1. Arab Conquests

3. Out of Arabia
With the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires weakened, organized Arab forces
defeated the Persians by 644, and took half of the Byzantine Empire
By the early 700s, North Africa and Spain belonged to the Arab Empire
Also in the 700s, Arab forces conquered to the Indus River, and into
Central Asia, stopping Chinese expansion westward
Seeking not only an expanded ummah, political leaders
wanted control of trade routes and rich agriculture
Muslims controlled Spain to India by 751 CE, and converted
the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia to Islam

6. Fragmentation cont.
By 750, an group of Arabs (Abbasids) seized control of the massive empire
They moved the capital to Baghdad where they ruled until Mongol conquest in 1258
Under the Abbasids, sultans and political leaders ruled almost
autonomously (on their own), but declared loyalty to the Abbasids
Two new types of government:
Caliphates (rulers could adjust political and religious law) – Arabs
Sultanates (rulers could adjust political laws and enforce religious law) – Non-Arabs (Turks)

7. Line of Conquests Muhammad (622-632) First Four Caliphs (632-661)
Umayyad Caliphate ( )
Abbasid Caliphate ( )

8. Tolerance
Despite conquest in the name of the ummah, Arab conquerors were tolerant
of other religions—especially Chr/Zor/Jud
While classified as second-class citizens (dhimmis), their religious sovereignty was protected
There was also a tax put on non-Muslims (jizya),
And non-Arabs were not allowed military service
Much of the Middle East and North Africa was Arabized,
adopting Arab language and culture and abandoning their own
The areas of Persia, Turkey, and Pakistan, however, were
merely Islamized, and retained their culture

9. Arab-Speaking Regions

10. Conversion and Fragmentation
Conversion was enhanced by the power and prestige of Arab Empire sponsorship
Muslims were given tax privileges, first-class Muslim status
(often slaves/POWs first), as well as business advantages
Internal conflicts persisted, however, particularly with the caliphs (stewards)
Sunni Muslims believed leadership of the ummah
should be granted to chosen caliphs (stewards)
Shia Muslims felt leadership should be kept
to the blood relatives of Muhammad