The Spread Of Islam Chapter 10 section 2 page 238

A Review- What is the difference between Islam and Muslim? Islam is the religion, Muslim is a person belonging to the religion Which 3 continents did Arabia connect? Europe, Asia, Africa Who are considered “people of the book”? Christians, Jews, Muslims Who is the founder of the Islam religion? Muhammad

Muhammad’s Sucessors Spread Islam When Muhammad died in 632, community wasn’t sure how to choose a leader, but are sure they need to spread the message of Allah Muhammad didn’t name a successor, so Muslim community selected Abu-Bakr, his friend and follower to become the first “caliph”- or successor

Rightly Guided Caliphs Abu-Bakr and next 3 elected caliphs- Umar, Uthman and Ali all knew Muhammad, and used Qur’an and actions as guides to leadership This is why they are known as “rightly guided caliphs” Period of rule is called caliphate

Abu-Bakr Promised he would uphold what Muhammad stood for But after the prophets death some tribes abandoned Islam and refused to pay taxes Some people declared themselves as prophets Abu-Bakr used military force to reassert Muhammad’s efforts in the community and the army became well trained and disciplined Muslim state controlled all of Arabia

Umar Became second caliph in 634 after Abu-Bakr died Highly disciplined armies conquered Syria and lower Egypt, which were part of Byzantine Empire Also took parts of Persian Empire

Muslim Empire under Umar

Uthman and Ali Next two caliphs, Uthman and Ali expanded Muslim territory east and west Were able to gain support of armies and navies of conquered land Used these forces to help conquer more land By 750, Muslim Empire stretched 6,000 miles- 2 times the distance across the United States

Twice the Distance of the U.S!

Muslims were willing to struggle to defend Islam Drew energy and inspiration from faith

Success of the Military Muslim military successful due to faith of soldiers Armies were well disciplined and well commanded Took advantage of weaknesses in other empires: the Byzantine and Persian empires

Persian and Byzantine empires had been in conflict for a long time By the time Muslim armies invaded their lands both empires were exhausted militarily People in those regions who didn’t support the official religions (Christianity or Zoroastrianism) had been persecuted These people saw the Muslims as liberators

Treatment of Conquered People Many conquered people chose to accept Islam Qur’an forbade forced conversion, so Muslims allowed people to keep own religion

Christians, Jews and Muslims Jews and Christians were “people of the book” and received special consideration They paid a poll tax each year so they wouldn’t have to serve in the military Even though there was religious tolerance, other religions not allowed to spread religion Christians and Jews played important roles as officials and scholars in the Muslim state

The Torah, Bible, Qur’an

Internal Conflict Creates a Crisis Murder of Uthman in 656 triggered a civil war Ali, Muhammads cousin and son-in-law, was the natural choice for replacement, but he was assassinated The system of electing a caliph died with him

The Umayyads A family known as the Umayyads came to power Set up hereditary system of succession Changed the capital from Mecca to Damascus in recently conquered Syria Thought it would be easier to control conquered territories from new location

Arab Muslims felt capital was too far away from their lands Umayyads abandoned the simple life of caliphs and surrounded themselves with wealth and extravagances

The Shi’a Wealth and luxury angered the Muslim community, but accepted their rule to keep peace A minority did resist and believed the caliph should be a relative of the prophet This group was called Shi’a meaning “party” of Ali

The Sunni Those who didn’t resist the rule of the Umayyads became known as Sunni, meaning followers of Muhammad’s example However, some Sunni were concerned with the lifestyle of the Umayyads and worried they had become to involved in worldly affairs and lost touch with religion

The Sufi Another group who reacted to the lush life of the Umayyads Chose a life of poverty and devotion, similar to a Christian monk

End of the Umayyads Religious and political opposition to the Umayyad caliphate led to its downfall Rebel groups overthrew the Umayadds in 750 The Abbasids, a powerful rebel group took control of the empire

Murder of the Umayyads After the Abbasids took control in 750, they murder members of the Umayyad family Only Prince Abd al-Rahman escaped, and moved to Spain Prince al-Rahman set up a new Umayyad dynasty in Spain

Spain had already been conquered and settled by Muslims from North Africa, known as the Berbers The Berbers formed the extraordinary Muslim state called al-Andalus

The Abbasids Their strength lay in the lands of Iraq, Iran and central Asia, the former lands of the Persian Empire Moved the capital from Damascus to Baghdad in south Iraq Location gave access to goods, trade routes, gold and information on the rest of the empire

Under the Abbasids Developed strong bureaucracy Treasury kept track of money flow Chancery prepared letters and documents Special dept. managed the army Sent diplomats to other royal courts throughout Europe to develop good relationships Taxed land, imports, exports and non-Muslim’s wealth to pay for bureaucracy

Elephant Diplomacy Abbasids constantly trying to hold empire together, and hold off outside attacks. They viewed their relationship with the Kingdom of Franks ruled by Charlemagne extremely important, and viewed the Franks as possible allies against the Umayyads in Spain. Caliph Harun al-Rashid sent an envoy with gifts to Charlemagne's court including an elephant named Abu al-Abbas, the only elephant the caliph owned. The trip was a success- Charlemagne defeated the Umayyads early in his reign

Kingdom of Franks

Charlemagne

Rival Groups Dominated Muslim Lands Abbasid caliphate lasted 750- 1258 during that time they were able to increase authority by consulting with religious leaders But they failed to keep control of enormous territory Independent Muslim states sprang up and local leaders dominated many smaller regions

Fatimid Dynasty Named after Muhammad’s daughter Fatima Began in north Africa, spreading to western Arabia and Syria

Although they were politically divided, the Abbasid Empire and smaller powers stayed unified through religion, language, trade, and the economy

Muslim Trade Network 2 major sea-trading zones: 1. Mediterranean Sea 2. Indian Ocean Water linked the Muslim Empire into sea network The land connected the Silk Roads of China and India with Europe and Asia

1 Language, 1 Currency Muslims merchants realize they only needed a single language, Arabic and single currency, the Abbasid dinar to travel from Cordoba to Baghdad and onto China

Muslims create banks to encourage flow of trade Offered letters of credit called sakks (in Europe, the pronunciation is check) The idea of using checks dates back to the Muslim Empire

Cordoba Mix of Muslims, Christians and Jews created a cosmopolitan atmosphere in the city of Cordoba (Spain) City attracted poets, philosophers, scientists and doctors City became the center of Muslim culture with 70 libraries, 700 mosques and 27 free schools Period of achievements in the arts and sciences followed