Chapter 13

The Expansive Realm of Islam

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Muhammad and His Message

n  Born about 570 C.E. to merchant family in Mecca n  Orphaned as a child n  Marries wealthy widow ca. 595 C.E., works as

merchant n  Familiarity with paganism, Christianity and

Judaism as practiced in Arabian peninsula

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Muhammad’s Spiritual Transformation

n  Visions, ca. 610 C.E. n  Archangel Gabriel n  Monotheism – Allah n  Attracts followers in Mecca

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The Quran

n  Record of revelations received during visions n  Committed to writing ca. 650 C.E. (Muhammad

dies 632 C.E.) n  Tradition of Muhammad’s life: hadith

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Conflict at Mecca

n  Muhammad’s monotheistic teachings offensive to polytheistic pagans

n  Economic threat to existing religious industry n  Denunciation of greed was affront to local

aristocracy

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The Hijra

n  Muhammad flees to Yathrib (Medina) 622 C.E. q  Year 0 in Muslim calendar

n  Organizes followers into communal society (the umma)

n  Legal, spiritual code n  Commerce, raids on Meccan caravans for sake of

umma

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The “Seal of the Prophets”

n  Muhammad – the final prophet n  Accepted the authority of Abraham, Moses, and

Jesus n  Held in high esteem Hebrew scriptures and the

Christian New Testament n  Muhammad had been entrusted a more complete

revelation, one that communicated Allah’s plan for the world

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Muhammad’s Return to Mecca

n  Attack on Mecca, 630 C.E. n  Conversion of Mecca to Islam n  Destruction of pagan sites, replaced with mosques

q  Ka’ba preserved in honor of importance of Mecca q  Approved as pilgrimage site

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The Ka’ba

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The Five Pillars of Islam

n  No god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet n  Daily prayer n  Fasting during Ramadan n  Charity n  Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)

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Muslims at Prayer

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Jihad

n  “Struggle” q  Against vice q  Against ignorance of Islam

n  “Holy war” q  Against unbelievers who threaten Islam

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Islamic Law: The Sharia

n  Codification of Islamic law n  Based on Quran, hadith, logical schools of

analysis n  Extends beyond ritual law to all areas of human

activity

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The Caliph

n  No clear to successor to Muhammad identified n  Abu Bakr chosen to lead as caliph n  Led war against villagers who abandoned Islam

after death of Muhammad

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The Expansion of Islam

n  Highly successful attacks on Byzantine, Sasanid territories

n  Difficulties governing rapidly expanding territory

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The Expansion of Islam, 632-733 C.E.

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The Shia

n  Disagreements over selection of caliphs n  Ali passed over for Abu Bakr n  Served as caliph 656-661 C.E., then assassinated

along with most of his followers n  Remaining followers organize separate party

called “Shia” n  Traditionalists: Sunni

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Shi’ite Pilgrims at Karbala

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The Umayyad Dynasty (661-750 C.E.)

n  From Meccan merchant class n  Brought stability to the Islamic community n  Capital: Damascus, Syria n  Associated with Arab military aristocracy

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Policy toward Conquered Peoples

n  Favoritism of Arab military rulers causes discontent

n  Limited social mobility for non-Arab Muslims n  Head tax (jizya) on non-Muslims n  Umayyad luxurious living causes further decline

in moral authority

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The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258 C.E.)

n  Abu al-Abbas, Sunni Arab, allied with Shia, non-Arab Muslims

n  Seizes control of Persia and Mesopotamia n  Defeats Umayyad army in 750 C.E.

q  Invited Umayyads to banquet, then massacred them

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Nature of the Abbasid Dynasty

n  Diverse nature of administration (i.e. not exclusively Arab)

n  Militarily competent, but not bent on imperial expansion

n  Content to administer the empire they had inherited

n  Dar al-Islam n  Growth through military activity of autonomous

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Abbasid Administration

n  Persian influence n  Court at Baghdad n  Influence of Islamic scholars n  Ulama and qadis sought to develop policy based

on the Quran and sharia

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Caliph Harun al-Rashid (786-809 C.E.)

n  High point of Abbasid dynasty n  Baghdad center of commerce n  Great cultural activity

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Abbasid Decline

n  Civil war between sons of Harun al-Rashid n  Provincial governors assert regional independence n  Dissenting sects, heretical movements n  Abbasid caliphs become puppets of Persian

nobility n  Later, Saljuq Turks influence; sultan real power

behind the throne

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Economy of the Early Islamic World

n  Spread of food and industrial crops q  Trade routes from India to Spain

n  Western diet adapts to wide variety n  New crops adapted to different growing seasons

q  Agricultural sciences develop q  Cotton, paper industries develop

n  Major cities emerge

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Formation of a Hemispheric Trading Zone

n  Historical precedent of Arabic trade n  Dar al-Islam encompasses silk routes

q  Ice exported from Syria to Egypt in summer, tenth century

n  Camel caravans n  Maritime trade

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Banking and Trade

n  Scale of trade causes banks to develop q  Sakk (“check”)

n  Uniformity of Islamic law throughout dar al-Islam promotes trade

n  Joint ventures common

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Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain)

n  Muslim Berber conquerors from north Africa take Spain, early eighth century

n  Allied to Umayyads, refused to recognize Abbasid dynasty q  Formed own caliphate q  Tensions, but interrelationship

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Changing Status of Women

n  Quran improves status of women q  Outlawed female infanticide q  Brides, not husbands, claim dowries

n  Yet male dominance preserved q  Patrilineal descent q  Polygamy permitted, polyandry forbidden q  Veil adopted from ancient Mesopotamian practice

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Formation of an Islamic Cultural Tradition

n  Islamic values q  Uniformity of Islamic law in dar al-Islam q  Establishment of madrasas q  Importance of the hajj

n  Sufi missionaries q  Asceticism, mysticism q  Some tension with orthodox Islamic theologians q  Wide popularity

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Al-Ghazali (1058-1111)

n  Major Sufi thinker from Persia n  Impossibility of intellectual apprehension of

Allah, devotion, mystical ecstasy instead

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Cultural Influences on Islam

n  Persia q  Administration and governance q  literature

n  India q  Mathematics, science, medicine

n  “Hindi” numbers

n  Greece q  Philosophy, especially Aristotle q  Ibn Rushd/Averroes (1126-1198)

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