Transcript Abbasid Decline and Spread of Islam

ISLAM
ABBASID DECLINE AND THE
SPREAD OF ISLAM IN THE INDIAN
OCEAN
ABBASID DYNASTY
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Abu al-Abbas
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The Abbasid dynasty (750-1258 C.E.)
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Showed no special favor to Arab military aristocracy
Empire still growing, but not initiated by the central government
Abbasid administration
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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
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 (786-809 C.E.)
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Represented the high point of the dynasty
Baghdad became metropolis, center for commerce, industry, and culture
• Problems
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Increasing luxury of the caliphs and isolation from their courts
Constant infighting between caliphal sons and bureaucrats
Increased dependency on court favorites
ABBASID DECLINE
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Imperial Extravagances
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Succession Disputes
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Sons of caliphs battled for influence while caliph alive
Often sons revolted against fathers
Brothers fought each other after father died
Army and Turkish bodyguards became influence on succession
Imperial Breakdown and Agrarian Disorder
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The older the dynasty became the more they lived in luxury
Constant drinking often left caliphs and courtiers unable to rule
1001 Arabian Nights shows the style of life at the court
Heavy expenses for caliphal palaces and courts bankrupted state
Mercenary troops extorted money from peasants ruining agriculture
Spiraling taxation feel increasingly on poor and lower middle classes
The Declining Position of Women in the Family and Society
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Harem and veil became symbols of decline of women’s influence
Wealthy wives isolated in harem – required to fully veil in public
Rise of slavery within state and use of slave eunuchs in harem
HARUN AL RASHID
& BAGHDAD
BREAKAWAY
PROVINCES
• The Seljuk Turks
– The Sultanate
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Converted to Sunni Islam while in Central Asia
1037: group migrated into Iran, set up a sultanate
1055: captured Baghdad and later Jerusalem
1071: defeated Byzantines at Manzikert and occupied Anatolia
– Sultans and Mameluks
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Left Abbasid caliphs as figurehead
Sultans were military commanders and governors of provinces
Mameluks were slave soldiers – Turkish slaves formed military aristocracy
Large numbers settled Anatolia producing a flowering of Turkish culture
• Regional Splinter Dynasties Arose
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Sultans often formed dynasties of their own
Whole provinces fell to their dynastic rule
Their families really ran government in caliphate
Caliphs became puppet rulers of Turkish soldiers
• Sultanates of Delhi
• Sultanate and later Caliphate of Egypt
• Sultanate of Iconium or Rum
THE CRUSADES
• Religiously sanctioned wars
– Muslim Jihad has its Christian counterpart
• Early Islam sanctioned Holy Wars, initially Christianity did not
• Muslim conquest of largely Christian lands changed tradition
– Christian Reconquista in Iberia
• Christian knights sanctioned by Church fought Muslims
• Warfare in Iberia, Sicily, Sardinia, Crete preceded 11th century
• “The Crusades”
– A Changed Situation in Southwest Asia
• Turkish conquests changed situation
– They conquered Holy Land
– Arabs had permitted pilgrimage, Turks curtailed it
• The Byzantine Empire
– Byzantines in Schism with West asked Pope for help
– Pope saw chance to reunite churches and end schism
• Church calls for crusades, offers indulgences
– More than nine crusaders
• Initial one conquered Holy Land and set up crusader states
• Next crusades all called to defend conquests
– Opened up West to Islamic contacts but had not impact on Islam
AN AGE OF
ARTISTIC
REFINEMENTS
• Political decline did not mean cultural decline
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Expansion of the professional, artistic classes
Ethnic trade communities thrived
Cities thrived and prospered
Expansion of trade and long-distance trade
• The Full Flowering of Persian Literature
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Persians became court favorites, advisors, teachers
Caliphs and elite Arabs often married Persian wives
Persian became the favored language of the elite
Persian literature flowered during this time period
Persian influence led to a blossoming of secularized literature
• Achievements of the Sciences
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Explosion of achievements in math, sciences, medicine
Heavy borrowing from India especially of numbering system
Rise of astronomy as a science
Rise of modern medicine
RELIGIOUS
TRENDS
• Rise of Religious Mysticism
– Rise of Sufi mysticism infused new life into Islam
– Arose through contacts with India
• Attempt to Fuse Greek Learning and Islam
– Contacts with Byzantines, West increased Greek influence
– Influence of Greeks especially Aristotle at all time high
– Scholars attempted to blend Greek learning with Islam
• Rise of a Religious Scholar Class
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Rise of the Ulama or orthodox religious scholars
Very suspicious of foreign ideas especially Greek learning
Worried that the questioning attitude of Greeks was anti-Quranic
Eventually put an end to the borrowing of foreign ideas
