The Expansive Realm of Islam PDF

The Expansive Realm of Islam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= rQ0EKiCt6H8 Traditions and Encounters Chapter 14  Contextualization Islam started around 600 CE and is the world’s 2nd largest religion (2nd to the many Christian faiths) The Islamic...

The Expansive Realm of Islam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= rQ0EKiCt6H8 Traditions and Encounters Chapter 14  Contextualization Islam started around 600 CE and is the world’s 2nd largest religion (2nd to the many Christian faiths) The Islamic Empire was one of the most advanced civilizations in the post-classical age (approx. 500-1500 CE) Islamic Empires developed as many classical civilizations were weakening or had fallen. The empire preserved, and advanced knowledge from classical civilizations (China, India, Persia, Greece, Roman, Byzantine) achieving their own golden age that, similar to the Hellenistic golden age, embraced and extended knowledge from the known world Muslim technological advances served as the foundation for the European Renaissance, modern math and science, as well as the Age of Exploration and Colonialism Geographic Contextualization: Arabia Arabia had many caravan trade routes (oases driven) typically operated by bedouins (nomadic Arabs) who were polytheistic animists Pockets of Christian and Jewish communities existed amongst the majority bedouin population Women and men had relative equality (both traveled, traded, and were polygamous)  Mecca- pre-Islam Mecca was a center for polytheism and trade Mecca contained the Ka’ba - that contained the remains of a temple built by Abraham (the large black box) Traders and religious pilgrims worshipped at the Ka’ba which had idols of polytheistic gods The city became wealthy from trade and the mass visitation to the Ka’ba A disparity between the rich and poor existed in Mecca Islam in less than 10 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDxKxnVZtgo The Ka’ba is housed in the Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia  Muhammad ibn Abdullah Descendant of Ishmael, the first son of Abraham Born in Mecca in 570 CE Muhammad worked for his wife (Khadija) as a bookkeeper in Arabia; she was a wealthy merchant Muhammad became dissatisfied with a life focused on material gain and began to pray for answers He 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 The city rejected Muhammad Muhammad was threatened and felt his life was at risk if he stayed in Mecca In 622 he fled to Yathrib to escape persecution (renamed Medina meaning city of the prophet) This is known as the hijra 622 is the first year of the Islamic calendar  Medina The city of Yathrib (Medina) welcomed the prophet and many people converted At this point, Muhammad became spiritual, political, and military leader Spiritual = living example of Islamic faith Political = led his people Military = led Islamic warriors back into Mecca and conquered 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 Evolution of Mecca (Makkah)  The Ka’ba or the cube The Kaʼba is built around a sacred black stone, a meteorite(?) that Muslims believe was placed by Abraham and Ishmael in a corner of the Kaʼba, a symbol of God's covenant with Abraham and Ishmael and, by extension, with the Muslim community itself. It is embedded in the eastern corner of the Kaʼba. The Kaʼba itself 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 the Kaʼba, the floor is made of marble and limestone. The interior walls, measuring 43 feet (13 meters) by 30 feet (9 meters), are clad with tiled, white marble halfway to the roof, with darker trimmings along the floor. It is covered by a black silk cloth decorated with gold-embroidered calligraphy. This cloth is known as the kiswa, and it is replaced yearly.  Muhammad’s teachings Monotheism – Allah is the same god as for Jews (Yahweh) and Christians (God); 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 Similar to Judeo-Christian beliefs: monotheism, heaven, hell, day of judgment and life after death, moral code, ethical behavior, individual relationship with god  Vocabulary Islam means: “submission to the will of Allah” Muslim means: “one who has submitted to the will of Allah” Quran – Islamic holy book – written by Muhammad’s followers – contains the information revealed to Muhammad by Allah over a span of 23 years Only written in Arabic, 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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsxN98URybc The 5 Pillars of Islamic Faith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlflvwwtZbU 1 Faith (Shahada) – all Muslims make a statement of faith - acceptance of Allah as the one true god, Muhammad as his prophet and submission to him- “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger [or Prophet].” 2 Prayer (salat) – 5 times a day facing Mecca; dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset, before bed 3 Alms (charity) (zakat) – 2.5% (1/40) of your income should be given to charity, small good deeds are also considered charity The Minaret The Muezzin  ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= j14-soc-hajj/the-hajj-islamic-sacred- VMWgeSuHKhs pilgrimage/?student=true The 5 Pillars 4 Fasting (sawm) – Ramadan –the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, daily fasting from dawn to dusk for 29/30 days; goal to produce self-restraint and purity and is a reminder of those less fortunate; the festival of Eid al-fitr ends Ramadan (Iftar ends the fast daily) 5 Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca once in your life (if physically/economically capable), and perform the rituals associated with it- 2-3 million people every year The Hajj 5 Stages of the Hajj The Mosque – place of worship  The Dome of the Rock - Jerusalem Temple