Ch 6 Section 1

ISLAMThe ArabsAfter the domestication of the camel, the trade routes of the Arabs expanded. Communities prospered, but tension among the rich and poor increasedArabs were nomadic people who lived on the Arabian PeninsulaThey were farmers and herded animalsDesert dwellers known as bedouinFor survival, Arabic tribes organized to help one anotherEach tribe was ruled by sheikh

After the camel was domesticated, Arabs were able to expand the caravan trade into more of the desert

Most Arabs were polytheistic but believed in a supreme god called Allah

Makkah (Mecca) was an important city to the Arabs for religious and social purposes

The Life of MuhammadThe revelations of Muhammad led to the creation of the Islamic religionMuhammad was married to a rich widow named Khadija

Muhammad was disturbed by growing gap between the honesty of most Makkans and the greediness of the trading elites

While meditating in the hills, he received revelations from the angel GabrielHe was told to go forth and reciteThese messages were eventually written down in the holy book of Islam, the QuranStudied by those who practice Islam

The word Islam means peace through submission to the will of Allah. Those who practice the religion of Islam are called Muslims

Cave where Muhammad received messages from GabrielIn 622 Muhammad and his followers traveled from Makkah to YathribMuhammad and his followers were persecuted in MakkahThis journey is known as the HijrahCity was renamed MadinahCity of the ProphetThe people of Madinah and the bedouin became the first communities to convert to Islam

Muhammad and his army returned to Makkah and converted the people to IslamMakkah is the home of the KaabaBuilt on the site where Abraham and his son built a templeHouses a sacred black stone

Mecca in 1910

Mecca Present-day

The Teachings of MuhammadIslam, like Christianity and Judaism, is a monotheistic religion. Islam is also both a set of religious beliefs and a whole way of life

Islam is a monotheistic religion and offers the hope of an afterlife to all who follow the Five Pillars of Islam

Five Pillars of Islam:BeliefThere is no deity but the One God and Muhammad is his messenger.PrayerMuslims pray five times a dayCharityThey give part of their wealth to the poorFastingDuring Ramadan, Muslims fast from food and drink from dawn to sunset.PilgrimageBelievers make a pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lifetime

After Muhammads death, Muslim scholars compiled the HadithThe Hadith is a recollection of Muhammads sayings as well as stories of things he didFrom the Hadith the Shariah emerged to regulate the daily life of MuslimsBecame the Islamic law code

Creation of an Arab EmpireIslam grew under the rule of Muhammads successors, but there was constant tension over choosing who should rule the empireMuhammad was the accepted political and religious leader of the Islamic world

Following his death, the lack of a named successor or a male heir created problems of successionMuhammad had daughters, but in a male-oriented society they would not be accepted as leadersMuhammads father-in-law, Abu Bakr, was named Muhammads successorHe was the first caliphHe had traveled with Muhammad and was his chief advisor

In 632 Ab Bakr was named caliph.Under Ab Bakrs leadership, the Islamic Empire expandedThe Quran permitted jihad, which was the justification for expansionstruggle in the way of GodSyria was a Byzantine province conquered by Arabs

The Arab army was led by brilliant generals and courageous soldiers who were bolstered by the belief that Muslim warriors were guaranteed a place in heaven if they died in battleThe Arab conquerors were tolerant of the peoples in the empire. Conversion to Islam was not required of the people

The Umayyad Under the rule of the Umayyad dynasty, the Islamic Empire made many conquests, but there were internal struggles that led to a division of the communityThe two caliphs following Ab Bakr were assassinated In 656 Muhammads son-in-law, Ali, became caliph He too would be assassinated after five years of ruleIn 661 the governor of Syria, General Muawiyah became caliph.

He was known for using force only when necessaryMuwiyah made the office of caliph hereditary for his familyHe established the Umayyad dynasty and moved the capital from Madinah to Damascus in SyriaThe Arab Empire under Umayyad leadership extended its boundaries into Asia Minor and Europe In 732 the Arab forces were defeated at the Battle of Tours, ending the expansion into EuropeThe Umayyad dynasty had gained wealth from its large empire and was influenced by the different cultures of the Persians and Byzantines

A revolt in 680 led to a split in Islam that exists today Hussein the son of Ali, led a rebellion against Umayyad rule and was defeatedIslam was split into two groupsThe Shia Muslims accept only the descendants of Ali as the true rulers of Islam. Sunni Muslims accepted the Umayyad as the rulers of Islam

The Abbasid DynastyUnder the Abbasid dynasty, Islam experienced prosperity and a new cultural outlookNon-Arabs resented the increasingly corrupt government of the Umayyad rule. In 750, Abu al-Abbas overthrew the Umayyad dynasty and set up the Abbasid dynastyThe Abbasids moved the capital to Baghdad on the Tigris RiverPersian influence encouraged a new cultural outlook,Judges, merchants, and government officials replaced warriors as the ideal citizens

The golden age of the Abbasid caliphate occurred with the rule of Harun al-RashidThe bureaucracy of the government became more complex, and a vizier advised the caliphFinancial and political corruption weakened the empire though and the provinces of the empire began to break awayIndependent dynasties emerged in Egypt, Spain, and Morocco