• Sufi Missionaries Spread Islam
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Reaction against the impersonal, abstract idea of God from the Ulama
Sought to move beyond everyday life to fusion with the living God
Many Sufis were intellectuals or led rebellions against corrupt leaders
Built up a sizeable following which threatened traditional Islam
END OF THE
ABBASID
CALIPHATE
• Breakaway dynasties weakened empire
– Rival successor states in North Africa, Egypt, Spain
– Rival states in Central Asia and India
– Regional commanders hardly listened to caliph
• Turks weakened the State
– Turks established breakaway states
– Their slave soldiers often held the power
– Caliphs isolated
• Crusades had negligible influence
• Arrival of Mongols destroyed the State
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Mongols smashed Turkish and Persian sultans, dynasties
Pushed into Caliphate
Last caliph used assassins to try and kill leader
Mongols responded by devastating countryside
Sacked Baghdad and destroyed centuries of learning
Only Mameluks of Egypt resisted and stopped Mongols
ISLAM ENTERS INDIA
• Islam Arrives
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Arab merchants had been trading in India for centuries
Merchants often married local women and raised Muslim families
Malabar Coast (pepper, cloth) were favorite destination
First mosque built in India around 629 CE
• Introduction of Islam to northern India
– The Sind were conquered by Arab Muslims in 711
– Incorporated into the Umayyad Caliphate
– Local Hindu states held off Muslim advance into India
• 10th Century saw influx of Turks and Islam
– Most Turks convert to Islam and filter into region
– Mahmud of Ghazni 11th century
• Turkish leader in Afghanistan, established a Muslim state
• Conducted eleven expeditions to northern India
– Muhammad of Ghor 12th century
• Successfully invaded Indus-Ganges plain
• Successfully laid foundation for the Sultate of Delhi
• al-Buruni, 972 – 1048
– Persian Muslim scholar from Central Asia
– Writings on India made Muslims aware of India
– Muslims gradually declared Hindus to be Dhimmi
SULTANATE OF DELHI
• The Sultanate of Delhi
– Existed 1206-1526 C.E.
– Numerous Turkish, Afghan Dynasties
• Its Creation
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Mahmud's successors conquered north India, 1206
Called a Mameluk Sultanate as Turkish slaves formed aristocracy
Established an Islamic state known as the sultanate of Delhi
Nominally under Caliph’s authority but realistically independent
Sultans' authority did not extend far beyond the capital at Delhi
Generally tolerated non-Muslims as dhimmi if paid the head (jizya) tax
• Economics
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Introduced Monetary System at the province and district level
Built market centers in provinces to facilitate trade
Taxation on agriculture important
Introduced new crops and dug wells to increase production
• Decline
– Mongols and later Timur the Lame invaded, weakened
– Fell to Mughals in 1520s
SULTANATE
OF DELHI:
MUSLIMS
IN INDIA
DEVELOPMENT OF HINDUISM
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Religious geography in India
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Hinduism predominated in southern India (Deccan)
Islam in the north (Ganges-Indus River Plain)
Buddhism in Ceylon, foothills of the Eastern Himalayas
Tribal religions in the hills of Eastern India
Caste helped to integrate immigrants into Indian society
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Caste and social change: guilds and subcastes (jatis)
Expansion of caste system, especially to southern India, Southeast Asia
Vishnu and Shiva (Brahma)
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Decline of Buddhism benefited Hinduism
Development of Trimurti
Devotional cults
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Shankara
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Achieve mystic union with gods as way of salvation
Most popular were devotion to Vishnu and Shiva
Philosopher (ninth century)
Preferred disciplined logical reasoning
Ramanuja
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Philosopher (eleventh and twelfth centuries)
Devotion more important than understand reality
RELIGION IN SOUTH ASIA
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Conversion to Islam occurred in slow, gradual way
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Sufis
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Some converted for improving their lower social statuses
Often an entire caste or subcaste adopted Islam en masse
Many Buddhists converted to Islam
By 1500, about 25 million Indian Muslims (1/4 of population)
Most converts centered in Indus Valley, Northwest India
Most effective missionaries, devotional approach to Islam
Followers observed old rituals, venerate old spirits
Emphasized piety and devotion
The bhakti movement
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No distinction between Hinduism, Islam
Taught universal love, devotion
• Guru Kabir (1440-1518)
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Important bhakti teacher
Shiva, Vishnu, Allah were one deity
Gave rise to Sikhism
EARLY SOUTHEAST ASIA
• Indian influence in southeast Asia
– Indian merchants brought their faiths to southeast Asia
– Hinduism and Buddhism established first
– Islam began to arrive with merchants, Sufis after 1000 CE
• Ruling elites of southeast Asia
– Adapted some Indian political traditions
• Ruling patterns – the Devaraja state
• Brahmins, Kshatriyas as bureaucrats
– The states sponsored Hinduism and later Buddhism
– Showed no interest in Indian caste system
• Funan (first to sixth century C.E.)
