Transcript The Umayyad Dynasty (661
Period 3 - Aim:
How did empires rise and collapse and in other regions new state forms emerged? - Muslim States
DO NOW:
1) How would you describe the Sufi religion based on the quotes below?
2) How are these Sufi sayings different from what you know about orthodox Islam?
Mansur al-Hallaj: Sayings
• You know and are not known; You see and are not seen.
• And now I am Yourself, Your existence is my own, and it is also my will.
• I have seen my Lord with the eye of my heart, and I said: "Who are You?" He said:"You." • I do not cease swimming in the seas of love, rising with the wave, then descending; now the wave sustains me, and then I sink beneath it; love bears me away where there is no longer any shore.
The Umayyad Dynasty (661-750 CE)
• From Meccan merchant class • Brought stability to the Islamic community • Capital: Damascus, Syria • Associated with Arab military aristocracy • Favoritism of Arab military rulers causes discontent • Limited social mobility for non-Arab Muslims • Head tax (jizya) on non Muslims • Umayyad luxurious living causes further decline in moral authority
The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258 CE)
• Abu al-Abbas Sunni Arab, allied with Shia, non-Arab Muslims • Seizes control of Persia and Mesopotamia • Defeats Umayyad army in 750 – Invited Umayyads to banquet, then massacred them • Diverse nature of administration (i.e. not exclusively Arab) • Militarily competent, but not bent on imperial expansion (HELP or Hurt?) • Content to administer the empire inherited •
Dar al-Islam
• Growth through military activity of autonomous Islamic forces • WHY DECLINE?
Abbasid Decline
• Persian influence • Court at Baghdad • Influence of Islamic scholars • Ulama (legal scholars) and qadis (judges) sought to develop policy based on the Quran and sharia • Civil war between sons of Harun al-Rashid • Provincial governors assert regional independence • Dissenting sects, heretical movements • Abbasid caliphs become puppets of Persian nobility • Later, Saljuq Turks influence, Sultan real power behind the throne
Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) • Muslim Berber conquerors from North Africa take Spain, early 8 th c.
• Allied to Umayyads, refused to recognize Abbasid dynasty – Formed own caliphate – Tensions, but interrelationship • Golden Age - Muslim rule in Spain, libraries, colleges, and public baths • Arts, literatures, and architecture flourished.
• Different ethnicities and religions were tolerated for instance Christianity and Judaism.
• Almoravid rule (dynasty) Almohad rule (dynasty)
Formation of a Hemispheric Trading Zone
• • Historical precedent of Arabic trade
Dar al-Islam
encompasses silk routes – ice exported from Syria to Egypt in summer, 10 th century • Camel caravans • Maritime trade • Scale of trade causes banks to develop –
Sakk
( “ check ” ) • Uniformity of Islamic law throughout
dar al Islam
promotes trade • Joint ventures common
Changing Status of Women
• Quran improves status of women
– Outlawed female infanticide – Brides, not husbands, claim dowries
• Yet male dominance preserved
– Patrilineal descent – Polygamy permitted, Polyandry forbidden – Veil adopted from ancient Mesopotamian practice
Formation of an Islamic Cultural Tradition
• Islamic values – Uniformity of Islamic law in
dar al-Islam
– Establishment of
madrasas
– Importance of the
Hajj
• Sufi missionaries – Asceticism, mysticism – Some tension with orthodox Islamic theologians – Wide popularity