The Expansive Realm of Islam Chapter 13 I

The Expansive Realm of Islam Chapter 13

I: A Prophet and His World • Arabian Peninsula: – harsh environment, – Bedouins (nomadic herders, clan-based, polytheistic), – long-distance trade (sea -> camel caravan) • Link between India/China and Persia/Byzantine • Mecca was important stopover for caravans

I: Muhammad and His Message • Born 570 in Mecca to a merchant family – Married Khadija – Influenced by Judaism and Christianity • 610: spiritual experience (message from God via Gabriel) – = Allah would reward the righteous and punish the wicked • By 620: built up a following in Mecca • 650: Followers wrote texts of teachings -> Quran = authority on Islamic doctrine and social organization

I: Muhammad’s Migration to Medina • Popularity -> conflict with non-Muslim elites over monotheism and ideas about greed – Also, threat to shrine owners • 622: fled to Medina (= the hijra – beginning of Muslim calendar) • Provided legal and social codes, economic aid, political leadership for the Umma • Accepted earlier prophets, texts, and God of Jews and Christians

I: The Establishment of Islam in Arabia • 630: conquered Mecca, replacing shrines with mosques (except Ka’ba) • 632: pilgrimage to Ka’Ba (the Hajj); had conquered most of Arabia

I: The Five Pillars of Islam • Foundations (beliefs shared by all Muslims): – One god (Allah) and prophet (Muhammad) – Daily prayer facing Mecca – Fasting during Ramadan – Alms to the weak and poor – Hajj to Mecca

I: Jihad and Sharia • Jihad: struggle (against vice/evil, against unbelief/ignorance, against unbelievers who threaten Islam) – Considered an obligation by some • Sharia: Islamic law inspired by the Quran and Muhammad’s teachings – Covers more than religion: marriage, business, political authority, family life, etc.

II: The Expansion of Islam • Umma disagreed over who should take over after Muhammad’s death • Abu Bakr became caliph (=deputy): political, judicial, military, and religious leader • Effective military expansion: Byzantine and Sasanid lands, Northern Africa, Iberian peninsula > huge empire

II: The Expansion of Islam (cont. ) • Problem: disagreement over succession -> schism in Islam – Shia sect: believed Ali and descendants should serve as caliph – Sunni: caliphs selected by powerful Arab clans

II: The Umayyid Dynasty • • 661 -750 CE: Prominent Meccan merchant clan Created alliances, built power -> stability Capital = Damascus (Syria) due to central location Tightly centralized rule, favor to fellow Arabs, esp. aristocrats – -> unhappy conquered ethnic/religious groups (forced to pay jizya to practice their religions) – Plus, Muslims (esp. Shia) disliked lavish living of Umayyid

II: The Abbasid Dynasty • -> 740: rebellion in Persia led by Abu-Abbas • 750: defeated Umayyids in battle, founding a new dynasty (ruled until 1258) • Differences: more cosmopolitan (non-Arabs gained wealth and power), not expansionistic (but, did fight Byz, C. Asian nomads, and Tang)

II: The Abbasid Dynasty (cont. ) • Difficult to rule due to size, diversity, and lack of precedent -> adopted Mesopotamian and Persian techniques (policy, capital cities, regional governors and bureaucracy) – Capital = Baghdad – Ulama (scholars) set moral standards and qadis (judges) resolved disputes in local communities -> insured observance of Islamic values – Standing army – Bureaucracy for taxation, finance, coinage, postal system, Persian road system

II: Abbasid Decline • Internal problems: succession disputes, governors began acting independently, uprisings/revolts • 945: puppet rulers (by Persian nobles) • Seljuk Turks migrated in, converted, allied with Abbasids • By mid 1000 s, Turks controlled Abbasid empire

III: Economy and Society of the Early Islamic World • Economy: agriculture (rural) and manufacturing and trade (urban) • Empire -> zone of trade, exchange, and communication from India to Iberia

III: New Crops, Agricultural Experimentation, and Urban Growth • Introduced new crops and techniques into different regions (esp. from India – sugarcane, rice, citrus, bananas, cotton, etc. ) • -> strengthened economy, varied diet, more food availability -> urban development • Dar al-Islam cities flourished (markets, manufacturing [textiles, pottery, paper]) • Islamic society valued merchants

III: The Formation of a Hemispheric Trading Zone • Overland trade: revived and maintained Silk Roads – Expanded use of camel caravans and caravanserai • Maritime trade: using compass (China), lateen sail (SE Asia/India), and astrolabe (Greeks), traveled throughout Indian Ocean Basin • Banks: loans, brokered investments, exchanged currency, credit • Better transportation + expanded banking + refined business organization = flourishing long distance trade (Sahara – salt for gold and slaves, E. Africa slaves and skins, Russia – furs, honey, amber, slaves)

III: Al-Andalus • • • = Islamic Spain, conquered by Berbers in 700 s Continued to be governed by Umayyids (caliphs) Participated in Islamic economy Crops -> urban growth and businesses Elaborate capital at Cordoba (lighted roads, free schools, huge mosque, big library)

III: The Changing Status of Women • Patriarchal, but women had some rights (property inheritance, divorce, business) • Quran helped: outlawed infanticide, dowries, equality of all before Allah • But, reinforced male domination: patrilineal, tight control over women’s lives, polygyny, veiling (from Byz. and Sasanids = sign of modesty), chaperones • Women’s rights decreased with contact with patriarchal Mesopotamian, Persian, and E. Med. societies

IV: Islamic Values and Cultural Exchanges • Focus on Arabic language and tradition • Taught conquered peoples Islamic teachings, but allowed pre-Islamic practices • Muslim intellectuals drew from Persian, Indian, and Greek culture

IV: The Formation of an Islamic Cultural Tradition • Sharia law unified empire • Ulama (in mosque schools) and qadis (in courts and public life) bridged differences and spread Islamic values – Madrasas – institutes of higher learning; supported by rulers to recruit literate and learned students to admin. positions

IV: Sufis • Islamic mystics and missionaries • Did not follow formal religious teachings; sought deeper spiritual awareness – Pious, ascetic – Gave sermons, passionate singing, spiritual dancing to achieve heightened state of emotion • Distrusted by Islamic theologians, but spread Islam (esp. in Persia and India)

IV: The Hajj • = pilgrimage to the Ka’ba in Mecca • Encouraged by Abbasids to increase cultural unity (built inns, policed roads, gifts to shrines)

IV: Islam and the Cultural Traditions of Persia, India, and Greece • Learned about other cultures in several ways: – 1. Abbasid dynasty supported acquisition of knowledge (foreign scholars) – 2. sponsored translation of literary and scientific works (from Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit) – 3. merchants, missionaries, and travelers compiled geographic information (maps, atlases, charts, general descriptions) • Absorbed, combined with “others’ thought”, built upon them -> flowering of intellect and scholarship

IV: Persian Influences • Political: Administrative techniques, ideas of kingship (wise and benevolent, but absolute) • Cultural: literary – used Persian language in lit. , poetry, history – Esp. Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, and The Arabian Nights

IV: Indian Influences • Math: numerals (allowed development of algebra, geometry, trig. ) • Science: astronomical calculations • Medicine: treatments for specific illnesses, antidotes for poison

IV: Greek Influences • Philosophy: translations of Plato and Aristotle – Esp. Ibn Rushd: tried to harmonize Islamic teachings with Aristotle; known in W. Europe as Averroes (influences scholasticism) – After 1200 s, more emphasis on pure Islamic phil. • Math (reasoning), science (astronomy), and medicine (anatomy and physiology)