THE ISLAMIC WORLD THROUGH 1450 Settle in this is going to be a long one
Pre-Islamic Bedouin Culture Well-established on the Arabian Peninsula, mostly nomadic, tribal, and polytheistic The Sheikh was the ruler and they practiced Polygyny They all worshiped one supreme deity: Allah, and each tribe had a sacred stone, but the most revered was the black stone in Mecca Land trade routes were the basis of the economy where
Born in 570 C.E. Married a rich widow and settled down in Mecca 610 C.E. experiences The night of power, When it s said the Arch Angel Gabriel came to him and had him recite in a cave, and thus Islam was born Later his revelation were collected by those who herd his message in the Quran Mohammad
The Spread of Islam Spread slowly at first as his followers were called Muslims, believing him to be the last great prophet, the final one in the line of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus He fled to Medina as the Quarash tribe (his former tribe) attacked him because of his views in 632 he returned and conquered Mecca and declared the black stone there, the Ka aba, a shrine
Egalitarian nature of the religion attracted many new converts Islam spreads over the Arabian Peninsula Before Mohammad s death, he united the Arabian Peninsula Encouraged to spread Islam with the expansion of trade routes, and some military conquest In the area of rule, not forced to convert, but had to pay a tax for not being Muslim, called the Jizya
Islam in Practice All muslims needed to follow the 5 pillars Concept of Jihad, or inner struggle to strive in the way of Allah to improve both oneself and society. Interpreted differently by some today Islamic code of law is called Shariah Law, outlines behavioral requirements for daily life. Like no drinking alcohol or eating pork, but Polygamy is permitted up to 4 wives.
The Term Dar al-islam, refers to the Islamic world The first four Caliphs and Umayyads The succession over who should lead Islam and become the Caliphs led to a split in the Muslim World Sunnis: Believe that the best qualified should lead Shia: Believe that only a blood dependent of the prophet is able to lead
More on the Caliphs and Umayyads Caliphs spread Islam beyond the peninsula Later, capable generals founded the Umayyad Dynasty and spread Islam to it s height and moved the capital to Damascus Shia beliefs resisted and their community leader became knows as imam rather than caliph
Abbasid Caliphate Came to power in 750 C.E. and moved the capital to Baghdad which soon rivaled Constantinople in both wealth and population Baghdad became the center of learning, made thicker, more useful paper, Baghdad represented the golden age of learning Also here they created the first ideas of hospitals for people, and studied the human body
The Influence of Persia Persians were able to convert to Islam, but retain much of their own culture and language Contributed scholars such as Avicenna, (980-1037) and poets like Rumi (1207-1273). His teachings were influential around the world as a basis of the Sufi movement
Invasions and Trade Shifts 1100 s and 1200 s the Abbasid Empire suffered from attacks from four different outside groups Mamluks: Took control of Egypt and established an empire across North Africa Seljuk Turks: took over Central Asia and leader took the title of sultan Crusaders: Seljuk Turks limited the access of Christians to Jerusalem so the Pope called for the Crusades to open back up the city and holy sites Mongols: We ll get to them later
Islamic Rule in Spain Held power in Spain from 700 s till the 1200 s Capital in Spain was Cordoba Battle of Tours: Battle against the Frankish forces in 732 stopping the expansion of Islam into Europe
Prosperity and Scholars in Spain Created a climate of coexistence between Muslims and Christians Traded goods aboard ships called dhows Influence of Islamic architecture can still be seen Cordoba became a center for learning with the largest library in the world at the time where Christian, Jewish, and Muslim scholars would study and translate works for all three faiths.
Social and Cultural Life Islamic scholars translated the works of Aristotle and other Greek thinkers saving them Medical advances in hospital care improved in cities such as Cairo Had to take medical examinations in order to practice medicine Brought back papermaking from China
Social Classes Increase in trade led to a powerful merchant elite in many cities Caliph s soldiers could not own any of the conquered land, so they just stayed in the military to keep earning regular paychecks Because of this, life in the countryside remained virtually unchanged, but paid tribute to Islamic caliphs, instead of Byzantine rulers
Commerce and Slavery Because Muhammad was a merchant, Islam respected merchants and allowed people to make money buying and selling provided they adhered to fair business practices Islam allowed slavery, but could not enslave other Muslims, so most slaves converted to Islam Most female slaves found themselves serving as concubines to Islamic men who already had 4 wives.
Free Women in Islam Most women observe hijab, a term for modest dress in a general sense Women could study and read, but could not do so in the company of men not related to them Muhammad raised the status of women Treated his wives with love and devotion Insisted that dowries be paid to the future wife rather than her father Forbade female infanticide And his first wife was an educated woman with her own business, setting a pattern recognizing women s abilities
Status of Women Overall enjoyed higher status than Christian or Jewish women Could retain ownership of property after marriage Could remarry if widowed Could practice birth control The rise of towns and cities resulted in new limitations on women s rights, symbolized by Harems: dwellings set aside for wives, concubines, and children of those women Most history on how women were viewed before 1450 was written by men so take it all with a grain of salt.
Sufism Arose in Persia and India Notable for their shaved heads emphasized introspection to grasp truths that they believed could not be understood through learning Abstained from earthly pleasures and used whirling dancing to express religious