Islamic Empire History

• Islam began around 600 CE and is the world's second-largest religion.
• The Islamic Empire was one of the most advanced civilizations during the post-classical age (approximately 500-1500 CE).
• Islamic Empires arose as many classical civilizations declined.
• The Islamic Empire preserved and advanced knowledge from classical civilizations, including China, India, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire.
• Muslim advances served as a foundation for the European Renaissance, modern math and science, as well as the Age of Exploration and Colonialism.

Contextualization: Arabia

• Arabia had caravan trade routes driven by oases and operated by Bedouins, who were polytheistic animists.
• Pockets of Christian and Jewish communities existed among Bedouins.
• Women and men had relative equality, both traveled, traded, and practiced polygamy.

Mecca pre-Islam

• Mecca was a center for polytheism and trade.
• Mecca contained the Ka'ba, which housed remains of a temple built by Abraham.
• Traders and religious pilgrims worshipped at the Ka'ba, which contained idols of polytheistic gods.
• Mecca became wealthy from trade and visitation to the Ka'ba.
• A disparity existed between the rich and poor in Mecca.
• The Ka'ba is located in The Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Muhammad ibn Abdullah

• Muhammad was a descendant of Ishmael, the first son of Abraham.
• He was born in Mecca in 570 CE.
• Muhammad worked for his wife, Khadija, as a bookkeeper; she was a wealthy merchant.
• Dissatisfied with a life focused on material gain, Muhammad began to pray for answers and received messages from God through the angel Gabriel.
• His prophecies began at age 40 and continued until his death.
• The cave where Muhammad was praying when he was spoken to by the Angel Gabriel.

Mecca Reacts

• Muhammad's monotheism threatened Mecca's wealth (trade) and religious tourist industry.
• Mecca rejected Muhammad.
• Muhammad was threatened and felt his life was at risk if he stayed in Mecca.
• In 622, Muhammad fled to Yathrib to escape persecution.
• Yathrib was renamed Medina, meaning "city of the prophet".
• The flight to Medina is known as the Hijra, and 622 is the first year of the Islamic calendar.

Medina

• The people of Yathrib (Medina) welcomed the prophet and many people converted.
• At this point, Muhammad became a spiritual, political, and military leader.
• Spiritual leadership involved being a living example of Islamic faith.
• Political leadership involved leading his people.
• Military leadership involved leading Islamic warriors back into Mecca and conquering the city after being threatened by the Meccans.

Islamic Mecca

• Returning to Mecca, Muhammad smashed the idols at the Ka'ba and renewed his covenant with God.
• The Ka'ba was left intact and remains one of the most important sites in Islam.
• The people of Mecca quickly converted to Islam and built a great mosque around the Ka'ba.
• The Great Mosque is a site on the Hajj.
• Mecca is the holiest city to Muslims.

The Ka'ba

• The Ka'ba is built around a sacred black stone, a meteorite, believed to have been placed by Abraham and Ishmael.
• The black stone symbolizes God's covenant with Abraham, Ishmael, and the Muslim community and is embedded in the eastern corner of the Ka'ba.
• The Ka'ba is made of granite from the hills near Mecca, the structure is 50 feet high (15.24 meters), 35 feet (10.67 meters) wide and 40 feet long (12.19 meters) long.
• Inside Ka'ba, the floor is marble and limestone, the measuring 43 feet (13 meters) by 30 feet (9 meters), are clad with tiled, white marble halfway to the The interior walls roof, with darker trimmings along the floor.
• The Ka'ba is covered by a black silk cloth decorated with gold-embroidered calligraphy, known as the kiswa, and is replaced yearly.

Muhammad's teachings

• Monotheism - Allah is the same god as for Jews (Yahweh), and Christians (God).
• Muhammad accepted Christian and Jewish prophets but not the idea that Jesus is the Messiah.
• Muhammad is the "seal of the prophets" or the last prophet.
• Muhammad's teachings are similar to Judeo-Christian beliefs, including monotheism, heaven, hell, day of judgment, life after death, a moral code, ethical behavior, and an individual relationship with God.

