islamic conquests
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Islamic Conquests. A nd civil war: the Sunni/Shiite division. Conquest paradox. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Islamic ConquestsAnd civil war: the Sunni/Shiite division
Conquest paradox"Early Islamic conquests were not
accompanied by some fanatical desire to convert the world. The Muslim conquests have to be understood in terms of religious motivation but not in terms of a determination to wipe out Judaism and Christianity." – Paul Freedman
Rapid Islamic expansion not accompanied by mandatory conversions.
Motivation to conquer not equitable to desire to spread religion.
650-750, more on the paradoxInternal division manifestNature of religion not decidedConquest not equal to
conversion
Successor to Mohammed?Seal of the prophetsMilitary, religious, civilAbu Bakr elected CaliphAli, husband of Fatima, disputesRidea/apostasy – rejection of Abu Bakr
◦Will become Shiite Systematic conquest of apostasy turns
to conquest of outsidersMilitary energy turns from internal to
external
Factors for quick conquestRomans and Persians worn outRazzi turn into territorial gainsVikings of the desert? Minority religions: Monophysites
and ZoroastriansJihad, struggle, against other
religions or internecine. Religious motivation but not justification.
ConquestsConquest of Persia, Syria,
Palestine, Egypt under OmarFall of Damascus, 634Invasion of Spain, 711
Administration of Arab ConquestsNo rule on how this works
◦Alexandria surrenders, people allowed to keep things as they were
◦Plunder readily available from the state and church, so populations left alone
◦Taxes assessed double to non-Muslims
◦Land tax◦Imperial bureaucracies maintained,
official languages ◦Daily life maintains basically the
same
ToleranceNo interest in conversion to
Islam, keep higher tax bracketRespect for people of the bookConfidence in Islam itselfUntil 750, no mass conversions to
Islam in conquered territories
Umayyad Dynasty, Shiite Division644, Murder of
OmarAli defeated
again in election, by Uthman
Meccan establishment returns to power to the great chagrin of Ali
Uthman continues conquestsBattle of the Masts, islands fall
ArmeniaDislike for Uthman, monarch
rather than caliphMurder of Uthman, 656
Ali proclaimed CaliphBy the assassins of UthmanUmayyads oppose AliFirst civil war started by the
Umayyad Mu'awiya the governor of Damascus
Gives rise to third party against both groups. Messy civil war
Capital from Medina to Damascus
Mu'awiyaMoves capital to DamascusCosmopolitan move away from
ArabiaTransforms caliphate into
monarchyUmmayad
Shiites emergeMinority emerge against Sunni and
UmayyadsPermanent dissidents
◦Reject caliph, because of dynastic question also because he is monarchical, shiites call it tyranny
◦Egalitarian yet violent opposition emerges
◦Shiites call for imam, a spiritual savior who is inspired.
◦11 imams are all there
12th imamPeriod of occultationIdea he will come and set things
rightShia tends towards Arabian
values, purity, apocalypse, etc discontents
Sunnis towards established authority, more cosmopolitian
Mawali (mawal singular) are non-Arab Muslims and not the Shia preference