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THE FIRST TRANS-REGIONAL CIVILIZATION
ISLAM THE FIRST TRANS-REGIONAL CIVILIZATION
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PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIA The Arabian peninsula Post-classical Arabia
Largely deserts with mountains, oases Fertile areas in the southern mountains around Yemen Nomadic Bedouin Lived in the desert-covered peninsula for millennia Kept herds of sheep, goats, and camels Organized in family and clan groups Importance of kinship and loyalty to the clan Many tribes seem to have been matrilineal with some rights for women Post-classical Arabia (Byzantines) and Persians had interactions with Clans in area Active in long-distance over land trade Trade from Damascus to Mecca/Medina to Yemen Trade across desert to Persian Gulf and along coast Part of Red Sea trade system; links between Yemen and Abyssinia Trade includes gold, frankincense and myrrh Religion was polytheist Groups of Jews in Arabia; Monophysite Christians in cities
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6TH CENTURY ARABIA
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PHYSICAL MAP OF ARABIA
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MUHAMMAD’S EARLY LIFE Muhammad ibn Abdullah
Born in a Mecca merchant family, 570 C.E. Difficult early life: orphaned, lived with uncle Married a wealthy widow, Khadija, in 595 Became a merchant at age 30, exposed to various faiths Muhammad's spiritual transformation At age 40, he experienced visions There was only one true god, Allah ("the god") Allah would soon bring judgment on the world The archangel Gabriel delivered these revelations to Muhammad Did not intend to found a new religion, but his message became appealing The Quran Followers compiled Muhammad's actual revelations after his death Quran ("recitation"), became the holy book of Islam Suras are chapters; organized from longest to shortest A work of magnificent poetry The Hadith Sayings attributed to Muhammad; not included in Quran Three levels from most accurate/likely to highly suspect
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THE HIJRA (FLIGHT) Conflict at Mecca The hijra The umma
His teachings offended others, especially ruling elite of Mecca Attacks on greed offended wealthy merchants Attacks on idolatry threatened shrines, especially the Kaa'ba The hijra Under persecution, Muhammad, followers fled to Medina, 622 C.E. The move, known as hijra, was starting point of Islamic calendar The umma Organized a cohesive community called umma in Medina Led commercial adventure Sometimes launched raids against Mecca caravans Helped the poor and needy The "seal of the prophets" Referred himself as "seal of the prophets," - final prophet of Allah Held Hebrew scriptures and New Testament in high esteem Referred to followers as “Peoples of the Book” If they did not threaten umma, were to be protected Determined to spread Allah's wish to all humankind
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CONQUEST OF ARABIA Muhammad's return to Mecca The Kaa'ba
Conquered Mecca, 630 Imposed a theocratic government dedicated to Allah Destroyed pagan shrines and built mosques The Kaa'ba The Kaa'ba shrine was not destroyed In 632, Muhammad led the first Islamic pilgrimage to the Ka'ba The Five Pillars of Islam Obligations taught by Muhammad, known as the Five Pillars The Five Pillars bound the umma into a cohesive community of faith Profession of faith, prayer, tithing, pilgrimage, fasting at Ramadan Islamic law: the sharia Emerged during the centuries after Muhammad Detailed guidance on proper behavior in almost every aspect of life Drew laws, precepts from the Quran Drew traditions from Arabic culture, Hadith Through the sharia, Islam became a religion and a way of life
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SYMBOLS OF ISLAM
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EXPANSION OF ISLAM Dar al Islam The caliph The expansion of Islam
Upon Muhammad's death, Abu Bakr served as caliph ("deputy") Became head of state, chief judge, religious leader, military commander First four called Orthodox caliphs because they were original followers The expansion of Islam , seized Byzantine Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia 640's, conquered Egypt and north Africa 651, toppled Sassanid dynasty , conquered the Hindu kingdom of Sind, Iberia, NW Africa Success due to weakness of enemies, vigor of Islam Dar al Islam The Islamic world where the Sharia is in force, Islam dominates Dar el Harb is the land of the unbelievers, or non-Muslims The Shia and Sunnis The Sunnis ("traditionalists") accepted legitimacy of early caliphs Were Arab as opposed to Islamic Did not feel caliphs had to be related to Muhammad The Shia sect supported Ali (last caliph and son in law of Muhammad) A refuge for non-Arab converts, poor; followers in Irag, Iran Felt caliphs should be directly related to Muhammad Two sects struggled over succession; produced a civil war, murder
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SPREAD OF ISLAM
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UMAYYAD DYNASTY The Umayyad dynasty (661-750 C.E.)
