Transcript Rise and Spread of Islam - Mr. Bilbrey's Digital Classroom

Rise and Spread of Islam
I. Religious beginnings
• Muhammad (570-632)
– Early life: trader and
businessman, roots in
Bedouin culture
– Age of 40 – voice called to
him as he meditated
outside city of Mecca
• Voice of angel Gabriel, messenger of Allah
– Became convinced he was last of prophets and
Allah was the one and only god
II. Basic Beliefs & Practices
• Monotheistic - “Allah” is Arabic for “God”
• Five Pillars of Islam (duties all Muslims have to
perform)
– Faith – one must have faith in Allah and believe
Muhammad to be the one true prophet
– Prayer – pray towards the direction of Mecca five
times a day
• All mosques have a wall that indicates the direction of
Mecca
II. Continued…
– Alms – responsibility to support those less
fortunate
– Fasting – holy month of Ramadan, do not eat
between sunup and sunset
– Pilgrimage – if physically & financially able, all
Muslims perform the Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca
• Other beliefs/practices
– Qur’an (holy book) – Arabic version is only true
version
– Shari’a – system of law that regulates family life,
moral conduct, business, community life
– Hadiths – traditions of Muhammad
III. Muslim Empire
• After death of Muhammad, Muslim
community elected series of caliphs –
meaning “successor” or “deputy”
• First four caliphs called caliphate, most
successful leaders
– Abu-Bakr (first caliph) faced a number of people
abandoning Islam, refusing to pay taxes,
appearance of false prophets
• Called for jihad – can refer to inner struggle against evil
or armed struggle against unbelievers
• Justification for initial territorial expansion
IV. Imperial Expansion
• By 750, Muslim empire
stretched 6,000 miles
from Atlantic Ocean
to Indus River
• Why so successful, so quickly?
– Armies well disciplined, expert commanders
– Byzantine and Sassanid Empires to the north were already
weak from fighting each other
– People persecuted under other empires welcomed Muslim
invaders
• Many converted to Islam on their own
• Against Muslim beliefs to force someone to convert
• Christians and Jews: dhimmni – “people of the book”
– Had protected status in Muslim empire
V. Islam’s Split
• 661 – Ali, cousin and son-in-law of
Muhammad, last of elected caliphs, was
assassinated
• Powerful family called Umayyads took power
– Moved capital to Damascus
– Abandoned simple life of previous caliphs,
embraced wealth and luxury
• Most accepted Umayyads’ rule
– Became known as Sunnis – “followers of
Muhammad’s example”
V. Continued…
• Some claimed that caliphs had to be
descendant of Muhammad
– Became known as Shi’a – “party of Ali”
• Followers known as Shi’ites
• Third group called Sufi
– Rejected the luxurious life of Umayyads
– Pursued life of poverty and devotion to spiritual
path
Distribution map
VI. Continuous Expansion
• Umayyads overthrown in 750
• Another powerful family, the Abbasids seized control
– Moved capital to Baghdad in central Iraq
• Located on key trade routes, better communication
– Expanded trade from Mediterranean Sea to South
China Sea
• Merchant and landlord classes grew in both wealth and
social status
– By late era of Abbasid rule, plagued by political
divisions
• Shi’a revolts and assassination attempts
VII. Gender Roles
• Women had greater role in early days of Islam
– Muhammad’s wives helped write the Qur’an
• Muhammad denounced adultery
• Men could have up to four wives
– But only if man could support all equally
• Women had greater inheritance rights and the right
to divorce
• Muhammad’s daughters and wives helped compile
the Qur’an
• As empire expanded, women’s rights diminished
– Islamic law evolved over time and adapted other cultures’
beliefs
VIII. Medieval Muslim Culture
• Combination of many different cultures
(Arabic, Persian, Jewish, Christian) created a
culture that was unique and sophisticated for
its time
• Social classes based mostly on religion
– Upper class: Muslims by birth
– Second class: converts
– Third class: dhimmi – “protected people”, “people
of the book”
– Lowest class: slaves
VIII. Continued…
• Rise of cities
– Only China rivaled Muslim Empire in number of
large urban areas
– Baghdad, Damascus, Cordoba, Cairo – all populous
and centers of learning and trade
• Baghdad reached 1 million
• Intellectual contributions (see video notes)
– Muhammad stressed the need for learning in
original writings
– Led to Muslim Empire being most sophisticated in
world for its time
– Later helped jumpstart European Renaissance