Rise and Spread of Islam

Rise and Spread of Islam

I. Byzantine Regions A. Almost entirely Christian by 550 CE B. Priests and monks numerous - needed much money and food to support

I. Byzantine Regions C. Many debates about true nature of Christianity - many heresies and much violence 1. Arianism c. 300; Jesus not co-eternal with God; non-trinitarian 2. Nestorianism c. 400; Jesus exists as two persons, the man Jesus and the divine Son of God, or Logos, rather than as a unified person; nontrinitarian 3. Monophysitism c. 400; response to Nestorianism; Jesus and God are a unified, inseperable being; non-trinitarian; Orthodox position = One being, two aspects

II. Area saw conflict between empires: first, Rome and Parthia; then Byzantium and Persia - empires fixated on fighting each other, did not look much to south (Arabia)

III. Parthia/Persia A. Parthians gradually pushed Hellenistic kingdoms out of Mesopotamia by 63 BCE B. Parthians and Romans fought over Mesopotamia with no clear victor C. Both sides used rival Arab tribes to guard southern borders

III. Parthia/Persia (cont) D. Parthians succeeded by Sassanid Persians in 225 CE 1. Sassanids and Byzantines face off 2. Both sides still use rival Arab tribes as frontier guards 3. Both groups try to force Arabs to follow religion of their paymasters (Zoroastrianism vs. Christianity)

IV. Situation on Arabian Peninsula c. 550 CE A. Not conquered by any empire; area not a single state but a bit of a backwater B. Arab tribes divided among themselves; intertribal warfare the norm

IV. Situation on Arabian Peninsula c. 550 CE (cont) C. Significant amount of trade moving through the Hejaz D. Region also a place of escape for religious refugees from Byzantines and Persians 1. Led to cultural interchange/diffusion 2. Many religions in area as a result: animism, Christianity, Judaism 3. Main trading center was city of Mecca/Makkah

Kaaba Central temple of Mecca (still at center of Great Mosque)

V. Basics of Islam A. Holy book is the Koran (Qu ran) revealed to Muhammad in bits by angel Gabriel 1. Originally oral; soon written down 2. Poetry; divided into 114 suras or chapters arranged by length from longest to shortest 3. Similar in concept but not form to Torah and Bible 4. Contains most basic principles of Islam (Five Pillars)

V. Basics of Islam B. Traditions Hadiths 1. Stories about Muhammad and followers during his lifetime 2. Collected about 200 years later; six sets of which two are chief, 3. Assumed to be roughly accurate (similar to Christian gospels)

V. Basics of Islam C. Relationship of human and God (Allah) 1. Personal relationship between god and worshipper. 2. Does not require formal clergy, only scholars. Encourages debate not obedience

V. Basics of Islam D. No separation between holy and everyday; religious and secular; church and state. E. Sharia - Islamic law based off Koran and Hadith as interpreted by Muslim scholars (ulema) 1. New ideas for time 2. All equal in eyes of religious law (all equal before eyes of Allah)

V. Basics of Islam A. Two main branches; divided over succession as caliph (leader of Islam) after Muhammad 1. Shia - minority - Felt leader should be a relative of Mohammed. Lost struggle when Imam Hussein (grandson of Muhammad) was killed at Karbala (in modern Iraq)

V. Basics of Islam A. Two main branches 2. Sunni - majority - Thought leaders should be drawn from all faithful. 3. Like most other religions it has many variations and interpretations within two main branches; many of differences of opinion within the basic principles.

VI. Rise, Flourishing, and Fall of Caliphate A. Spread quickly! 1. Attractiveness of new religion (social justice, equality, tolerance) 2. Power and fervor (strong religious feeling) of Arab armies 3. By 674 besieging Constantinople and established in N. Africa

VI. Rise, Flourishing, and Fall of Caliphate B. Caliphate (the joint secular and religious rule of the new Muslim empire) - oneness of Islam C. 661 - Beginning of Umayyad Caliphate - first Caliphate outside of Arabia (Damascus) - real beginning of cultured Islamic civilization 1. Marked by death of Muhammad s relatives Ali and then Hussein 2. End of leadership by Muhammad s kin and friends (Shi Ali Party of Ali - became Shia or Shi ites)

VI. Rise, Flourishing, and Fall of Caliphate (cont) C. Umayyads continued spread of Islamic power and culture 1. 711, Conquer Spain; 711, conquer Sind (Pakistan); 717, besieging Constantinople (2nd), 732, fighting Franks in Southern France 2. 692, Dome of Rock (Jerusalem); 705, Great Mosque of Damascus

VI. Rise, Flourishing, and Fall of Caliphate (cont) D. Abbasids replace Umayyads in 750 - Islamic culture flowers 1. Draw support from non-arab Muslims ongoing process in Islam Arab to non-arab dominance 2. Found new capital of Baghdad

VI. Rise, Flourishing, and Fall of Caliphate (cont) E. Decay 1. By 900 empire begins to disintegrate into rival kingdoms and caliphates; Muslim central power weakens 2. Loss of central power combined with wealth also attracts enemies a. European Crusaders strike in 1096 b. Caliphate destroyed by Mongols in 1258

VI. Rise, Flourishing, and Fall of Caliphate (cont) F. Fall of empire unimportant to religion it continues to spread and convert new peoples

VII. New Power Centers A. Persians Converted early and were power brokers/rulers by Abbasid era 1. New Persian Empire (Safavids) by 1400s, existed into present 2. Blended Islam with ancient culture; created a hybrid 3. Islam less strict. Ex. allowed drinking of wine a. Shi a after 16 th century, not Sunni b. Art depicted the human figure; not done in Arab art

VII. New Power Centers B. Turks - Group of nomadic tribes from Central Asia that converted to Islam in bits starting around 800 CE.

VII. New Power Centers B. Turks 1. Seljuks - First Turks that entered Middle East; some were slaves, others soldiers in Abbasid caliphate s armies. C. 1000 set up own kingdoms (under weak control of caliphate). Destroyed by Mongols in 1200s. 2. Mamluks - Slave-soldiers in Egypt (many not Turks). Seized power from Arabs; defeated Mongols. Ruled Egypt into the 1800s.

VII. New Power Centers B. Turks 3. Ottomans - One of the Turkish kingdoms after Mongol rule faded in mid-1300s. Created an empire that covered the entire Middle East (except Persia) until 1918.

VII. New Power Centers C. Mongols - Destroyed what was left of the Arab Muslim empire by conquering Mideast except Egypt.

VII. New Power Centers C. Mongols 1. Ruled a vast empire from China to Poland to Egypt 2. Most in West became Muslim within 50 years (c. 1300). 3. Lost power to Turks by mid-1300s in Middle East; remained a power in Central Asia.

VII. New Power Centers C. Mongols 4. Mongol-descended peoples conquered Afghanistan, then India founding the Mogul Empire (further Islamized India beyond Delhi Sultanate)