The Koran To Muslims, it is the sacred word of God Written in Arabic Muslims believe it can only be read in Arabic

The Sunna A set of rules used with the Koran Developed from the legal codes of tribes

Expansion of Islam When Mohammed died, no successor had been named. Muslims chose caliphs-Islamic leaders, descendents of Mohammed

The First Four Caliphs

Abu Bakr Karem Abdul-Kaaba Put down rebellion (Defeats Romans/Persians) Brought all of Arabia under Islamic control Collection of Koran 63 Yrs Old (one of a kind) master of the hook shot

Omar (Farooq) Defeated Byzantines Captured Jerusalem Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Palistine, Iran Master of Weapons, Wrestling, Speaking Stabbed w/ dagger

Othman Tried to make caliph more powerful Murdered in 656 Completed Text of Koran

Ali Cousin of Mohammed, married Mohammed’s daughter (Fatima) Assassinated in 661 w/ poison sword

Omayyad Dynasty AD

Muawiya Made Arabic the official language Minted new coins, set up postal system Made many improvements in building and transportation

Conquests Islamic armies moved west, conquered North Africa and Spain Made Islam the dominant power in Central Asia (present-day Pakistan)

The Muslims broke into 2 groups:

1. Shiites Loyal partisans of Ali (Mohammed’s cousin) The believed the caliph should be descended from Mohammed’s family They insisted the Koran was the only source of guidance for Islam

2. Sunnites Followers of Muawiya and the Omayyad Dynasty They believed any spiritually qualified man could be elected caliph They accepted both the Koran and Sunna More numerous than Shiites

Reasons for Islam’s Early Success: 1.Islamic armies led by outstanding military leaders

Reasons for Islam’s Early Success: 1.Islamic armies led by outstanding military leaders 2.People not satisfied with Byzantine rule 3.Weakened Persian and Byzantine Empires

The Abbasid Dynasty AD (1253)

Background Established by Abu’l Abbas Abbas led non-Arab Moslems against the Omayyads – WHY? Preferential treatment for Arabs (i.e. non- Arabs paid higher taxes) Rebels overthrew Omayyad caliph and murdered 90 members of his family

Government Moved capital to Baghdad Strong centralized gov’t. similar to Byzantine Empire Moslems paid only small tax to support Islam Non-Moslems paid heavy taxes

Accomplishments Baghdad becomes a center of learning that attracts scholars from Middle East/India Great advances made in mathematics, science, literature, and the arts

Decline of the Empire Territory becomes fragmented by rival kingdoms; conquered by Seljuk Turks

Islamic Civilization

Commerce & Industry Muslims controlled trade routes Musical instruments introduced to Europe –Lute, tambourine, guitar

Medicine Al-Razi (Rhazes) –Worked with sutures/casts –Difference between smallpox & measles Avicenna (Ibn Sina) –Persian wrote Canon of Medicine (medical encyclopedia) –Diagnosed tuberculosis as being contagious –Cancer surgery Other Achievements

Mathematics Advances –Al-Jabr invented form of Algebra –Borrowed numbers 1-9 and added concept of zero Al Khwarizmi Omar Khayyam

Astronomy & Geography Important for religious reasons Borrowed from Hindus & Greeks Greek astrolabe Improved Ptolemy’s calculations for earth’s circumference within ½ mile of present value Al-Idrisi created maps on spheres to represent earth’s shape

Physics & Chemistry Al Hasan –Father of Optics –Convex and concave mirrors and light refraction Jabir –Moslem alchemist, studied oxidation, crystallization, filtration

History Ibn Khaldun –Wrote 7 volume Universal History –Included history, politics and econ, climate and culture

Art Islamic art consists of geometric designs, flowers, leaves, and stars No human or animal likenesses on most work