1. Chapter 6 The World of Islam (600-1500)

2. Section 1: The Rise of Islam  The Arabs arose in the Arabian Peninsula of southwestern Asia in the seventh century.  The Arabian Peninsula is mostly desert.  The Arabs were a nomadic people.  They organized into tribes ruled by a sheikh.

3. Section 1 (continued)  They were farmers and sheepherders who lived on the oases and in the rain- fed areas on the peninsula.  The domestication of the camel (in the first millennium B.C.) enabled them to populate more of the desert

4. Section 1 (continued)  Most Arabs were polytheistic (the belief of many gods) & recognized Allah as a supreme god.  The Arabs trace their ancestors to Abraham and his son Ishmael, who were believed to have built a house of worship called the Kaaba at Makkah (Mecca).  A holy stone, called the Black Stone, is the cornerstone of the Kaaba.

5. Section 1 (continued)  The location of Makkah along a popular trade route increased the region’s importance.

6. Section 1 (continued)  Muhammad was born into a merchant family, orphaned at five, grew up to become a caravan manager, and married a rich widow named Khadija.  He became troubles by the growing gap b/w generosity of most Makkans and the greediness of the wealthy elite,  He began to visit the hills to meditate.  According to Muslim teachings, Muhammad is believed to have received revelations from God during meditation.

7. Section 1 (continued)  Muhammad believed these revelations were the culmination of previous messages brought by Moses and Jesus.  These revelations were written down in the Quran (the holy book of Islam).  Islam means “peace through submission to the will of Allah.”

8. Section 1 (continued)  Followers of Islam are called Muslims.  Islam has one God, Allah, and Muhammad is God’s prophet.  Muhammad preached in Makkah but was disappointed by the response.  He and his followers moved to Madinah (Medina) in 622 (the first year of the Islamic calendar).

9. Section 1 (continued)  Muhammad began to win support from people in Madinah, as well as from Arabs in the desert, known as bedouin.  Muhammad became both a political and religious leader.  He put together a military force.

10. Section 1 (continued)  In 630, he returned to Makkah; the city surrendered and most of the people converted to Islam.  The Kaaba was declared a holy place of Islam.  In 632, Muhammad died.

11. Section 1 (continued)  The Five Pillars of Islam are:  1. believe in one God whose prophet is Muhammad (belief)  2. pray five times a day (prayer)  3. give to the poor (charity)  4. Refrain from food & drink from dawn to sunset during Ramadan (ninth month of the calendar) (fasting)  5. make the pilgrimage (go to) to Makkah (pilgrimage)

12. Section 1 (continued)  Muslim scholars developed a law code known as the shari’ah which applied the teachings of the Quran to daily life.  It regulates all aspects of Muslim life.

13. Section 2: The Arab Empire and Its Successors  Shortly after Muhammad’s death, some of his closest followers chose Abu Bakr (Muhammad’s father-in-law) to be their leader.  In 632 Abu Bakr was named caliph (successor) to Muhammad.

14. Section 2 (continued)  Under his leadership, the Islamic world began to grow  He overcome military efforts by the early Makkans to defeat his movement  The Quran permitted jihad, or “struggle in the way of God”.  The Muslims expanded their territory into parts of the Byzantine Empire, north Africa, and the Persian Empire.

15. Section 2 (continued)  When Abu Bakr died, he had no clear successor.  In 656, Ali (Muhammad’s son-in-law) was chosen to be caliph, but he was assassinated.  Conquered Christians and Jews (called “People of the Book” by Muslims) were able to practice their religion but those who would not convert to Islam were required to pay a special tax.

16. The Umayyads  In 661, Mu’awiyah became caliph.  He established the Umayyad dynasty by making the office of caliph, called the caliphate, hereditary.  He moved the capital from Madinah to Damascus in Syria.

17. Section 2 (continued)  The Arabs conquered the Berbers, rural people living in the Mediterranean coast of North Africa and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to occupy Spain.  In 732, Arab forces were defeated at the Battle of Tours in Gaul (France) thus halting Arab expansion into Europe.

