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Oasis Towns and Desert Life
Islam appeared in the Arabian Peninsula, part of southwest Asia, which is mostly desert. Bedouins, or nomadic herders, adapted to the conditions of the desert. They regularly traded with people from oasis towns like Mecca. Mecca is located in Western Arabia. Mecca was a thriving pilgrimage and economic center. It was a market town at the crossroads of two routes, one that linked S. Arabia to India and to Syria and Palestine on the Med. Coast, and the other crossed from Mesopotamia to E. Africa.
The Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad was born in Mecca in about the year 570. In about the Year 510, Muhammad first spoke of his vision in the Arabian town of Mecca. Some believed him, and some doubted him. But in years to come, Muhammad would be recognized by millions of Muslims as Prophet and Islam would be spread throughout three continents. In 622, Meccan merchants threatened him and so he and his followers left for Yathrib, which is now known as Medina, or �the city of the Prophet.� This journey was known as hijra. After the death of Muhammad in 632, Islam did continue to spread worldwide. Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, or successor to Muhammad, helped Islam survive the death of its prophet.
The Message of Islam
Five Pillars- All Muslims had to accept five basic duties. These are known as the Five Pillars of Islam.
The first pillar is the declaration of faith- �There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of god.� They do believe that Abraham, Moses and Jesus were Prophets, but they believe that Muhammad was the last and most important.
The second pillar is daily prayer. They pray five times a day. They pray often at the mosques, or places of worship, and face Mecca when they pray.
The third pillar is giving charity to the poor.
The fourth pillar is the fast of Ramadan, in which they fast from sunrise till sunset every day during the month of Ramadan.
The fifth pillar is the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. If possible, A Muslim is expected to visit the Kaaba at least once in a lifetime.
Added info on Islamic customs:
a) Kneel Down when they pray
b) Minaret- tall thing the points to the sky/g-d
c) Muezzin- calls the people to pray
d) Jihad also means challenge
e) They learn Koran in army camp
f) Tap finger during prayer- shows one ness of god
g) They have a special way of washing before prayer
The Quran- to Muslims, it is the final authority on all matters, and it is the �inimitable� word of god in its original Arabic form. This shared language helped unite Muslims from many regions.
Sharia- Interpretations of the Quran that discusses laws about moral conduct, as well as all other aspects of Muslim community. It puts criminal and civil laws together with religious matters.
In the beginning, Islam helped Women by giving them full equality in all aspects of life, including inheritance laws allowing her to earn her share of her parents� or husband�s property. Over time, this changed by absorbing different ideas from non-Muslims. In the 1300�s, an Egyptian judge stated that it was not allowed for women to even leave their homes, unless it was an extremely important situation, like if one of her parents died.
Battle of Tours- In 732, the Arab push into Europe was turned back at the Battle of Tours in France.
Muslim Treatment of conquered non-Muslim people- they imposed a special tax on the non-Muslims, but they allowed Jews, Christians and Zoastrians to practice their own faith and to follow their own laws. Jews and Christians contributed a lot in Muslim civilization doctors, officials, etc. In time, many non-Muslims converted to Islam.
Muslims in Spain- Spain was one of the most brilliant corners of the Muslim world. The princes encouraged poetry, the arts, and scholarship. At Cordoba, rulers employed Jewish officials and welcomed Christian students to absorb Greek ideas at the feet of Muslim teachers.
Sunnis vs. Shiites- they were rivals for nearly 1300 years. Today, 90% of Muslims are Sunnis.
The Sunnis were a major group in Islam, who felt that leaders of the Muslim community should choose the Caliph. Although they agreed that the Caliph should be a pious Muslim, they thought of him not as a religious leader rather just as a leader.
The Shiites, on the other hand, believed that the only true successors to the Prophet were those people that come from Muhammad�s daughter and son-in-law, Fatima and Ali. They grew to admire martyrdom, or suffering, as a demonstration of their faith.
Sufis- They were Muslim mystics who sought communication with g-d through meditation, fasting and other rituals. They were respected their devotion and miraculous powers.
After the death of Ali, the Umayyad family set up a dynasty that ruled the Islamic world until 750, which carried Islam from the Atlantic to the Indus Valley. Their capital was Damascus, Syria.
Umayyads- As victorious as they were, they did have their problems. They had to go from desert life to ruling large cities and empires. They relied on Jews, Persians and Greeks to help them through their hardships. The Shiites hated them b/c they defeated Ali and killed his son.
Abbasids- unhappy Muslims who found a leader called Abu al-Abbas, who captured Damascus in 750. One of his generals invited members of the Umayyad family to a banquet and killed all of them. This dynasty lasted until 1258, and it helped make Islam a universal religion.
Harun al-Raszhid- He was one of the most famous caliphs of the Golden age.
As the 1200�s drew to a close, the Arab empire had fallen.
