Transcript The Arabian Nights

The Arabian Nights
Brief History of Medieval Islam
2000 BCE: Semitic people migrate from
Mesopotamia to Arabian Peninsula
400-300 BCE: Records of Arabs trading
with the Greeks and later the Romans
610-620 AD: Muhammad founds Islam
after hearing the angel Gabriel
800 AD: Abbasid caliphs rule all of Western
Asia and much of the southern
Mediterranean from their city of Baghdad
(setting for The Arabian Nights stories)
1453 AD: Beginning of the Ottoman Empire
(date of earliest surviving manuscript of
The Arabian Nights)
Dome of the Rock,
First Masterpiece of Islamic Architecture,
Jerusalem, 692 AD
Major Islamic Beliefs 650-1500
Belief in one God, Allah
Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are
all holy men, prophets
Five Pillars of Wisdom
God is the one God; there are
no others
Pray directly to God five
times a day, facing toward the
holy place of Mecca (the
Salat)
Give charity to the needy
(Zakat, the poor’s dues)
Fast during Ramadan, the
holy month, from dawn to
sunset; celebrate during Eid,
when you must forgive other
people and especially
remember the poor
Perform the Haj once in your
lifetime
Other Major Beliefs
Islam means “submission in peace”
Its tenets are revealed in
Scriptures revealed before Muhammad's birth
The Koran (Qur’an)
The prophets are the messengers of God
Life on earth is short, but heaven and hell
are of infinite duration
Everything that happens on earth is
controlled or destined by God; all events
are part of his plan and man must submit
Islam’s Achievements
Extended rights to all individuals, even
women and children
Discouraged slavery
Made state responsible for the needs of all
its citizens
Encouraged the acquisition and
propagation of knowledge
Science
Medicine
Astronomy
Mathematics
Books became readily available through mass
production of paper: literacy rose
“For five centuries
after Muhammad,
the Muslims
dominated the
world both
culturally and
militarily as
completely as
Europe and
America have
done for the last
two hundred and
fifty years.”
--Sir John
Glubb, The Life
and Times of
Muhammad
The Arabian Nights
Compiled during the height of
the Abbasid Golden Age
(750-1258)
Ruled from Baghdad
Absolute monarchy
Highly centralized bureaucracy
Established the office of vizier as
chief officer of the bureaucracy
Stories come from Persia,
Arabia, India, and China
They reflect the Islamic World
from Spain, across North
Africa to Cairo, across the
Arabian peninsula, up to
Damascus and Baghdad,
north to Samarkand, across
Afghanistan, down to India,
and beyond
Harun al-Rashid
The fifth Abbasid Caliph,
some of whose exploits are
detailed in The Arabian
Nights
His vizier was Jafar, who
accompanies him in the
tales
Harun’s palace was the
most elaborate ever built
for a caliph and his forays
among his subjects to
check on their wellbeing
led to his becoming a
literary character after his
death
Themes and Ideas
in the Arabian Nights
Stories and Storytelling
Islam as a central belief system
Race, Class and Gender negotiations
Kings and their power
Forgiveness vs. Revenge
Destiny vs. Free Will
How does a person live a good life?
What is the nature of justice?