Islam and the Islamic Empires

Geography of Saudi Arabia

Geography of Arabia –

Geographically important due to position between Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. TRADE

Surrounded by Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea.

Harsh arid deserts encouraged nomadic life of Bedouins (independent warriors who often feuded with each other).

Mecca/Makkah: Center trading post was also center of pagan religious worship due to “black stone”

Pre-Islamic Arabia

Politics– Arabs organized in

nomadic Bedouin tribes, male dominated

– Sheikh -- ruled the tribe

Economics– Trade - domestication

of camels (ca. 1200 BCE) – “fleet of the desert”

Religion– polytheistic, supreme god

known as Allah, worship sacred stones – most sacred at Ka’aba in Mecca.

– However, pockets of Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians – which fought one another.

Kaaba – sacred space where all weapons had to be set aside – merchants gathered here. In corner - the “Black Stone” was regarded as a gift from the gods – perhaps meteorite – although recent “investigation” suggest lava or glass? According to Muhammad “The Black stone descended from heaven, when it was whiter than Milk, but people's sins have blackened it”

Muhammad (570-632)

Belonged to trading clan, orphaned. Married to Khadija – wealthy widow and

owner of a trade network. (he was monogamous with her for 25 yrs until her death – then he married 10 or 12 more times)

610 – went to mountains to reflect (concerned over his wealth and Bedouin concept of charity)– received a message from Gabriel, the

Qur’an – began to preach the message of Allah.

Muhammad – Originally Not Accepted

622 – after failing to convert those of Mecca, made a Hegira to Medina where he hoped to convert the Jewish people and solve their political problems between five tribes.

Known as Year One in Islamic calendar. (2013 = 1435 – based on lunar calendar, not really used except for religious issues)

Early Islam under Muhammad

Medina – location of first mosque (home of Muhammad) where studied Christianity and Judaism - “People of the Book” Preached toleration of other monotheistic religions.

Series of wars with pagans – although outnumbered, significant and mysterious victories for Muhammad.

630 – marched on Mecca w/10,000 men – hajj. Treated the people of Mecca with tolerance (usual Bedouin practice was to slaughter everyone)

Hajj – pilgrimage from

Medina to Mecca -

Tenets of Faith

Five Pillars Forced conversion is

prohibited. - Accepts the prophets of the Judeo-Christian tradition; regard Jesus as messiah and great prophet but not son of God.

Everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah

Prohibitions on gambling, eating pork and alcoholic beverages.

Jihad – missionary work and, if necessary, fighting to defend faith – those who die in a jihad are guaranteed a garden paradise (unlike desert in which they live) “When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads” (Koran, Chapter 47) -

Writings of Islam

Qur’an (Koran) - Only revelation of God to the prophet Muhammad;

Shari’a – prescriptions to regulate daily life recorded by Muslim scholars. (used today in Fundamentalist countries like Iran)

Five Pillars (Rules):

Belief in Allah prayer (5x day) alms giving fasting during month of Ramadan Pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca

Belief in Allah

• This statement of faith must be declared publicly.

• “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger”

Name of Allah – images are not allowed

Prayer (5x day)

• Offering of prayers 5 times a day is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female who is sane and mature.

• Requirements of prayer: clean body, clothes and ground used for prayer, dressing properly and having the intention and facing Mecca.

• Fridays are holy days – go to mosques where iman lead service.

Mosque (prayer meeting place) of the Prophet Muhammad at Medina.

Alms Giving

• Obligatory charity giving is an act of worship and spiritual investment - annual amount in kind or coin (2.5 %) which a Muslim with means must distribute among the rightful beneficiaries.

• Amount can vary – for poor – could be gesture of kindness – a smile.

Fasting

• Fasting is abstaining completely from eating, drinking, and smoking from the break of dawn till sunset. Obligatory fasting is done once a year for the period of the month of Ramadan; the ninth month of the Islamic year.

• Recommended fasting includes every Monday and Thursday of every week.

Pilgrimage (Hajj)

to Mecca

• It is a pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in a lifetime and it is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female who is mentally, physically and financially fit (and can get a travel Visa to Saudi Arabia).