Vocabulary

• Islam means "submission to the will of Allah".
• Muslim means "one who has submitted to the will of Allah".
• The Quran is the Islamic holy book written by Muhammad's followers.
• It contains information revealed to Muhammad by Allah over 23 years.
• The Quran is only written in Arabic and is supposed to be chanted when read aloud.
• It is the final source on religious matters.
• Other sources of authority include the Hadith, Muhammad's sayings and sermons.

The 5 Pillars of Islamic Faith

• Faith (Shahada): All Muslims make a statement of faith.
• It affirms the acceptance of Allah as the one true god, Muhammad as his prophet, and submission to them.
• Prayer (salat): Muslims must pray 5 times a day facing Mecca, at dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset, and before bed.
• Alms (charity) (zakat): Muslims must give 2.5% (1/40) of their income to charity, small good deeds are also considered charity.
• Fasting (sawm): During Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Muslims must fast daily from dawn to dusk for 29/30 days.
• The goal is self-restraint and purity, and it reminds Muslims of those less fortunate.
• The festival of Eid al-Fitr ends Ramadan (Iftar ends the fast daily).
• Hajj: Muslims must make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their life (if physically and economically capable).
• They must perform the rituals associated with it. 2-3 million people participate every year.

5 Stages of the Hajj

• First, the pilgrim enters Mecca and expresses the intention to perform Hajj.
• Then, the pilgrim circles the Kaaba 7 times while reciting prayers, this is known as Tawaf
• They will then pass between the hills of Safa and Marwah 7 times.
• Pilgrims then make their way to Mina to perform 5 prayers starting with Zuhr in the afternoon and ending with Fajr in the early hours of the morning.
• Here, male pilgrims will perform the stoning of the devil ceremony where pebbles are thrown at a stone pillar.
• Next an animal sacrifice occurs and its meat is distributed to the poor. Pilgrims make their way to Arafat and time will be devoted to prayer.
• When the sun sets, pilgrims will leave Arafat for Muzdalifah and collect pebbles.
• The pilgrims set off back to Mina before the sunrise.
• After they return to Mina, male pilgrims proceed to stone 3 pillars representing the devil. Pilgrims usually stay in Mina to offer prayer for a few days.
• Pilgrims return to Makkah where the Tawaf will be performed and prayers will be offered.
• The crossing between the hilltops of Safa and Marwa are completed 7 times as well. Pilgrims also drink from the Zam-Zam well.
• Finally, pilgrims return to Makkah and the holy Masjid al-Haram to perform the farewell Tawaf (circling of the Kaaba).
• The required pilgrimage dress for men includes two white cloths, one covering the body from the waist down, and one around the shoulder, is known as an "Ihram".
• The required pilgrimage dress for women can include a simple white dress and headscarf, or their own native dress. Any garment which covers her so she is dressed modestly.
• The required pilgrimage dress is a symbol of purity and equality.
• The Dome of the Rock, in Temple Mount, is where Muhammad ascended into heaven.
• Dome of the Rock was built by the Muslim ruler Abd el-Malik in 688-691 CE.

Treatment of People of the Book

• "People of the Book" refers to the monotheistic followers of Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.
• Within the Islamic Empire, People of the Book were allowed to keep their faith and practice it freely.
• People of the Book could not serve in the military (mandatory for Muslims) and had to pay a tax but not the jizya.
• People of the Book could keep their faith and held a better position than people of other faiths.

Islam after Muhammad

• After Muhammad died, a disagreement arose within the Islamic community (umma) about who should lead.
• This disagreement laid the basis for schism in the Islamic faith.
• Sunni Islam was led by the "Four Rightly Guided Caliphs."
• The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs acted as the spiritual, political, and military leader of Islam.
• Each of them knew and learned from Muhammad directly, and expanded the empire greatly.
• Shias believed that a relative of Muhammad should be the leader.

