The Moslem (Muslim) Empire

The Five Pillars

The Quran- Religious text

The Religion of Islam

Confession of Faith“There is no other God but Allah and Mohammed is his Prophet.”

CharityMuslims must give money to the poor and pay taxes to the mosque

PrayerMuslims must pray five times a day, while facing East, towards Mecca.

FastingDuring the month of Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat or drink during daylight.

PilgrimageIf physically able, a Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

After Mohammed died, a group of Muslim leaders chose a new leader, whom they called a Caliph.

After some instability with early caliphs, the Umayyad Caliphate was founded. Most Muslims followed this caliphate. They became

known as Sunnis. The small group of Muslims who did not follow the

Umayyad Caliphate were known as Shiite Muslims. They believed only Mohammed’s decedents could be Caliphs.

They moved the capital to DamascusA new caliph formed, the Abbasids, after 750

Focused on trade rather than warBuilt new capital at Baghdad

Islamic Caliphates

Madrassas- Islamic SchoolMosque- Place of worshipMerchant economy- economy based on tradeSharia- practical guide to Muslim daily lifeSultanate- kingdom ruled by sultan Theocracy- ruled with religionUniversalizing religion- a religion that seeks

to include all people

Islamic Cultural Achievements

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Turkish Muslims invaded India

Muslims established independent kingdoms in Northern India known as Sultanates.

The most famous were the Sultans of Delhi

Unlike prior conquerors, the Muslims never fully adopted Indian ways.

At the end of the 14th century the Mongol ruler Tamerlane destroyed the city of Delhi and slaughtered its inhabitants. The Delhi Sultanate never fully recovered from this blow.

Islamic Caliphate and India

In 1526, Babur, a descendant of both Tamerlane and Chinggis Khan defeated the Sultan of Delhi and founded the Mughal Empire in India.

The most famous Mughal ruler was Akbar the Great. Her set out to unite all Muslim and Hindu

subjects by promoting religious toleration.

Ended special Taxes paid by Hindus Made use of Hindu officials in

government Encouraged cultural improvement

His grandson, Shah Jahan showed less sympathy to Hindus. Reinstated special taxes paid by Hindus Ordered destruction of many Hindu sites Under him many converted to Islam

Under his the Taj Mahal was built- a tomb for his wife.

Mughal Empire