It is the largest annual convention of faith on earth (November 14-18, 2010 – 3.4 million)

• Performing Hajj was a hazardous journey for early pilgrims– In the seventeenth century a group of Egyptian pilgrims lost over

1,500 people and 900 camels. – In 1924 around one-fifth of a group of Syrian pilgrims died and two

years later 12,000 are thought to have died during the journey. – Due to better crowd control only 42 people died in 2010 one.

• Each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building which acts as the Muslim direction of prayer, runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drinks from the Zamzam Well, goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, and throws stones in a ritual. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the four day global festival of Eid al-Adha.[3][4][5]

Kaaba

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAeR1U0z5io

632 – Muhammad dies; Islam spreads throughout Arabia; many converted for nationalism, others for economic benefit – Muslims could not attack the trade caravans of other Muslims.

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Problem of Succession

No clear instruction on succession – he had only daughters.

Sunnis – followed traditional tribal democracy, attempting to elect most pious Muslim (90% today are Sunnis), elected Abu Bakr (632-4) as caliph (political leader, but also head iman or religious leader)

Shi’ites believe that succession should fall to Muhammad’s eldest male relative, Muhammad Ali.

Why Islam spread so quickly:

•Weakness of neighbors (Byzantines & Persia). Invaders brought sense of stability.•People not forced to convert, but penalized (taxes) if they don’t.

• Message was clear and simple. No need for church or clergy.

• Strong sense of nationalism among Arabs.

• Strong leaders – caliphs

• Militarism – soldiers willing to die.

Major Islamic Empires

Umayyads Abbasids Seljuk Turks Ottoman Turks

Political – Umayyads

After assassination of Muhammad Ali in 661; his rival, begins a hereditary caliphate in his family Umayyads.

Capital at Damascas instead of Mecca.

Expands across N. Africa, conquer Berbers, pastoral people.

Crossed into Spain and defeat Visigoths – by 725; stopped by Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours from expanding into France.

750 – revolt led to overthrow of Umayyads and establishment of Abbasids.

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Abbasid Dynasty - Moved the capital from Damascus to Baghdad (Persian for "city of God"). The location was strategic since it could take advantage of the river traffic to the Persian Gulf and the caravans from the Mediterranean and central Asia.

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Muslim Spain – the Moors

many of the Umayyad leaders were executed.

By the middle of the tenth century, Muslim Spain disintegrated into the smaller states under the control of various families.

By 12th century, Christians regaining territory.

Seljuk Turks

The Seljuk Turks, originating in the steppes of Turkistan, served as mercenaries for the Abbasids, but then took them over.

In 1071 defeated the Byzantines in eastern Anatolia (modern Turkey). This action would lead to the crusades.

By the middle of the thirteenth century the power of the Seljuk Sultan was broken by the Mongols who were conquering Persia and Iraq.

The Crusades - Byzantine emperor Alexius I, 1096

Saladin (1174-1193)

The MongolsDestroy populations and economyElites converted to IslamBy 14th c. began to split into separate kingdoms

Islamic Empire - Economics

Trade (spices, luxury items, slaves)

Banking Economic

Upheavals due to overtaxing

Islamic Empire – Social/Gender

Women subjected to increasing patriarchal control.

To be treated with respect Had right to inherit property Polygamy permitted Right of divorce restricted to

the husband Covering all parts of the body

common in urban areas (more Arab tradition than Koranic law)

Major Contributions

• Preserved and spread Greek & Roman culture.• Developed algebra• Medicine – wrote books, discovered how eye

worked, created hospitals w/quarantine for sick• Travel - developed the earliest astrolabe (device to

study the stars)• Perfected waterwheels• Learned how to make paper (from Chinese)

Islamic Empires – Art

Islamic Art and Architecture– Dome of the Rock, built 691– Mosques– Palaces– Woolen rugs– No representation of the Prophet Muhammad – Lots of nature motifs (heaven was a garden)– Influence of East Asia on painting

Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, below Dome of the Rock