Transcript Slide 1
Islam • Mohamed – Born in Mecca between 570 and 580 – Belonged to the tribe of Kuraish – Orphaned at nine or ten – Raised by an uncle – Little formal education – Participated in the caravan trade – Contact with Christians and Jews Mohammed • Age of 24 employed as commercial manager by a wealthy widow – Khadija • Became her third husband – Happy marriage – Fatima Mohammed • During his marriage to Khadija he began his life as a religious reformer • Felt that the traditional polytheism of the Arabs was wrong • Only one God – Allah – creator of all things in whose sight one had to live righteously to win salvation on the day of judgement Mohammed • Insisted that Allah was the God of the Jews and Christians – the God of the Prophets – Moses – Abraham – Noah – Jesus • Miraculously born of the Virgin Mary but was not truly divine – Inspiration was essentially Hebraic Mohammed • When Mohamed was over 40 and he had spent a good deal of time in prayer and fasting he received visions – Prophetic mission – Angel Gabriel – Initially little success in preaching – Khadija and Ali embraced the new faith – Most relatives including his uncle remained unconvinced Mohammed • New Converts – Abu Bakr – Omar • • • • Majority of the Kuraish ridiculed him Kadijah died in 619 Uncle died soon thereafter Yathrib – Colony of Jews Mohammed • 622 left Mecca for Yathrib Hegiral or Emigration – Marks the definite organization of the new religion • Yathrib renamed Medina – Madinat-an-Nabi – the City of the Prophet Mohammed • Islam – There is no God but Allah – Ceremonial ablution with water or sand – Ritual prayer five times a day – Service in the Mosque – Pilgrimage to Mecca once in one’s lifetime – Alms giving – Fasting sunrise to sunset during Ramadan Islam • Polygamy and Slavery retained • After Khadija’s death Mohammed took many wives – Alliances for the sake of political advantage • Marriage customs greatly improved • Sexual promiscuity punished – Mohammed the exception --9 year old wife • Blood feud replaced by compensation • Taboo on food and drink Islam • Quran (Recitation) – Collection of Mohammed’s sayings • Many written down earlier either by Mohammed or others • 114 parts • Fragmented – Early revelations superior as literature – Latter revelations instructive as law • Great poet Quran • This is the opening prayer (ch. i): Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Beneficent and merciful, King of the day of judgment! Thee do we serve, and of Thee do we beg aid. Guide us in the right way The way of them who are pleasing in Thy sight, Not of them who bear Thy wrath; not of them who go astray Quran • Other chapters are strongly reminiscent of the Psalms, but with touches peculiar to Arabia; for example (ch. lxxxvii): Praise the name of thy Lord, the Most High, Who created and designed all things, Who preordained them and directs them; Who makes the grass to grow in the pastures, And then burns it brown like straw. . . . Happy is he who, during his growth, Remembers the name of his Lord in prayer. But ye prefer the life of this world, Though that to come is better, and is everlasting. For this, verily, was in the books of old, The books of Abraham and Moses. Quran By the hours of the morning, And by those of the still night Thy Lord has not forsaken thee, nor yet does hate thee. Verily the future shall be kinder to thee than is the present; The Lord will give thee wherewith thou shalt be pleased. Did he not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter? Did he not find thee wandering and give thee guidance? Did he not find thee needy and give thee riches? Therefore oppress not the orphan, Nor drive the beggar away, But proclaim the goodness of the Lord. (ch. xciii) Quran By the winds one after another sent By the storm-winds that rage, By those that bring new life to the verdure of earth, By those that serve for winnowing, By those that come as a reminder, Whether to approve or warn Verily that will befall which has been promised. When, therefore, the stars are extinguished, When the sky is rent asunder, When the mountains are brushed away, When for the messengers their time has been fulfilled. What is the day for which is this fulfilment? The Day of Reckoning! Islam • Mohammed died in 632 – Calamity to his converts – How to perpetuate the organiztion – Mohammed survived by only one child, Fatima, daughter of Kadijah • Fatima married to Ali Islam • 2 great difficulties – Enduring method of regulating the succession of Mohammed – Military strength – Abu Bakr selected as Caliph (successor of the prophet) – Omar 634-644 – Othman 644-656 Abu Bakr • Abu Bakr proccupied with crushing the revolts of Arab tribes who felt that Mohammed’s death had dissolved the political control of Islam Omar – regulated the army’s claims – Increased the state’s land holdings – Increased the state treasury – Bedouin tribesmen used as military – assasinated Omar • Death of Omar marked the first great period of Islamic expansion – Migration of Arabs into conquered territories • ½ million throughout the fertile crescent and Egypt – Islamic conquests were lasting because they involved: • Conversion to Islam • Bodily settlement of a new ruling class Othman • Ummayad Family – Kind, pious person – Could not say to to any members of his family – murdered Ali • Mohammed’s son in law • Precipitated civil war with Muawija, the governor of Syria – Member of the Ummayad family – Ali murdered Muawija • Restored the stabiloity of the Moslem Empire • Ummayads retained the caliphate for almost 100 years – Shi’ites – dissident branch of Moslems centered in Persia looked to the descendants of Ali as rightful rulers Ummayads • Revived expansionist drive – Extended control • • • • Into central Asia Western India Along the coastlans of N. Africa To Spain – Failed to capture Constantinople 717 – Defeated at Tours 732 – Capital moved to Damascus Ummayads • Vast building program – Encouraged • Artists • Artisans • Scholars – Became great city builders – Overthrown in 750 by the Abbasid Family Abbassid • Capital moved to Baghdad • Next 2 centuries witnessed a tremendous intellectual boom • Two rival caliphates – Abbasid Baghdad – Ummayad Cordoba Abbasid • Harun al-Rashid (786-809) – Oriental seclusion – Pomp and ritual – Abolished the distinction between Arab and non-Arab Moslems – Agriculture flourished – Learned papermaking from the Chinese – Controlled trade routes between Africa, Asia and Europe Abbasid • Baghdad founded by Caliph Mansur – Tigris and Euphrates – Concentricd streets – Golden Gate Palace – Palace Mosque – Palace of Eternity Harun al-Rashid • Mamun (813-833) – Encouraged translation of Greek manuscripts into Arabic – Founded an astronomical observatory – Supported medical research – Patronized philosophers • Al-Kindi – 10th & 11th century empire broke apart Decline of the Ummayads • Spain – Extended to the Pyrenees – Great Moslem cities – Broke away around 755 Decline of the Ummayads • Morocco broke away in 788 • • • • Idrisid Almoravid Almohad Merinid – Marrakesh – Fez • 700 Mosques • Islamic Colleges – Missionaries to Sub-Sahara Africa Decline of the Ummayads • Egypt – Asserted independence in 910 – Fatimid Dynasty – Cairo new capitol in 969 • University Mosque of el-Azhar – Fatimid dynasty overthrown 1171 by Saladin of the Ayyubid dynasty – Saladin reconquered Jerusalem Decline of the Ummayads • Problems in the East – Invaders • Seljuk Turks • Mongols • Tarters Moslem Spain • 711 invaded from North Africa • Stayed nearly 800 years – Longer than any other conqueror • Occupation is divided into three periods – 711-1031 • Conquest and consolidation of power under the caliphate of Cordoba – 1031-1276 • Recapture of most of the peninsula by the Christian kingdoms – 1279-1492 • Moslems confined to Granada Spain • Iberian peninsula governed – initially by the Caliph from Damascus – After 750 from Baghdad • 755 Emir of Cordoba declared independence – Toleration of Christians and Jews Spain • Reconquest – St. James (Santiago) • Campus stella • Santiago de campostella • El camino de Santiago Moslem Spain • Prosperity – – – – – – – – – Irrigation Seed selection Fertilization Stock breeding Rice Sugar Skilled in metallurgy Improved mining methods Promoted industry Moslem Spain • Cities – Cordoba • • • • – – – – – 500,000 inhabitants 200,000 houses 600 mosques 900 public baths Seville Granada Toledo Murcia Saragossa Moslem Spain • Intellectual ardor – Schools – Preserved Greco Roman Culture – Intellectually cooperative with Christian and Jewish scholars – Introduced paper to Spain – Libraries • Cordoba – 600,000 volumes • Andalusia – 50 public libraries