New caliph won civil war; murdered Ali; established dynasty Established capital city at Damascus in Syria Ruled for the interests of Arabian military aristocracy Policy toward conquered peoples Dhimmis were the conquered Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians Levied jizya (head tax) on those who did not convert to Islam Even the converts did not enjoy wealth, position of authority Umayyad decline Caliphs became alienated from Arabs by early 8th century By the mid-century, faced strong resistance of the Shia faction The discontent of conquered peoples also increased Umayyad family slaughtered; only one son escaped to Spain Formed breakaway Umayyad Dynasty in Spain
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Family and Gender Roles in the Umayyad Age
Islam greatly strengthened position of women Seclusion and subordination of women common among other societies within the Middle East at this time Qur’an forbides multiple marriages if the husband cannot take care of multiple wives or treat them all equally Women could not have more than one husband
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Umayyad Decline and Fall
Ummayyad caliph’s growing addiction to luxury and wealth Abandon simple life promoted by Muhammad and his earliest Caliphs, and now have pleasure gardens and marble palaces
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ABBASID DYNASTY Abu al-Abbas The Abbasid dynasty (750-1258 C.E.)
A descendant of Muhammad's uncle; allied with Shias and non-Arab Muslims Seized control of Persia and Mesopotamia during 740's Shattered Umayyad forces at a battle in 750; annihilated the Umayyad clan The Abbasid dynasty ( C.E.) Showed no special favor to Arab military aristocracy Empire still growing, but not initiated by the central government or military but by the faith. Abbasid administration Relied heavily on Persians, Persian techniques of statecraft Central authority ruled from the court at Baghdad, newly built city Governors ruled provinces; Ulama, qadis (judges) ruled local areas Harun al-Rashid ( C.E.) Represented the high point of the dynasty Baghdad became metropolis, center for commerce, industry, and culture Abbasid decline Governors built their own power bases, regional dynasties Local military commanders took title of Sultan Popular uprisings and peasant rebellions weakened the dynasty A Persian noble seized control of Baghdad in 945 Later, the Seljuk Turks controlled the imperial family
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AN URBAN CIVILIZATION Arab Urban History
Pre-Islamic Arabs were both urban, bedouin Mecca, Medina, Yemeni cities, cities of Palmyra, Arab Petropolis Center of the city was a market place often shared with religious center Cities designed with human-environment interaction in mind Nomads came to city to trade, city often settled by whole tribes Arabs had settled in cities in Syria, Iraq, Jordan Arabic cities linked to wider world through merchants, trade Arab cities exposed to Jews, Persians, Arabic Empire and Urban Growth Islam as a culture requires mosque, merchant: very urban in outlook Capital moved from Mecca to Damascus by Umayyads to Baghdad by Abbasids. Why??? Arabs founded military cities on edges of desert to rule empire As empire grew, needed something more permanent Abbasids moved capital from Damascus, to Baghdad Other designed for purpose cities include Fez, Cairo, Tunis Increasing agricultural production contributed to growth of cities Cities: centers for administration, industry, trade, education, faith Many different ethnic minorities settled in Muslim cities (quarters) Mosque at center
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CHANGED ECONOMICS Merchants, pilgrims, travelers exchanged foods across empire The exchange and spread of food and industrial crops Indian plants traveled to other lands of the empire Staple crops: sugarcane, rice, new varieties of sorghum and wheat Vegetables: spinach, artichokes, eggplants Fruits: oranges, lemons, limes, bananas, coconuts, watermelons, mangoes Industrial crops: cotton, indigo, henna Effects of new crops Increased varieties and quantities of food Industrial crops became the basis for a thriving textile industry Foodstuffs increased health, populations of cities Agricultural experimentation Numerous agricultural manuals written Agricultural methods and techniques improved Improved irrigation
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A VAST TRADE ZONE Camels and caravans
Overland desert trade traveled mostly by camel caravan Caravanserais (motel, corrals) in Islamic cities Trading goods usually luxury in nature Maritime trade based on technological borrowing Arab, Persian mariners borrowed Compass from the Chinese Lateen sail from southeast Asian, Indian mariners Astrolabe from the Hellenistic mariners Organization and dominance of trade Many cities grew rich from trade Entrepreneurs often pooled their resources in group investments Different kinds of joint endeavors (Muslim/, Cristian and Jewish combined companies) Why? Banks Operated on large scale and provided extensive services Letters of credit, or sakk, functioned as bank checks Exchange of Ideas included Islam, technology, culture
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ISLAMIC TRADE
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WOMEN’S CHANGING STATUS
Pre-Islamic Arab Women Arabs as nomads allowed women many rights Women often poets, tribe leaders Some evidence of matrilineal tribes The Quran and women Quran enhanced rights, security of women Forced husbands to honor contracts, love women Allowed women to own property, protected from exploitation What produced the change Foreign Contacts changed the perspective as Abbasid Empire grew ( ) Adopted veiling from Mesopotamia, Persia Isolation from India through purdah, harem Muslim rights for women Often weaken through Hadith, traditions Often reduced, ignored Patriarch beliefs reinforced by conquest Yet Quran, sharia also reinforced male domination Role of Hadith, Arab traditions reinforced male domination