18. Section 2 (continued)  In 680, a revolt in present-day Iraq led by Hussein (2 nd son of Ali)-son in-law of Muhammad) failed.  This struggle led to a split in Islam:  The Shia Muslims accepted only the descendants of Ali as the true rulers of Islam.  The Sunni Muslims accepted the Umayyads as rulers.

19. The Abbasid Dynasty  Abu al-Abbas (a descendant of Muhammad’s uncle) overthrew the Umayyad dynasty in 750 and set up the Abbasid dynasty.  The Abbasids built a new capital at Baghdad (Iraq).  Eventually, rulers in the provinces began to establish their own dynasties.

20. Suljuk Turk and the Crusades  In 1055, the Seljuk Turks from central Asia captured Baghdad and took command of the empire.  Their leader was known as the sultan (“holder of power”).

21. Section 2 (continued)  In 1071, the Byzantines lost control of the Anatolian Peninsula to the Turks.  The Byzantine emperor Alexius I asked the Christian countries of Europe for help.

22. Section 2 (continued)  A series of Crusades by European Christians against the Muslims began in 1096.  At first, the Christians won many battles.  In 1187,however, Saladin (a new Muslim ruler) invaded the kingdom of Jerusalem and defeated the Christian forces there.

23. The Mongols  The Mongols swept out of the Gobi desert region in the early 13 th century to control much of the known world.  Beginning with leader Genghis Khan, the Mongols conquered most of Asia from China to the Red Sea.

24. Section 2 (continued)  The Mongols destroyed Baghdad in 1258.  Schools, libraries, mosques (Muslim houses of worship), and palaces were burned to the ground.  Eventually some Mongol rulers converted to Islam, and the Mongol empire split into separate kingdoms.

25. Section 2 (continued)  The new center of Islamic civilization became Cairo, in Egypt.

26. Section 3: Islamic Civilization  Trade flourished in the Arab Empire.  The bazaar, or covered market, was an important part of every Muslim city.  Most people still lived in the country, making their living by farming or herding animals.  Muslims were not slaves, slaves were taken from Africa and other parts of Asia.

27. Section 3 (continued)  A Muslim man could have up to four wives.  Muslim men were required to pay a dowry (a gift of money or property) for their brides.

28. Section 3 (continued)  The practice of having women cover virtually all parts of their bodies when appearing in public is still followed today in some parts of the Muslim world.

29. Section 4: The Culture of Islam  Works of Greek philosophy (including Plato and Aristotle) were translated into Arabic and housed in a library called the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.  Greek and Roman works that had been translated into Arabic were in turn translated into Latin in the 12 th century making them available to the West.

30. Section 4 (continued)  Texts on mathematics were brought to Baghdad from India.  The numerical system of India became known in Europe as the “Arabic system.”  The Arabs developed the system of algebra which is still used today.

31. Section 4 (continued)  Transmission of such works was aided by the process of paper-making which was introduced from China in the 700s.  The Arabs perfected the astrolabe which helps sailors determine latitude.

32. Section 4 (continued)  Ibn Sina (Avicenna) wrote a medical textbook that was translated into Latin and used in Europe.  Avicenna stressed the contagious nature of certain diseases.

33. Section 4 (continued)  The most famous work of Arab literature is The 1001 Nights (The Arabian Nights) which includes the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp.

34. Section 4 (continued)  The best expression of Islamic arts (a blend of Arab, Turkish, and Persian traditions) is found in the Muslim mosques.  Mosques feature a minaret (tower) from which a muezzin (crier) calls the faithful to prayer five times a day.

35. Section 4 (continued)  The finest ex. of an Islamic palace is the Alhambra in Granada, Spain; every inch of the castle’s surface is decorated in floral and abstract patterns.  Islamic art consists of Arabic letter, plants, and abstract figures; these decorations are repeated in geometric patterns called arabesques.

37. Section 4 (continued)  Muhammad had warned against any attempt to imitate God by creating pictures of living beings.  As a result no such figures (including Muhammad) appear in Islamic religious art.