The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs

• Abu Bakr (Muhammad's father-in-law) 632-634.
• Abu Bakr unified the territory conquered by Muhammad.
• Umar (Muhammad's advisor) 634-644.
• Umar marked the beginning of large territorial expansions and promoted freedom of religion for People of the Book.
• Uthman 644-656.
• Uthman expanded the empire and became a more secular leader.
• Disunity started over who should be the political leader.
• Ali (Muhammad's son in law and cousin) 656-661.
• An outbreak of a civil war occurred, which eventually led to the final split within Islam of the Sunnis and Shias

Sunni and Shia

• Sunni Muslims believe that any educated Muslim can be selected by the Islamic community to lead.
• Followed the political leadership of the Islamic empires and accept changes in religious thought.
• Shia Muslims believe that the caliph should be a blood relative of Muhammad, such as his cousin and son-in-law Ali (who became the 4th rightly guided caliph), Ali, his son Husayn and 73 members of his family were slain by Sunni Muslims in the "Martyrdom at Karbala".
• The Shias broke forever from the Sunnis and have a strict interpretation of the Quran

Umayyad Dynasty 661-750 CE

• Founded after the assassination of Ali
• The Umayyad rulers were the next several caliphs for Sunni people
• Shias never accepted the Umayyads as religious heads
• The Umayyads expanded the empire militarily and through trade
• The Umayyads moved the capital to Damascus (Syria), a major trading city which reflected the interests of Arab traders
• The leaders generally allowed freedom of religion, anger grew among the non-Arabs due to the jizya (tax for non-believers)

The Umayyad Fall and the Rise of the Abbasids

• The corruption of the Umayyads led to massive socioeconomic differences.
• A rebellion in Persia, led by Abu al-Abbas, a descendant of Muhammad's uncle
• Abu al-Abbas defeated the Umayyads in the Battle of Zab, arresting and killing the remaining Umayyad leadership
• The Abbasids ruled from 750-1258 CE (when the Mongols defeated the remainder of the weakened Abbasid Empire)

Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258)

• The Abbasids focused on trade rather than expansion.
• Islam spread but generally through peaceful means.
• They fought a few important battles, gaining parts of the Byzantine Empire (Manzikert 1071) and defeating the Tang Dynasty at the battle of Talas River, stopped Chinese advancement into Central Asia.The Abbasids used the Persian method of governance controlled by one ruler
• Ulama (scholars) set rules/moral standards among the people and qadis settled disputes and acted as judges.

Abbasids and trade

• More stability and tolerance led to more trade and wealth.
• Cultural blending/diffusion occurred.
• State-sponsored learning in Baghdad's "House of Wisdom" to increase the introduction of new food crops and technology
• Introduction of new food crops as well as agricultural technology led to increased trade (camel caravans and maritime routes)

Abbasids, the Cultural blending, & the Abbasid Golden Age

• The Abbasids embraced the Persians Literature, poetry, political science
• Adopted the Indian Mathematics (Hindi numerals- known as Arabic numbers in the west), scientific, and medical knowledge
• Followed the Greeks Philosophy, especially Plato and Aristotle, mathematics, and medicine
• Introduced the Chinese Paper, compass

Women and islam

• Misunderstanding and confusion exists regarding Islam due to media and changes in the religion over time.
• The Quran speaks of the equality of the genders by outlawing female infanticide.
• Muhammad spoke of the importance of education for women.
• Women can hold jobs, inherit and own property, and divorce.
• Muslim women can specify conditions in their marriage contracts and in many countries keep their own last name after marriage.
• The Quran stipulates that women should be protected and treated with sensitivity and respect, open to interpretation.
• Male patriarchy was promoted in cultures that were patriarchal: descent through the male line, genealogical purity, control of women's social/sexual lives.
• Cultural traditions in some patriarchal places have been absorbed into Islam.
• Muslim leaders further embedded the practices into the new religion in areas that veiling was common.
• Leaders, especially in Sunni Islam, have tremendous power over religious interpretation, and therefore are limited.

Explore the origins, rise, and impact of the Islamic Empire, including its relationship with other civilizations and its intellectual achievements. Understand the geopolitical landscape during its development and its place among world religions.