UNIT THREEThe Middle East and Asia in the Medieval Age

OVERVIEW

1. The Classical eras in India, China and the Mediterranean created religions, art styles and languages that endure to this day

2. The post-Classical world, or the Medieval Age, is the bridge between the Classical world and the Modern world

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

1. Arabian Peninsula dominated by deserto The Empty Quarter

2. Grasslands on the fringes of the desert and sporadic oases in the desert

3. Red Sea to the west, the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf to the east

POLITICS & ECONOMY

1. Dominant regional powers – Byzantine Empire Sassanian (Persian) Empire

2. Primary economic and agricultural activity was herding of livestocko Bedouins – Arab nomads

3. Minimal urbanized populationo Mecca & Yathrib

4. Trade conducted by camel caravans o connections to

Mediterranean world and India

RAIDING & TRIBALISM

1. Raiding for material and cultural reasons2. Tribal political structure

o shaykhs 3. Feuds and cycles of vengeance

o Al-hakam – “wise man”

RELIGION BEFORE ISLAM

1. Polytheism and animism dominated Arabian peninsula Djinn

2. Mecca became an important religious crossroadso Town founded and controlled by

the Quyrash of the Umayaad tribe 

o Location of the Ka’ba o Allah recognized as

important deity3. Some Jewish and Christian tribal

societies in Arabia

MUHAMMAD – EARLY LIFE

1. Born around 570 CE, orphaned at an early age2. Became a merchant based in Mecca, married

Khadijah, a wealthy widow3. Around 610, he began having visions of the

angel Gabriel4. Recitation of God’s word

Qur’an 5. With his preaching becoming unpopular in

Mecca, he was ultimately forced to seek refuge in Yathrib (Medina)o The hijira, 622 CE o Battle of the Ditch 

6. Open conflict with the Quyrash of Meccao Conquered the city in 629

MUHAMMAD & HIS MESSAGE

1. Intensely monotheistic Opposed to polytheism and idolatry Ethical treatment of women, poor

2. Submission to Allah – Islam One who submits – Muslim

3. Relation to monotheistic religions Judaism & Christianity’s influence

TENETS AND TEXTS IN ISLAM

1. Five pillars of faith formed the bedrock of their beliefso confession of faitho pray towards Meccao fast during Ramadano giving of almso pilgrimage to Mecca  

2. People of the Book 3. Muhammad's revelation collected into the Quran (Koran)

ARABIA AND ISLAM

1. United separate tribal communities into one community, the umma

2. Brought more parity to individual relationships and obligations to the poor

3. Islam, submission to Allah, spread quickly across most of the Arabian peninsula by the time of Muhammad's death

LEADERSHIP CRISIS IN 632

1. Muhammad died unexpectedly in 632 2. Leadership of the umma was placed on caliphs

o Abu Bakr 3. Four "Rightly Guided Caliphs“ 4. Divisions within early Islam

o questions about succession - Ali, son in law of Muhammad, was favored by many

o Ridda Wars

THE SPREAD OF ISLAM UNDER THE CALIPHS

1. Byzantine Empire to the North and West, the Persian Empire to the North and East

2. Caliph Umar captured Jerusalem in 6373.  Invaded Persian Empire in 633, fell in 6444. Invaded North Africa in 647, by the end of the century all of

North Africa was under the Caliphs' control

 

ACCOUNTING FOR ISLAM'S QUICK SPREAD

1. Military fatigue of the two "super powers"o War ended in 630 with recapture of Jerusalem by the

Byzantines2. Religious divisions in Christendom 

o Persecution of heretics o Coptic Christians and Nestorians 

3. Islam's appeal to marginalized elements in society o Lower class occupation in Zoroastrian Persia

ISLAM IN SOUTHERN EUROPE

1. Tariq's invasion of Visigothic Spain in 711

2.  All of Spain, except for the northwest, fell within a year or two

3.  Islamic forces pushed across the Pyrenees o Battle of Tours, 732o Victory by Charles Martel

(Charlemagne’s GF)

CONVERSION AND TREATMENT OF OTHER RELIGIONS

1. Jihad and Islamic expansion2. Restrictions on non-believers

o Dhimmi - "people of the book"o jizya, or head taxo Property and dress restrictions

3. Converts to Islamo Rate of conversion is difficult to identify

4. Incentives by Muslims to slow or restrict conversiono mawali - non-Arab converts to Islam

THE UMAYAAD 

1. Uthman's murder and Ali's caliphate2. Battles between Ali and the

Umayaad's3. Ali assassinated and Mu'awiya of

the Umayaads proclaimed Caliphate

4. The death of Ali's sons at Karbala accelerated the factionalism in Islam

SHI’A ISLAM

1. Leadership through the family of the prophet Ali, son in law of Muhammad, husband of Fatima (600-661)

2. Accept the Qu’ran and hadith, but not necessarily the sunnahs

Role of Imams

3. Alternate path of succession Hasan and Hussain ibn Ali – sons of Ali (died in 680) The Twelfth Imam – Muhammad al-Mahdi (b. 869)

4. Geography 10 to 20% of Muslims today Located primarily in Iran and Iraq

UMAYAAD DECLINE AND FALL

1. Moved the caliphate to Damascus2. Extravagant lifestyle & political corruption of Umayaads3. Discontent among Arabs living in Khurosan (Northern Iran,

Afghanistan) sparked the rebelliono Mawali – non Arab converts to Islam o supporters of Ali (Shi'a)

4. Umayaads fell to the Abbasids in 750