Mount– where Muhammad ascended into heaven Built by the Muslim ruler Abd el-Malik in 688-691 CE  Treatment of “People of the Book” People of the Book is a term that refers to the monotheistic followers of Christianity and Judaism as well as Zoroastrians Within the Islamic Empire, they were allowed to keep their faith and practice it freely They could not serve in the military (which was mandatory for Muslims) and they had to pay a tax but not the jizya (which was not mandatory for Muslims) They could keep their faith and held a better position than people of other faiths  Islam after Muhammad After Muhammad died, there was a disagreement within the Islamic community (umma) about who should lead the Muslims after the death of Muhammad This disagreement laid the basis for schism in the Islamic faith Sunni Islam was led by the “Four Rightly Guided Caliphs” who acted as the spiritual, political, and military leader of Islam Each of them knew and learned from Muhammad directly They expanded the empire greatly Shias believed that a relative of Muhammad should be the leader  The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= wsJaBAz2soY&t=28s Abu Bakr (Muhammad’s father-in-law) 632-634 unified the territory conquered by Muhammad Umar (Muhammad’s advisor) 634-644 marked the beginning of large territorial expansions. Promoted freedom of religion for People of the Book. Uthman 644-656 expanded empire, became a more secular leader disunity started over who should be the political leader Ali (Muhammad’s son in law and cousin) 656-661 outbreak of a civil war occurred which eventually led to the final split within Islam of the Sunnis and Shias https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= pQMpcSQIvOk Sunni and Shia Sunni Muslims believe that any educated Muslim can be selected by the Islamic community to lead Muslim people Followed the political leadership of the Islamic empires Sunnis accept changes in religious thought Shia Muslims (or Shi’ite) 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 what is known as the “Martyrdom at Karbala” Shias, who were already angry, broke forever from the Sunnis Shias have a strict interpretation of the Quran Islam today  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 Expanded the empire militarily and through trade Moved the capital to Damascus (Syria)- a major trading city which reflected the interests of Arab traders Although Umayyads generally allowed people to keep their religions, anger grew among the non-Arabs especially after they imposed the jizya (tax for non-believers)  The Umayyad Fall and the Rise of the Abbasids Umayyads became corrupt, causing massive socioeconomic differences Rebellion in Persia, led by Abu al-Abbas, a descendent of Muhammad’s uncle Abu al-Abbas defeated the Umayyads in the Battle of Zab and eventually arrested and killed the remaining Umayyad leadership Abbasids ruled from 750- 1258 CE (when the Mongols defeated the remainder of the weakened Abbasid Empire) Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258) Less focused on expansion, more focused on trade, Islam spread but generally through peaceful means Fought a few important battles Gained parts of the Byzantine Empire (Manzikert 1071) Defeated the Tang Dynasty at the battle of Talas River and stopped Chinese advancement into central Asia Used Persian method of governance through a series of semi-autonomous states that were 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 under the Abbasids State sponsored learning, schools, art, architecture, literature (in Baghdad’s House of Wisdom ) Introduction of new food crops as well as agricultural technology led to increased trade (camel caravans and maritime), prosperity, and population Banks issued lines of credit, acted as early joint stock company-like businesses Abbasids, the Cultural Blending, & the Abbasid Golden Age Cultural ideas accepted into Abbasid Dynasty: Literature, poetry, political science from the Persians Mathematics (Hindi numerals- known as Arabic numbers in the west), scientific, and medical knowledge from India Philosophy, especially Plato and Aristotle, mathematics, science, and medicine from the Greeks Paper, compass from the Chinese Often took ideas from others, innovated, and spread ideas to other places https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= cl3U9nILozc https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=pg1Np MmPv48  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETryXMpDl8 Women and Islam There is much misunderstanding and confusion about Islam due to media and changes in Islam over the years Quran speaks of the equality of the genders (for ex. outlawing female infanticide) Muhammad spoke of the importance of education of women Women could hold jobs, inherit and own property, and divorce Muslim women could specify conditions in their marriage contracts and in many countries kept/keep their own last name after marriage. However, the Quran says that women should be protected and speaks of women being treated with sensitivity and respect which has been interpreted in different ways  Women in Islam cont. Male patriarchy also was promoted esp. in cultures that were patriarchal: descent through male line, genealogical purity, control of women’s social/sexual lives Cultural traditions in some traditionally patriarchal places have been absorbed into Islam leading to modern confusion In areas that were patriarchal, such as Mesopotamia, where veiling was common prior to Islam, Muslim leaders carried on that tradition and embedded that tradition into the new religion Leaders, especially in Sunni Islamic areas have tremendous power over religious interpretation. Some of these leaders limited women’s rights for cultural or political reasons in the name of the religion