– In lower Mekong River (Cambodia/Vietnam)
• Semi-feudal government
• Much local autonomy
– Drew enormous wealth by controlling trade
• Adopted mercantilism as state philosophy
• Established commercial monopolies
– Adopted Sanskrit as official language
– Decline of Funan in sixth century
TRADE,
DEVELOPMENT
IN SOUTHERN INDIA
• Internal trade
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Self-sufficient in staple food
Agriculture formed basis of strong economy
Cash crops of cotton, spices, medicinal crops
Rare metals, finished products, cottons, textiles
South India, Ceylon experienced economic growth
• Temples and society in south India
– Hindu temples served as economic, social centers
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Possessed large tracts of land
Hundreds of employees
Temple administrators maintain order, deliver taxes
Served as banks; engaged in business ventures
– Strong commercial jatis of vasiaya, shudra castes
• Wealthy entrepreneurs who support temples
• Many had great influence in running Hindu states
TRADE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN
• Ships Involved in Trade
– Dwows – Arabic in origin
– Junks – Chinese in origin
• Indian port cities
– Called emporia
– Were clearinghouses of trade, cosmopolitan centers
• Indians, Arabs, Chinese divided region into zones
– One ethnic group controlled trade in each region
– Exchanged goods at emporia, entrepot cities for other regional goods
• Trade goods
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Silk and porcelain from China
Spices from southeast Asia
Pepper, gems, pearls, and cotton from India
Incense and horses from Arabia and southwest Asia
Gold, ivory, and slaves from east Africa
Rice, wood were only staple goods traded
• Specialized production
– Production of high-quality cotton textiles thrived
– Sugar, leather, stone, carpets, iron and steel
INDIAN OCEAN TRADE
CLOTH
YARN
SILKS
INDIGO
PEPPER
GEMS
ANIMALS
DRUGS
COFFEE
SLAVES
IVORY
HORSES
SILKS
GOLD
STEEL
SILVER
LACQUER
SILK
PORCELAIN
SUGAR
LUXERIES
TEA
SPICES
TIMBER
RICE
MEDICINES
POST-CLASSICAL
S.E. ASIA
• Srivijaya (670-1025 C.E.)
– Established on Sumatra after the fall of Funan
– Maintained sea trade between China, India by navy
– Relied heavily on taxation, regulation of trade
• Khmer Empire (889-1431 C.E.)
– Kingdom built by Khmers (Cambodians)
• Capitals Angkor Thom (Buddhism), Angkor Wat (Hinduism)
• Cities were microcosmic reflections of world order
• Famous for architecture and water technologies
– Immense wealth built on agriculture, rice surpluses
– Centralized rule only near capital, feudal in farthest reaches
– Turned to Buddhism during the twelfth, thirteenth centuries
• Originally Mahayana Buddhist
• Later Theravada introduced from Sri Lanka
– Thais invaded the capital in 1431, and Khmers abandoned it
KHMER
EMPIRE
ARRIVAL OF ISLAM
• Muslim arrived in Sumatra
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Merchants came to trade for spices
Converted ruling elites in Aceh
Many benefits of working with merchants
Established strong contacts to India
• Conversion to Islam was slow
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Conversion restricted to cities
Rural residents retained their traditions
Islam was not an exclusive faith in southeast Asia
Sufis appealed to a large public in these countries
Strong syncretism and retention of Hinduism, animism elements
Insistence on strict Islam was ignored, resisted
• Melaka was first powerful Islamic state
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On Straits of Melacca
Replaced Srivijaya, Palembang as trade centers
Power based on controlling trade in 15th century
Destroyed, occupied by Portuguese