Ch.6-Section III. The Islamic Civilisation

• Islam originated in Arabia, a peninsula south of the Fertile Crescent.
• Arabia is geographically large, about one-third the size of the United States.
• The Arabian environment is predominantly desert, which isolated the region until Islam's emergence.
• Arabs, like Hebrews, trace their lineage to Abraham through Ishmael.
• God promised to bless Ishmael and make him a great nation.
• Early Arabs lacked a unified government, leading to tribal loyalties and frequent warfare.
• Arabian society included nomadic Bedouins who roamed the desert for resources.
• Some Arabs settled in cities along trade routes and coastal areas, becoming trade centers.

The Founding of Islam

• Muhammad, born in Mecca around 570 AD, claimed to be the last prophet of Allah.
• Islam means "submission" to Allah, and Muslims are "submitters to Allah".
• Muhammad married Khadijah at age 25, gaining financial security.
• He meditated near Mecca, contemplating religion and the polytheism of his society.
• Muhammad received a vision from the angel Gabriel, as recorded in Muslim texts, instructing him to "Recite!" the words of Allah.
• Followers believed he was the messenger of God with a new revelation for mankind.
• Muhammad preached the oneness of God (Allah), initially gaining few converts.
• Early followers included family and close friends.
• Meccan leaders ridiculed Muhammad, viewing his teachings as a threat to their religious beliefs and commercial interests because of the Kaaba, a stone building that housed hundreds of idols.
• The Kaaba contained the Black Stone, revered and kissed by Arabs.
• Muslim tradition states that the angel Gabriel gifted the stone to Abraham.
• Meccan leaders persecuted Muhammad and his followers, as they rejected his teachings and feared their business would suffer.

The Flight to Medina

• In 622, Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina, known as the Hegira.
• The Hegira marks the first year of the Muslim calendar.
• In Medina, Muhammad's following grew rapidly, leading to his recognition as a spiritual, political, and military leader.
• Muhammad advanced Islam by force, slaughtering those who opposed him.
• In 630, he conquered Mecca, destroying the idols in the Kaaba (except the Black Stone) and establishing it as the center of Islamic worship.
• Mecca became Islam's "holy city".

The Teachings of Islam

• The Qur'an, meaning "recitations," is the sacred book of Islam.
• Muslims believe the angel Gabriel revealed the words of Allah to Muhammad.
• The Qur'an consists of 114 chapters (suras) and is the primary authority on Muslim belief and practice.
• The central doctrine of the Qur'an is the belief in one God, Allah.
• Muslims believe Allah sent over 100,000 prophets, including Muhammad as the last and greatest, with the Qur'an being Allah's final revelation.
• The Qur'an teaches moral principles, encouraging humility, duty, kindness, and condemning idolatry, murder, gambling, drinking, and adultery.
• Muslim men were allowed up to four wives, and temporary marriages.
• Muslims are taught to fear Allah's punishment in the afterlife.
• The Qur'an includes stories and characters from the Old and New Testaments, honoring Noah, Abraham, David, and Jesus as prophets of Allah.
• It emphasizes prayer, moral conduct, resurrection, judgment, heaven, and hell.
• Islam stresses the worship of one god and regards the Bible as a holy book.
• Muhammad's teachings distorted biblical truth, rejecting the Trinity and Jesus as the Son of God.

The Five Pillars

• Muslims believe that to enter paradise, they must perform certain religious duties.
• The Qur'an teaches Muslims to fear Allah's punishment if these practices are not observed.
• The Five Pillars of Islam are foundational religious duties:
• Shahadah: The thesis of Islam: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet."
• Salat: Reciting prayers up to five times a day facing Mecca.
• Zakat: Giving alms (money) to the poor.
• Sawm: Fasting from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan.
• Hajj: Making a pilgrimage to Mecca if physically and financially able.
• Islam views Muhammad as the ultimate spokesman for divine truth, with the Qur'an being the final word from heaven.
• The Bible reserves this role for Jesus Christ, the Word of God.
• Islam honors Jesus as a prophet but rejects his role as God the Son.
• Islam praises Jesus as a prophet and accepts parts of the Bible but rejects the most important biblical claims about him.
• Islam denies Jesus came to save people from sin, denying the Resurrection.
• The Qur'an speaks of Allah as a God of justice, mercy, and forgiveness but lacks a basis for forgiveness without the sacrifice of Jesus.
• Murder of Muslims is forbidden in the Qur'an

Sunni vs Shia Islam

• Sunni Muslims believed that any worthy Muslim could be appointed to lead Islam, establishing the caliphate.
• The caliph was a political leader, judge, administrator, and general.
• Shia Muslims believed Muhammad intended Ali, his son-in-law, to be his successor with political and spiritual authority.
• Shia Muslims called their leader imam rather than caliph.
• Sunnis now use the term imam to refer to the leader of worship in a mosque, while Shiites claim an unbroken succession of imams from Ali.
• The caliphate was dissolved in 1924 by Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal, but Sunni Muslims look forward to its renewal.

