Transcript Rise of Islam - Don Dickinson

Rise of Islam
Lecture
Islam- General Information
• Estimated 1.6 billion adherents of Islam
– Fastest growing religion in world today
– Christianity :2.1 billion
– Hinduism: 950 million
– Chinese traditional religion: 394 million
• Combination of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism
– Buddhism 376 million
– Judaism: 14.5 million
Islam- General Information
• Islam’s founder is Muhammad
– Is not seen as anything other than human
– Clear difference of perception in Christianity’s
Jesus of Nazareth
• Islam founded in Middle East as was Judaism
& Christianity
– Arabian Peninsula
Islam- General Information
• Islam became and is a “universalizing” religion
• Islam is a “post-classical” religion
• Arrived at a time when religion in Eurasia was
becoming a unifying cultural & economic force
• Within 150 years of its founding in 622 C.E. it
had spread
– throughout southwest Asia
– into Europe
– Into northern Africa
Origins of Islam
• Began in Arabian Peninsula
– Area called “Empty Quarter”
– In area of a lot of uninhabitable desert
• People in this area called Bedouins
– Most organized into kinship-based tribes & clans
– Tribes & clans often fought with one another over
scarce natural resources
• Medina & Mecca major trading towns with
access to Red Sea
Origins of Islam
• Struggle in land of Bedouins was based on
family ties
– Without your family or clan you probably would
not have survived
• Many disputes over water rights
– Clan councils regulated this
• Violations of water rights usually ended in
revenge on violating clan
• Virtually no one political leader in this region
Origins of Islam
• Mecca founded by Umayyad clan of the Quraysh
Bedouin tribe
– Close to the Red Sea & was a large trade center
• Mecca also a religious center
– Home to many shrines & various spirits (polytheistic)
• Most revered stone was the Ka’ba, or Black
Stone
– Stones represented spirits called jinns
– Ka’ba contained idols representing many gods
– One was called Allah
Origins of Islam
• Bedouin religion blend of animism (spirits
residing in ordinary objects) & polytheism
• Quraysh recognized Allah to be a supreme
deity
• Mecca history changed significantly with the
birth of Muhammad in 570 C.E.
Muhammad’s Early Life
• Muhammad born into a powerful Meccan
family
• Orphaned at age six
• Raised by a grandfather
• Became a trader & business manager for a
wealthy merchant’s widow, Khadijah
• Muhammad as a merchant came in contact
with monotheists: Jews & Christians
– Took great interest in religion
Muhammad’s Vision
• At age of 40 Muhammad had a significant
religious experience
– He described it as a vision from Allah
• He often spent time alone in a cave outside of
Mecca in prayer & meditation
– Said he was visited by the Angel Gabriel as a
messenger of Allah
• He had other visions and these became the basic
tenets of the Islamic faith
– Recognized Allah as the one God
Muhammad’s Vision & New Threat
• Muhammad shared his visions with friends &
relatives
– Began to have many followers
• Umayyad political leaders & merchants began
to feel threatened by him
– New faith perhaps seen as disruption to those
coming to worship the multitude of gods at the
Ka’ba
Muhammad’s Mecca to Medina
(Hijrah)
• Muhammad’s actions set off rivalries within the
clan & then with other clans
• Area around Mecca was on the verge of civil war
in 622 C.E.
• Muhammad escaped Mecca & went to Medina
where he had relatives on his mother’s side
• In Medina he became the leader & mediated the
disputes of Bedouin clans in the region
• Flight to Medina from Mecca is called the hijrah
– Is the founding date of the religion
• In Muslim calendar the hijrah became year one
Muhammad as a
Political & Military Leader
• Not only a religious leader but a political &
military organizer
– Won followers who accompanied him on raids on
Meccan caravans
• Quraysh responded with series of attacks on
Muhammad
– Muhammad’s success at defense and counterattacks won esteem for him in Medina
• 628 C.E. Quraysh signed a treaty with
Muhammad
Muhammad’s triumphant return
to Mecca
• 629 C.E. he returned to Mecca with 10,000
followers
• They smashed all the idols of the shrine
– Black Stone left as symbol of acceptance of Allah
as the one god
• Before his death (632 C.E.) citizens of Mecca
were won over by Muhammad
– Founding of umma, or Muslim community, now
encompassed many clans
– Clans became united under the banner of Islam
Islamic Beliefs
• Upon Muhammad’s death Abu Bakr, became
Muhammad’s successor
• Ordered those who acted as secretaries of
Muhammad to organized his revelations into a
book, the Qur’an
• Qur’an believed by Muslim’s to be the sacred
word of Allah
– Complied around 650 C.E.
