th centuries.
Muslim traders frequently married
local women and found places
for themselves in Indian
society.
Indian Ocean Trade continued to
grow, creating demand for silk
and porcelain from China,
spices from southeast Asia;
pepper, gems, pearls, and
cotton from India; incense and
horses from Arabia and
southwest Asia; and gold, ivory,
and slaves from east Africa.
Africa
Early Post Classical Period 600 CE
Arabic conquerors established Islam in
north Africa during the 7th and 8th
centuries.
By the 8th century, Muslim merchants
flocked to camel caravans traveling across
the Sahara to Ghana in search of gold for
much needed salt (prevent dehydration).
Merchants from Ghana also provided ivory
and slaves for traders from north Africa.
Africa
Mid Post Classical Period 1000 CE
10h century—King of Ghana converted
to Islam.
The king did not impose Islam on his
people. Instead, in many cases, the
people practiced both faiths.(animism
and Islam)
After about the 9th century, trans
Saharan(W) and Indian Ocean trade
networks (E)stimulated increased traffic
in African slaves, ivory, and gold.
Africa
Late Post Classical Period 1450 CE
After the Mali Empire conquered Ghana, the rulers of Mali
recognized Islam but did not force it on their realm.
Mali ruler Mansa Musa observed Islamic tradition by making
his pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) in 1324-1325. He gave out
gold all along his journey.
Upon his return to Mali, he built mosques, particularly in the
trading cities frequented by Muslim merchants.
He also sent students to study with distinguished Islamic
scholars in north Africa. He had 500 slaves on his trip to
Mecca.
Women were granted higher status in Africa (matrilineal –
succession and in heritance was generated through mothers
line)
Africa
Continuities Post Classical Period
In east Africa, like in west Africa, the ruling elites and the wealthy merchants converted to
the Islamic faith. Swahili ( blend of Bantu and Arabic) coast in East Africa
Muslim women in sub-Saharan Africa socialized freely with men and they continued to
appear and work openly in society in ways not permitted to women in other Islamic lands.
Between 750 and 1500 CE, the number of African slaves transported to northern
destinations may have exceeded ten million.
Islam supplemented traditional religions of Africa.
Comparisons
Similarities
Differences
5 Pillars
Sharia
Koran
Arabic
Role of trade
Tolerance
Hadith-sayings of
the prophet
Muhammad
Methods of
conversion
Movement
throughout Dar Al
Islam
Role of women
Relationship to
other religions
Different cultures
which were
adopted and
adapted
Trade regions
Interactions with
other empires
War vs Peace as
a method of
conversion
Comp: Dar Al Islam
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From 600-1450 in the Middle East u and
South Asia Islam developed along trade
routes coming in both through the sword and
through Sufi Mystics. Islam in the Middle
East was the native faith to the Arabs whilst
the Abbasid Caliphate had to contend with
Hinduism. The transition to Islam would be
much smoother as it was a matter of sound
economic decision-making to convert while
the Delhi Sultanate would have to rely on
granted Dhimmi status to ethnic Hindus
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In West Europe and Africa, trade would help
to introduce Islam in the Post-Classical era
600-1450. European fought against Muslim
conquerors while many merchants in Ghana
would convert to gain greater access to
global markets. Deep divisions between
Christendom and Islam in Western Europe
would foment the Crusades while Africa’s
state=sponsorship under Malian king Mansa
Musa would strengthen an age of Islamic
scholarship in Timbuktu.Both Western
Europe and Africa would gain the economic
and scholarly influence of Dar al Islam
although Africa would gain it directly and
only after the crusades would Europe feel its
influence.