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IMAGE OF WOMEN
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ISLAMIC CULTURAL TRADITION
Quran, sharia were main sources to formulate moral guidelines Constant struggle between what is Arabic and what is Islamic Use of Arabic script as only language of Islam strengthened trend Persians, Turks, Indians, and Africans struggled for acceptance Promotion of Islamic values Ulama, qadis, and missionaries were main agents Education also promoted Islamic values Sufis Islamic mystics, effective missionaries Encouraged devotion by singing, dancing Led ascetic, holy lives, won respect Encouraged followers to revere Allah in own ways Tolerated those who associated Allah with other beliefs The hajj The Kaa'ba became the symbol of Islamic cultural unity Pilgrims helped to spread Islamic beliefs and values
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ISLAM & OTHER CONTACTS Persian influence on Islam Turkish influences
After Arabs most prominent of Muslims, resisted Arabization Became early followers of Shia Government and regionalism Many advisors (vizer is Persian word) to Caliphs were Persian Cultured, diplomatic language of Abbassid court became Persian Literary achievements Omar Khayyam was greatest of Medieval Muslim poets The Arabian Nights largely in a Persian style Turkish influences Central Asian nomads converted to Islam, developed literary culture Invaded SW Asia and made caliphate dependent on Turkish nomads Formed military might, leadership of late Abbassid state Indian Influences Purdah and harem borrowed from Hindus "Hindi numerals," which Europeans called "Arabic numerals"
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Manufacturing and Agriculture
Most manufacturing was done by wage workers. They produced goods such as swords from Damascus, Persian carpets, leathers from Spain, and cotton goods from Egypt. Agriculture was practiced primarily in Mesopotamia and the Nile River Valley. Massive irrigation systems put in place by the Abbasids greatly increased the amount of farmable land
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Muslim Art The Koran strictly banned idol worship and later religious leaders forbade artists from portraying human figures in their art. Therefore Muslims art consisted of elaborate geometry patterns. They also used calligraphy (the art of beautiful handwriting) extensively and used common phrases of the Koran in their art.
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Muslim Architecture Muslim architecture borrowed techniques such as the arch and dome from Greek, and Roman structures. Around 690 A.D. Muslims built a great mosque in Jerusalem called the Dome of the Rock which demonstrates the use of Greek and Roman techniques. In 850 A.D. Muslims built the mosque at Samarra where they revolutionized the construction of minarets.
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Arabic Literature The standard for Arabic literature is the Koran itself. Poetry had also been a long tradition among Arabs even before the time of Muhammad. Storytelling was prized by Arab writers. Many of their stories are still told today: Ali Baba and the 40 thieves Aladdin
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Arabic Philosophy Muslim scholars translated the works of Greek philosophers as well as Hindu and Buddhist texts. They put a strong emphasis on combining Greek ideas of reason with religious beliefs of divine revelation. Other Muslim scholars put their knowledge to the test through the use of reason.
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Mathematics Al-Khwarizmi Muslims got their foundation in math from studying Indian and Greek texts. The Arabic number system was developed and spread throughout the Islamic empire and is used to this day. (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) One Muslim scholar also developed al-jabr (algebra) which literally means, “restoring what is missing” most hated man in history by high school students?
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Muslim Medicine Muslims again built on the Greek knowledge of medicine. Public health in the Islamic world reached an astonishing height. Physicians had to pass medical exams before they could practice, and they built hospitals in major cities They had departments for quick treatment much like modern-day emergency rooms. Physicians also made regular visits to outlying neighborhoods and even jails to treat ill patients.
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Muhammad Al-Razi Muslim Physicians Muhammad Al-Razi was one of the most renown and respected Muslim doctors in Baghdad around 900 A.D. He wrote texts that pioneered the study of measles and smallpox and developed the idea of treating the mind, not only the body. Equally famous was Ibn Sina, who wrote a text called Canon on Medicine. This book included all the Arabs and Greeks had learned about treating disease and had more than 4,000 prescriptions to treat diseases.
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Venn Diagram, Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Jesus is divine Idea of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) Ministers Church Sundays Sharing bread and wine Ongoing revelation Hebrew Synagogue Friday night to Saturday night God sometimes called Yahweh Monotheistic Abraham History Prophets Prayer Holy buildings Sermons Jerusalem Salvation Recitation of creeds Story of Jesus Dietary laws Fasting Religious scholars Sacred languages Arabic Mecca Quran Allah Mosque Friday prayer Hajj
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