Seljuks- an independent dynasty that arose to rule separate Muslim states. In the 900�s, the Seljuk Turks adopted Islam and built their own empire. They took control of the Arab capital, Baghdad. A Sultan, or authority, controlled Baghdad, but he left the Abbasid caliph as a figurehead.
Mongols- destroyed Baghdad in the 1258, led by Hulagu, the grandson of Genghiz Khan. Genghiz Kahn was the one who led the Mongols out of Central Asia across Persia and Mesopotamia.
The Golden Age of the Muslim Civilization
One night Caliph al-Mamun had a dream. Although it was only a dream it inspired him to act. He had all the scholars translate all the works of the world into Arabic. Under the Abbasids, Islam absorbed traditions from many cultures. In the process a new civilization arose.
Society and Economy
The Muslim empire united people from diverse cultures. Muslims absorbed and blended many traditions.
Social Classes- Under the Abbasids there was no difference whether you were an Arab or non-Arab. People could move up in society through religious, scholarly or military achievements. There were slaves in the cities of the Muslim world however Muslims could not be slaves. The sons of slaves sometimes rose to be a caliph or a high government official. They encouraged freeing slaves.
International Trade Network- Merchants were honored in the Muslim world because Mohammed was a merchant. The merchants built a vast trading network across the Muslim world. A common language and religion helped trade grow and thrive. Trade spread not only through products but also through technology. Extensive trade and prosperous money led Muslims to pioneer new ways of doing business. They formed banks to change currency and also invented checks.
Manufacturing- Manufacturing was organized by the Guilds. The heads of the guilds often had the authority to regulate prices. The artisans produced a wealth of fine goods.
Agriculture- Agriculture flourished during the Golden Age. The Muslim farmers cultivated a lot of goods that were bought and sold in the market. They organized irrigation projects and drained swamplands in between the Tigris and Euphrates.
Muslim Art
As in Hindu, India religion shaped the arts of the Islamic world.
Design and Decoration- Because the Koran banned the worship of idols the Muslim religious leaders forbade artist to portray god or human figures in religious art. Muslim artist also perfected skills in calligraphy.
Architecture- Muslim architects adapted the domes and the arches of the Byzantine buildings. In Jerusalem, They built the dome of the rock. Domed mosques and high minarets dominated Muslim cities. Outside of the Mosques were large courtyards where people should wash their hands before entering.
Literature
The great work of Islamic literature is the Koran itself. Scholars studied the words of the Koran and then produced their own work interpreting the meaning.
Poetry- Arabs had a rich tradition of oral poetry, which helped bring various Arab groups together as one culture.
Tales- Arab writers prized the art of story telling. They gathered stories from all different cultural sources. The stories include romance, fables, adventures, and humorous anecdotes. Aladdin and Ali Baba are examples of stories or tales.
The World of Learning
Mohammed respect for learning set the tone for Muslim civilization. Baghdad was the Muslims greatest center of learning.
Philosophy- Muslim scholars translated the works of the Greek philosophers as well as many Hindu and Buddhist texts. Muslim scholars tried to harmonize Greek ideas about reason with religious beliefs.
Math- The greatest Muslim mathematician invented algebra. He later wrote a book that was translated into Latin and soon became a textbook in Europe.
Astronomy- Al- Kwazarmi developed a set of astronomical tables. The Muslim astronomers studied eclipses and observed the Earth�s rotation. This led to expeditions later on such as Christopher Columbus.
Masters of Medicine- They built on the knowledge of the Greek Muslims. They made remarkable advances in medicine and public health. The government set up hospitals and sent doctors to rural areas when people could not make it to the hospital.
The Muslims built a dazzling new empire in India. As the Muslims mixed with the Indians each civilization absorbed elements from each other.
The Muslims Advance
When the Gupta Empire fell in 550 India fragmented into many local kingdoms. Despite power struggles Indian culture flourished. Trade networks linked India to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China. When the Arabs armies conquered the Indus Valley in 711 they did not conquer the subcontinent. Then in 1000 Turkish converts to Islam pushed into India. The sultan of Ghur defeated the Hindu armies across the northern plains. He made Delhi his capital. His successors organized the Delhi sultanate. This marked the beginning of Muslim rule in northern India. The real reason why Muslims won was because the Hindus were not united. They battled one another. Many Hindus later converted to Islam.
Delhi Sultanate
Muslim rule brought change to Indian government and society. Trade between India and the Muslim world increased. During the Mongol raid of 1200 many scholars were forced to flee from Baghdad to India. They brought Persian and Greek learning. This helped create a brilliant civilization at Delhi where Persian art and Architecture flourished. In 1398, Tamerlane invaded India. He enslaved many artisans. The sultans no longer controlled a large empire and Northern India was again fragmented. This time, into Muslim and Hindu states.
Meeting of Two Cultures:
The Muslim conquest of Northern India inflicted disaster on Hindus and Buddhist. This caused Buddhism to decline as the major religion of India.