Seljuk Turks and the CrusadesPolitical turmoil disrupted Southwest Asia after the Seljuk Turks became a powerful military forceIn Egypt, the Fatimid dynasty grew strong from trade and created a strong army of non-native soldiers One of these groups was the Seljuk TurksThe Seljuk Turks were a nomadic people from Asia who had distinguished themselves in battleIn 1055, a Turkish commander captured Baghdad and proclaimed himself sultan

In 1071, the Byzantine Empire attacked the Turks at Manzikert in modern-day TurkeyThe Byzantines were easily defeated and looked to Rome for helpPope Urban II rallied the French and others to rescue Jerusalem from the hands of the Saracens

In 1096 the first crusades began to retake Muslim areasJerusalem was taken in 1099 Other areas were captured by the Christians and the Kingdom of Jerusalem was createdChristian forces were expelled from Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187The capital of the Kingdom was moved several timesThe Kingdom of Jerusalem fell with the capture of Acre in 1291

Saladin after victory at Hattin

The MongolsThe violent invasion of the Mongols destroyed the old Islamic Empire established by the Arabs and created a new center of Islamic civilization in Cairo, EgyptThe Mongols were a pastoral, horse-riding people who lived in the gobi region of AsiaThese nomadic warriors were destructive and attempted to create terror to prevent people from fighting backLed by leaders such as Ghengis Khan and Kublai Khan, the Mongols an empire that stretched from the Sea of Japan to the Caspian Sea

Mongol warriors were fierce and excellent archers on horseback

The Mongols captured Persia and Mesopotamia, ending the Abbasid dynastyThe Mongols destroyed schools, libraries, mosques, and palacesOver time, the Mongols settled in the conquered areas and converted to Islam The new center of Islamic civilization became Cairo, in Egypt

Islamic CivilizationGrowing trade and favorable geography allowed both urban and rural areas to flourish during the period of the Arab EmpireThe Arab Empire was prosperous due to its trading systemExtensive trade was carried out within the empireExtended from Morocco in the west to the Caspian Sea in the eastTrade was established between China, India and Byzantine Empire

Cities such as Baghdad, Cairo, and Damascus were commercial and cultural centers in the Arab EmpireBaghdad was the capital for the AbbasidsDamascus was the capital of the Umayyad, then was moved to CordobaCairo was the capital for the FatimidThe Fatimid made Cairo one the greatest cities in the empire and in the world

Islamic cities, such the capital of Umayyad Spain, Crdoba, had a distinct physical appearanceMosques and political buildings were built to be impressivePublic buildings and bazaars were an important part of Muslim citiesBazaars were sometimes covered marketsEven though the Arab Empire was more urbanized than other areas, most of the people still made their living by farming

Islamic SocietyAccording to Islamic teaching, all groups are equal under the eyes of Allah. However, this was not strictly the case in the Arab EmpireAllahs teachings were compiled in the Quran to teach Muslims how to live their livesOne facet of Islam is that all people are created equalSlaves were not treated equally thoughMuslims could not be slaves, so most of their slaves came from Africa or Asia

Women were granted spiritual and political equality with men, but some of the rights they possessed were eroded by older customsWomen could inherit and own property and petition for divorceArab and other traditions dictated that women wear cover, like scarves and burke and is not required in the QuranWomen had male guardians

Men could marry more than one wife, but few could afford the dowry to more than one brideA dowry is a gift of money or property exchanged for a brideGambling and drinking were not permitted

Islamic CultureIslamic advancements in philosophy, science, and history contributed to the worlds knowledgeThe preservation of scholarly works was aided by paperIntroduced from China in the eighth century Muslim scholars translated the works of Aristotle and the Greek philosophers into ArabicWorks were compiled and studied in librariesThe House of Wisdom was a library in Baghdad

The Muslim philosopher Ibn-Rushd studied and wrote a commentary on virtually all of Aristotles literary worksIn mathematics, Muslims adopted and passed on the numerical system of India, including the use of zeroThe mathematical discipline of algebra was also developed by Muslims

Muslims perfected the astrolabe, an instrument used for navigationThe astrolabe allowed Europeans to sail to the AmericasIbn Sn wrote a medical encyclopedia Became the basic medical textbook for European students during medieval times.Ibn-Khaldn was a prominent historian who wrote about the cyclical life of civilizations in Muqaddimah (Introduction to History).

LiteratureThe Rubaiyat and The 1001 Nights are two major early Islamic works of literature that are still enjoyed todayIslamic literature influenced the culture of Southwest AsiaThe Rubaiyat, written by Omar Khayym, is one of the most familiar books of Middle Eastern literature.The anonymous stories of The Arabian Nights also called The 1001 Nights are a collection of folktales, fables, and romances that blend the natural with the supernatural

Art and ArchitectureMuslim art and architecture reflect the spiritual glory of IslamThe Great Mosque of Smarr was the worlds largest mosque when it was builtIt is famous for its tower, called a minaret, which enabled the muezzin to ascend an outside spiral staircase to call the faithful to prayer daily.

Great Mosque of Samarra

Located in southern Spain, the mosque at Crdoba contains hundreds of columns which transform the structure into a unique forest of treesIslamic palaces also showcase the glory of Islamic power. In the castle of Alhambra in Granada, Spain, every inch of the fortress is covered in floral and abstract patterns.Islamic art and architecture are dominated by repeating geometric patterns called arabesques that completely cover the surface of objects