Transcript Islamic Civilization 2 - MrPawlowskisWorldHistoryClass

Mr. Pawlowski
World History
2010 - 2011
Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula

 Bodies of Water:
 Red Sea
 Gulf of Aqaba
 Persian Gulf
 Arabian Sea
 Geography:
 Arabian Desert:
 natural resources
 groundwater
 Mountains:
 Mount Al-Nabi Shu'ayb (SW)
 Mount Al-Lawz (NW)
 Mount Al-Sham (SE)
 Arabian Subcontinent
 Nomadic Arabs
Bedouins

 organized into clans/tribes

leader – sheikh
 ‘camel-breeders’

Semitic Speakers
 Sedentary tribes organized villages
around oases
 focus: trade & animal herding
 Religion:
 Polytheistic Tribes (Shirk)

Supreme God – Allah
 Symbolized by a sacred stone

Ka’aba – houses the sacred ‘black stone’
 location – Makkah (Mecca)
 Monotheistic Tribes (Hanif)

follow the laws of Abraham
 pre- Judaism & Christianity
 Jewish Tribes
 Christian Tribes
Trade

 Arabian Peninsula:
 crossroads of trade
 Africa, Asia, Arabia, Europe
 Major Cities:
 Makkah (Mecca)
 Merchants & pilgrims
 Yathrib (Medina)
 Ta’if
 Camel Domestication:
 enabled traffic to cross the deserts
 ‘caravans’
 Caravan traffic increased wealth of
merchants
 life of poor decreased
Muhammad (570 – 632 CE)

 Birth:
 Orphaned as a child
 raised by merchant Uncle & Grandfather
 Location: Mecca
 Marriage (25 years old):
 Khadijah - wealthy businesswoman
 Revelation (40 years old):
 meditates in the Jabal al-Nur mountain
 troubled by the richness/corruption of merchants & townspeople
 Archangel Gabriel reveals the word of God to Muhammad
 last revelation: Abraham, Moses, Jesus
 Religion:
 teaches/preaches that there is only God and other gods must be abandoned
 Khadijah and close relatives/friends are the first followers
 Islam:
 ‘submission to will of God (Allah)’
 Muslim:
 ‘one who has submitted’
Muhammad (570 – 632 CE)

 Hijrah – 622 CE:
 Migration from Mecca to Yathrib
 Muslims were met with hostility in Mecca
 Yathrib: renamed Medina
 ‘city of the Prophet’
 Political Leader:
 established a federation of Arabs, Jews and Muslims
 Religious Leader:
 continues to draw in converts
 Bedouin Tribes
 umma – Muslim community
 Military Leader:
 successful raids on caravans from Mecca
 Battle of Badr
 630 CE: Conquers Mecca
 destroys idols within the Ka’aba
 632 CE:
 Death of Prophet Muhammad - 62 years old
Islamic Beliefs & Practices

 Five Pillars
 Faith (Shahada):
 There is no God but Allah
 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
 Prayer (Salaat):
 Five times daily facing Mecca
 Dawn, Noon, Mid-Afternoon, Sunset & Evening
 Alms (Zakat):
 Responsibility to support the less fortunate
 2.5% of income or good deed/behavior toward others
 Fasting (Sawm):
 Sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan
 celebrates the recording of the Qur’an
 Pilgrimage (Hajj):
 Journey to Mecca during the holy month of Dhu al-Hijjah
 Once per lifetime if physically and financially capable
Hajj

Islamic Beliefs & Practices
 Hadith:
 Monotheistic:
 Allah
 Holy Text:
 Qur’an
 Ka’aba:
 most sacred site in Islam
 Mosque:
 house of worship
 ‘place for prostration’
 Minaret:
 Spires with onion shaped or
conical crowns
 focal point & call for prayer
 Muezzin:
 leads the call to prayer
 accounts of
statements/actions of
Muhammad
 different versions for each
branch
 Shari’a:
 Sacred law of Islam
 divine revelations of the
Qur’an
 Muhammad’s example
 Sunnah:
 sayings/living habit of
Muhammad
 Ulama:
 Muslim legal scholars
Judaism & Christianity

 Muslims trace their origins to Abraham
 accept Moses and Jesus as prophets
 Muhammad is the final prophet
 ‘People of the Book’
 Religious tolerance towards Christians & Jews
 Shari’a Law
Islam – Holy Cities
Mecca
Medina
Spread of Islam

Spread of Islam

 Islam spread rapidly via trade & conquest
 overcame geographic obstacles
 deserts & mountains
 Byzantine & Persian Empires could not
contain the spread
 prisoners of war were enslaved
 Arabic spread with Islam and facilitated trade
 Unity was difficult to maintain after the death
of Muhammad
 Muslim community elect a caliph as leader
 caliph - successor
Umayyad Empire

Sunni – Shi’a Split

 Revolt of Hussein – 680 CE:
 Grandson of Muhammad revolts
against the Umayyad Dynasty
 attempted to reinstate the ‘true’ Islamic
authority
 Shi’a:
 believe the Caliph must be a direct
descendent of Muhammad through his
son-in-law Ali and grandson
 Sunni:
 do not believe the Caliph must be a
descendent of Muhammad
 Sufi:
 attempt to achieve personal contact
with God
 focus on the Qur’an, traditions of
Muhammad, meditation, chanting
Trade

 Islamic traders spread ideas/products & knowledge
 Africa, Asia, Middle East & Europe
 Exchange of Goods:







Sub Saharan Africa: Gold and Slaves
China: Silk and Porcelain
E. Africa: Gold and Ivory
SE Asia and India: Sandalwood and Spices
Egypt: Grain
Iraq: Linen, Dates, and Precious Stones
W. India: Textiles
 Islam spreads to Africa
 Ghana – 830 – 1235 CE
 Mali – 1240 – 1600 CE
 Songhai – 1340 – 1591 CE
 ‘Sahelian Kingdoms’
 Cities:
Economy

 trade led wealthy centers of culture
 public baths, public buildings, fountains,
courtyards, libraries, museums, etc.
 ex: Cordoba, Marrakesh, Baghdad, Cairo
 Bazaar:
 covered marketplace for the exchange/sale of
goods & services
 high standards of business and sanitation
 Agriculture:
 trade introduced new techniques and crops
(‘Arab Agricultural Revolution’)
 peasant & slave labor
 Development of banking facilitates trade
 Influences European banking systems during the
Renaissance
 Abbasid dinar & sakks
 Four Social Classes:
Society

 Muslims at birth
 Muslim converts
 ‘protected people’
 Christians, Jews & Zoroastrians
 slaves
 non-Muslims prisoners of war
 military/domestic service
 Role of Women:
 Men managed the affairs of women
 male guardians, pre-arranged marriage
 Men could have up to four wives if he could afford the dowry
 Women's rights:
 could earn a living, own/inherit property, divorce
 Qur’an grants women spiritual equality
Hijab

Hijab
Chador
 Burqa
 Covering varies from country to country
Mathematics & Astronomy
Mathematics
 Muhammad al-Khwarizmi
(780 – 850 CE):
 The Compendious Book on
Calculation by Completion and
Balancing:
 foundation text of modern
algebra
 ‘al-jabr’
 Arabic Numerals:
 adopted the numerical
system and concept of zero
from Indian mathematicians
 spread by Arabs to Europe

Astronomy
 Interest:
 mark religious periods:
 Ramadan
 Hajj
 prayer towards Mecca
 Observations:
 estimated size and distance of
celestial bodies
 improved tables of the orbits of
the sun and moon
 improved the astrolabe
 revolutionized ideas of optics
 aided the development of
trigonometry and cartography