Islamic Beliefs
• Second of importance to Muslim’s is the
hadith, [hah deeth]
– A collection of stories & teachings of Muhammad
– Hadith exists in many documents
– Islamic scholars have poured over the hadith for
many years sorting out authentic stories from
those that are not
• Over time Muslim societies developed shari’a
[shah-ree-ah] or laws based on beliefs in the
Qur’an & hadith
Islamic Beliefs
• During Muhammad’s life he accepted many
monotheistic beliefs of Jews & Christians
• Muhammad became known as the Seal of
Prophets after his death by his followers
– Meaning the last of the prophets sent by God to
communicate with human beings
• Prophets of Abraham and Moses are accepted by
all three religions
• Muslim’s do not see Jesus as the Son of God, but
only as one of the prophets
Five Pillars of Faith in Islam
1. The confession of Faith– To become a
Muslim, a person must make this statement:
“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad
is his Prophet.”
2. Prayer – Muslims must pray five times daily,
turned to face Mecca
3. Fasting – for one month of the Muslim year
(Ramadan), Muslims must fast from sunup to
sundown, demonstrating to the umma their
commitment to the religion
Five Pillars of Faith in Islam
• 4. Alms – the faithful mist give a portion of their
wealth as alms to help the needy, a requirement
that also helped to build cohesion in the umma
• 5. Hajj – Once in a lifetime, any Muslim who
could possibly do it is expected to make a
pilgrimage (called the hajj) to Mecca to worship
Allah at the Ka’ba. Every year this gathering in
Mecca is still a highly viaible testament to the
universal character of the religion
Other beliefs in Islam
• Other customs, beliefs, & laws were followed
• Muslims not to eat pork nor drink alcoholic
beverages
• A man could marry as many as four wives as
long as he could support them
• Marriage with non-Muslims was forbidden
• Prayer led in local mosques (temples)
• Islam stressed equality of all individuals and
encouraged wealthy to take care of poor
Understanding the succession of
Muhammad
• Muhammad died in 632 leaving no successor
• On afternoon of his death umma leaders met
to select a caliph[kal lif]
– A political and religious successor to Muhammad
• Ali, Muhammad’s cousin & son-in-law was
passed over in favor of Abu Bakr
• Abu Bakr [uh-boo-bak-er] was one of
Muhammad’s earliest followers & closest
friends
Understanding the succession of
Muhammad
• Under Abu Bakr, Muslim commanders raided
into areas north of Arabia
–
–
As far as modern-day Iraq & Syria
Eastward into modern day Egypt
• 100 years after Muhammad’s death Islamic
lands stretched from northwest Africa and Spain
in the west to Indus River in the east
• Arabs under the banner of Islam took advantage
of weakening post-classical empires
–
They were passionate about their faith
Understanding the succession of
Muhammad (jihad)
• Conquest of Islam came under the banner of
jihad
• Jihad originally was the term for “struggle”
referring initially to the inner struggle to
understand faith and be a submissive
follower
• Came to many followers to mean the defeat
of non-Muslim areas
Understanding the succession of
Muhammad
• Success of Muslim armies was under scored
with tensions of umma as to proper
succession or who is the proper caliph
• Of early caliphs, all but Abu Bakr were
assassinated by rival clans
• Fourth caliph was Ali, Muhammad’s son-inlaw who was assassinated in 661 C.E.
– Set off a factional war
Understanding the succession of
Muhammad (Shi’ites & Sunni)
• Ali’s supporters said only legitimate members of
Muhammad’s family (blood-line) could become
caliph
–
–
–
This is the Shi’ite group today (minority)
Iran is mostly Shi’ite
Shi’ites disclaimed the authority of the first three
caliphs & Ali’s successor, Muawiya—founder of the
Umayyad Dynasty
• Followers of Muawiya [Mu'āwīya] & successors
became known as Sunni
–
Sunni’s believe early caliphs legitimate
• Split continues today: Most Muslims are Sunni
The Islamic Dynasties
• Two primary dynasties following the death of
Muhammad
– Umayyad Dynasty (661-750)
– Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258)
• Understanding the word “caliphate”
–
–
–
–
This is the word for an Islamic empire
A “caliph” is an Islamic religious and political leader
An Islamic theocracy is ruled by a caliph
A theocracy is a government run by God with the ruler
or caliph being the interpreter of God’s word
Umayyad Dynasty (661-750)
• In both the Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasty
(750-1258) a caliph ruled over an increasing
number of non-Arab people
• First Umayyad caliph was Muawiya (Mu’āwīya)
Muawiya
• Moved capital from Medina
to Damascus
– This move resulted in rule
over many non-Arabs
• Office of caliph became
more powerful and imperial
– Created a lavish palace
– This differed from
Muhammad’s original humble
beginnings
Umayyad expansion
• Umayyad military conquered east and west
– In the east all the way through Afghanistan
– In the west northern Africa and Spain
Umayyad Empire’s Government
• Created a bureaucracy
– Most of caliph’s government were Muslim Arabs who
shared in rewards of conquest
• Umayyad’s worked to keep interactions between
Arab Muslims and subject people to a minimum
– Didn’t work– a lot of intermarrying
• Non-Arab Muslims still had to pay property taxes
and a head tax
• “People of the Book” (Jews & Christians or
dhimmis) treated better, but still had to pay taxes
Uprising against the Umayyads
• Those in the Muslim brotherhood were said to
be part of the “umma”
• Jews, Christians, and non-Arab Muslims were
not considered part of the “umma”
• Non-Arab subjects (mawali) joined with rebel
