Transcript slides

c. 570 Muhammad born at Mecca
610 First revelation to Muhammad
622 Muslim emigration to Medina
630 Muslim conquest of Mecca
632 Death of Muhammad. Arabia mostly
Muslim at this point
haram
Ka‘ba
Qur’an 96: 1-5:
1. Read in the name of thy Lord who created,
2. Created man from a blood-clot.
3. Read, for thy Lord is the Most Generous,
4. Who taught by the pen,
5. Taught man that which he knew not.
The Rashidun (rightly-guided caliphs)
632-634
634-644
644-656
656-661
Abu Bakr
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan
‘Ali ibn Abi Talib
khalifa = caliph = “successor”
The Umayyads
Reign as caliphs, 661-750
Opposed by (among others), shi‘at ‘Ali (the
party of ‘Ali, Shi‘ites)
Reign sees Muslim world expand greatly,
various administrative structures
established and cultural and intellectual
advances made
The ‘Abbasids
Overthrow Umayyads in 750
One Umayyad, ‘Abd al-Rahman,
escapes to Spain, sets up dynasty
there
Baghdad, the ‘Abbasid capital, becomes
a flourishing cultural and intellectual
centre in the 8th and 9th centuries
The ‘Abbasids
c. 750-1000 Classical works passing
from Muslim world into Europe
786-809 Reign of Harun al-Rashid
813-833 Reign of al-Ma’mun
al-jabr  algebra
al-Khwarizmi  algorithm
9th century sees gradual fragmentation of
Muslim world due to:
1. Domination of caliphs by troops
2. Growing independence of regional
governors
3. Lost tax revenues preventing
caliphs from paying troops
Establishment of independent dynasties
including Shi‘ite Fatimids
Topics in the Qur’an
The nature of God
Stories of the prophets
Laws and social teaching
Day of Judgment
The “Pillars” of Islam
Shahada (testimony)
la ilaha illa Allah
(There is no god except God)
Muhammadun rasul Allah
(Muhammad is the messenger of God)
The “Pillars” of Islam
Shahada (testimony)
Salat (ritual prayer)
Zakat (alms tax)
Sawm (fasting)
Hajj (pilgrimage)
Other topics:
•
jihad
•
non-Muslims under Muslim rule