Hindu�Muslim differences- Hinduism was an ancient religion that has revolved over thousands of years. Hindus recognized many sacred texts and prayed before Statues representing many gods and goddesses. Islam however, was a newer faith with a single sacred text. Muslims are monotheistic and find the carvings and statues in the temples as offensive to god. Hindus believe in Brahman and different caste statuses. Muslims taught the equality of all believers before god and had no religious hierarchy. Hindus celebrate religious occasions with music and dance while the Muslims condemned.
Interactions- Eventually the sultans grew more tolerant of their subject population. Some Muslim scholars believed that behind the many gods of Hindus, was a single god. Therefore they accepted Hinduism as a monotheistic religion. As long as the Hindus paid their non-Muslim tax they could practice any religion they wish. A growing number of Hindus converted to Islam. For example the lower caste Hindus preferred Islam because they rejected the Caste system. Others accepted Islam because they liked the idea of monotheism. The merchants were attracted to Islam because they liked the strong trade network.
Cultural Blending- Indian Muslims absorbed elements of Hindu culture. A new language called Urdu, evolved as a mix of Persian, Arabic and Hindi. Nanak sought to blend Muslim monotheism and Hindu beliefs. He believed in the unity of God, The brotherhood of man the rejection of the caste and the uselessness of Idol worship. His teachings led to the rise of Sikhism in northern India. The Sikhs later organized into military forces that clashed with the powerful Mughal rulers of India.
Babur swept away the remaining of the Delhi sultanate and set up the Mughal dynasty, which ruled for 300 years. It stretched from the Himalayas to the Deccan.
Akbar the Great- He was the chief builder of the Mughal Empire. He created a strong central government on the subcontinent. He was a Muslim but won the support of the Hindus through his policy of toleration. He opened government jobs to everybody. He ended the tax to non-Muslims and married a Hindu princess. He hoped to promote religious harmony through tolerance. He modernized the army, encouraged international trade and introduced land reforms.
Akbar�s successors- Akbar�s son was a weak ruler. The golden age of the Mughal came during the time of Akbar�s grandson. The literature, art, and architecture were at their best. The Taj Mahal was a stunning tomb built for the wife of Akbar's grandson who gave birth to 14 children then died. The Taj Mahal is stands as perhaps the greatest monument of the Mughal Empire.
Decline- In the late 1600�s the emperor Aurangzeb resumed persecution on the Hindus. Economic hardships increased under heavy taxes and discontent revolts against Mughal rule.
The Ottoman and Safavid Empires
The Ottoman Advance
The Ottomans were Turkish nomads who migrated to Asia Minor. In the 1300�s, they extended to the Balkans overrunning the Byzantine Empire. In 1453, they conquered Constantinople, and renamed it Istanbul. The Ottoman Empire kept on growing and it stretched from Hungary, to Arabia, all the way to Mesopotamia. They ruled for centuries.
Ottoman Culture
The Ottomans had a Golden Age under the emperor Suleiman. He used a council to help rule, a bureaucracy to supervise, and a military kept peace.
Social Classes- the Ottomans separated society into 4 classes. The men of the pen were people of the highest authorities like scientists and judges. The men of the sword were the soldiers. Members of these two classes had to be Muslim. The men of negotiation were merchants and artisans. They carried out trade. The men of husbandry were farmers and herders. They supplied the food. The non-Muslims who were conquered were organized into millets, or religious communities. They had their own leader who was responsible for the entire group.
Janissaries- The Ottomans forced boys of conquered people to serve in the army. These people were called Janissaries. They were converted to Islam and were put into training school. The best soldiers were appointed to higher positions. The girls of conquered peoples were made slaves. (The word slave comes from Slav, the people who were conquered)
The Arts and Literature- The Ottoman culture blossomed under emperor Suleiman the Great. They used Persian and Muslim works to produce their own literature in Turkish. Baki was one of the greatest Ottoman poets. Sinan was a great architect who built many mosques including one that was said to be greater than the Hagia Sophia.
Decline- The Ottoman Empire declined as other cultures surpassed them. The Europeans traded, the Ottomans were still based on agriculture. As time passed, different leaders took over part of the empire until it disappeared.
The Safavid Empire
They were a Turkish-speaking dynasty. By the 1500�s, had control over present day Iran. They were situated between the Ottomans and Mughal India. They were Shiite Muslims and often had fights with the Ottomans over religious policies.
Abbas the Great- Shah Abbas revived the glory of ancient Persia. He centralized the government and strengthened the military. They used force and diplomacy against the Ottomans. Shah Abbas lowered taxes on farmers in order to strengthen the economy. He mad his capital in Isfahan, the center of silk trade. He welcomed people from all over practicing all religions.
Decline- After Shah Abbas died, Safavid glory slowly disappeared. In the 1700�s, a new Qajar Dynasty won control over Iran. The Safavids had lasting contributions in Iran. They planted Shiite traditions, and gave Persians a strong sense of their own identity.
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