forces in 740s
– Demanded social and religious equality
– Overthrew the Umayyad Dynasty
Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258)
• Abbasids claimed to be descendants of
Muhammad’s uncle
– This made them more acceptable to Shi’ites at first
• Abbasids learned from mawali rebellion that they
must change the policy concerning non-Arabs
– This change helped to make Islam a universalizing
religion
– Brought more non-Arabs into powerful positions of
caliphate
Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258)
• Capital of Abbasid Dynasty was moved from
Damascus to Bagdad
– This city became the center of Islamic Golden Age
• Golden Age: period of peace, harmony,
stability, and prosperity
Decline of Abbasid Dynasty
• Abbasids faced the same problem of the classical
civilizations
– How to centrally govern a vast, multi-ethic domain
• Abbasids lost control in the fringes of its
territories and then territory close to Bagdad
(during 100 year span)
• Mongols finally defeated the Abbasids, but Islam
became the cultural glue in its expanded
territories
– Today all regions conquered by Abbasids are Muslim
except Spain
Golden Age of Islam
• Golden Age of Islam occurred during the Abbasid
Dynasty from about 800 to 1200 CE
• Importance of surplus as a prerequisite to a
Golden Age
– Surpluses create prosperity and allow specialization
– Prosperous societies create the ability to support
scholars, artists, and development of technology
• Agricultural methods improved, food supply
increased, & large market places developed in:
– Baghdad, Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo, & Toledo
Golden Age of Islam
• Cities developed and became governmental
and religious centers
– Had elaborate mosques, public baths,
governmental buildings, and religious schools
– Many east Africa slaves were used for difficult jobs
• Abbasid Dynasty at its height began to see
caliphs living lavish lifestyles
• Abbasid Muslim merchants prospered with
trade in Indian Ocean routes
Major Contributions of Islamic Societies
• Islamic societies became united through
widespread use of Arabic language
– Comparison to Inca in New World with Quiché
language
– Sacred belief that Qur’an could only be written in
Arabic
• Greatest literary art in Islamic societies was
poetry
– Also produced storytelling—The Thousand and
One Nights
Major Contributions of Islamic Societies
• Caliphs established urban universities called
madrasas
• Major contribution of these universities was
to translate the writings of the ancient Greeks
& Indians
• Islamic universities saved and preserved the
writings of Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy,
Hippocrates, and other Greek scholars
Major Contributions of Islamic Societies
• Development of Muslim art
• Qur’an forbade any lifelike representation of
human figure
– Belief that only Allah could create human life
– Fast forward to cartoons of Muhammad in modern
society & understand the rage created
• Some Persian art showed Muhammad with a veil
over his face
• Most Islamic art had a lot of geometric figures
– Triangles, diamonds, & parallelograms
More on Islamic Art
• Public buildings elaborately decorated with
ceramic tiles, semiprecious stones, gold, and
silver
• Architecture featured columns and arches
• Mosques featured great domes and minarets
(towers for the call to prayer)
Islamic Societies Contribution to Math & Science
• Arabs built on mathematical knowledge of
Hindu scholars
– concept of zero and number system based on 10
• Developed Arabic numerals that we use today
– These numbers allowed development of al-jabr or
algebra
– Development of Arabic numerals is a marker event
• Arabs made advancements in optical science,
pharmacology, and anatomy
Decline of Abbasid Caliphate
• Even though advances were made in the Arab
societies, at same time Abbasid power was
declining
• Religious split continued between Shi’ites and
Sunnis
• Distance became a problem for the central
government in Baghdad to control outer regions
– Slave and peasant revolts began occurring
• Abbasid caliphs became incompetent
Decline of Abbasid Caliphate
• During 800’s areas in Africa & Arabia broke away from
Baghdad control
– Abbasids only legitimately controlled Middle East region
• Abbasid caliph began using Seljuk Turks (nomadic
group from central Asia) as soldiers
– They were hired soldiers—excellent horsemen
– By mid 11th century Seljuk Turks had more power than the
caliphs
• Turkish groups began feuding with each other and this
opened the door for Mongol conquest in 1258
• Mongols destroyed the political framework, but Islam
remained strong
Women in early Islam
• Women in early Islamic societies generally had
more rights than women in the areas that
were conquered
• Mohammad’s first wife Khadijah was a
merchant business woman
• Muhammad’s fouth wife (and widow) stood
up for the rights of the Ummayads
• Ali’s daughter, Zainab fought against the
Ummayads
Women in early Islamic societies
• Once Abbasid Dynasty began flourishing
women’s rights for upper-class women
became restricted
• Harems eventually developed in Abbasid
Dynasty and the veiling of women began
• Harems became the secluded place of male
wives and concubines (unofficial wives)
– Protected by eunuchs
Quran Questions
1. What are some of the characteristics shared by
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism?
2. What is the responsibility of the believer toward
the poor?
3. In what way is the Koran a code of conduct for
everyday life?
4. What does the Koran teach should be done to
the nonbeliever?
5. What does the paradise look like? Why do you
think the Koran portrays it as it does?