The Spread of Islam

• By 632, Muhammad united much of Arabia under Islam.

• After Muhammad's death, his closest friends chose the first four caliphs ("successors") to lead Islam:

  • Abu Bakr (632-34)
  • Umar (634-44)
  • Uthman (644-56)
  • Ali (656-61)

• These caliphs initiated military conquests, creating a vast Arab empire.

• Arab warriors rapidly conquered Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Persia due to:

  • Desire to escape poverty in Arabia through wealth gained from conquest.
  • Weakened Byzantine and Persian Empires due to constant warfare.
  • Islam united Arab tribes around a common cause (jihad), with the promise of paradise for those who died in battle.

Umayyad Caliphate (661-750)

• In 661, a Muslim general proclaimed himself caliph, moving the capital from Medina to Damascus and establishing the Umayyad dynasty.
• This ended the practice of selecting caliphs from Muhammad's close circle.
• The Umayyads expanded the empire into India, Constantinople, North Africa, and Spain.
• In 732, the Franks stopped the Muslim advance into Europe at the Battle of Tours.

Abbasid Caliphate (750-ca. 1000)

• Dissatisfaction with Umayyad rule led to Abbas overthrowing the Umayyad caliph in 750.
• Under the Abbasids, Arab supremacy declined as non-Arabs gained government positions and influence.
• The first defeat of Muslim forces was inflicted by the Nubians.
• The Nubians repulsed the Muslim invasion in 710 and remained free of Muslim control until 1272.
• The Abbasid dynasty marked the peak of the Muslim empire.
• Disputes over succession led to independent dynasties and a fractured Muslim world.
• The Seljuk Turks, accepting Islam, reunited much of the Arab empire and took control of Asia Minor.
• The aggressiveness of the Muslim empire and attacks on Christians prompted the Crusades.
• The Crusades weakened the Seljuks but did not remove Muslims from Palestine.
• In the thirteenth century, the Mongols ended the Seljuk Empire.
• The Ottoman Turks restored Turkish rule, creating an empire across North Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe.

Muslim Culture Contributions

• The Arabs blended cultural influences from Persia, Byzantium, Egypt, and Syria with Islam, fostering a prosperous civilization.
• The capital moved to Baghdad under the Abbasids, demonstrating Persian influence.
• Muslim merchants traded with China, India, and East Africa, introducing new products and ideas like paper and mathematics.
• Muslim merchants opened up trade routes to the Middle East.
• The Abbasid caliphate marks the peak of the Muslim empire, controlling more territory than the ancient Romans.
• Baghdad became a leading commercial center rivaling Constantinople, and Islamic culture flourished.
• Crusaders encountered silk, muslin, linen, damask, carpets, leather, jewelry, silver, gold, knives, swords, dates, oranges, lemons, apricots, peaches, and melons in Muslim lands.
• Muslims translated manuscripts from other lands into Arabic, preserving writings from Aristotle, Plato, Galen, Hippocrates, Archimedes, Euclid, and Ptolemy.
• Muslim scholars built libraries to house these manuscripts and their Arabic translations.

Medicine

• Muslim doctors built upon the Greek writings of Galen and Hippocrates, developing new medical procedures.
• Al-Razi is known for his work with smallpox, and Ibn Sina (Avicenna) for his work with tuberculosis.
• Muslim doctors developed surgical skills: removing cancer and cataracts.
• Hospitals were built throughout the empire, with efforts to maintain cleanliness.
• Muslims had pharmacies supervised by government inspectors to ensure medicine purity.

Literature

• Muslims produced diverse literature from poetry to prose, with rich and colorful imagery.
• Omar Khayyam, a renowned poet and mathematician, is known for his Rubaiyat
• The Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights) includes tales such as "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" and "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves".

Mathematics

• Muslims adopted Hindu numerals, decimal system, and the concept of zero, which they popularized.
• Enhanced knowledge of algebra (from India), as well as the geometry and trigonometry of the Greeks.

Art and Architecture

• Religion influenced Muslim art because Muhammad forbade representing men and animals.
• Muslim artists developed abstract designs of stems, leaves, and geometric figures.
• They excelled in calligraphy, adorning buildings with verses from the Qur'an in Arabic script.
• Manuscript illumination, with miniature paintings and decorative colors, was a honored art form.
• Muslim architecture, drawing from Persian and Byzantine styles, produced a unique style.
• Mosques: places of Muslim worship, feature courtyards, minarets, and domes.
• Courtyards have pools for ceremonial washing before prayer.
• Minarets (towers) are used by the muezzin to call the faithful to prayer.
• Domes typically cover the main portion of the mosque.
• Mosque walls are generally white and inscribed with quotations from the Qur'an, or decorated with tile and mosaic designs.
• Niches in mosque walls indicate the direction of Mecca, the direction a Muslim must turn when praying.