Islam“Submission”
Muslim“Those who submit”
Byzantines and Sassanids 4th through
early 7th centuries CE
• Extensive trade along the Silk Road
• Parthia: 247 BCE -224 CE• Sassanids: 224-640 CE
Islam• Strong, self-confident faith
• Tolerated Diversity
• Promoted egalitarianism
• Influenced by Persian, Greek, Roman and Jewish cultures
• Arabic as lingua franca: Spain to India
Mauritania Tunisia Pakistan Algeria
Crescent = ProgressStar = Light & Knowledge
Green = color of Islam
Prophet and Statesman: Muhammed
• 570-632
• His life and teachings are in: Quran and hadith (“tradition”) literature– These two together are called the Shariah
• Political & Religious rule closely associated
His message came out of and addressed 7th century Arabia
• A religious, political and military leader of a community-state
• Muslims look to his example for guidance in all aspects of life
courses.wcupa.edu/jones/ his311/lectures/..%5C..
Muhammed’s Early Life
• Orphaned as a child
• Raised by his Uncle, Abu Talib, a respected tribal leader who protected Muhammed and his followers
• Muhammed managed trade caravans for Khadija whom he married
Muhammed as Prophet • Known for trustworthiness and
reflective nature• Would retreat to a hilltop in the
desert• 610 - “Night of Power and
Excellence” called to be prophet of God and later leader of the Muslim state– Heard a voice commanding him to
“recite” (Angel Gabriel / mediator)
• Received revelations for 22 years until his death in 632– Later compiled into the Quran
Muhammed’s Challenge
• Muhammed’s message challenged the order of the day– Called for social justice for the poor and women,
children and orphans – Based on belief in one god rather than in loyalty to
tribes
• Kaaba had been a place of annual pilgrimmage and festival for polytheistic tribes– Loss of revenue for tribal leaders
The Hijra• After 10 years in Mecca, went
to Medina (“hijra”) due to persecution (622 CE)– Muslim calendar begins with this
event– Islam goes from religious to
political system as well
• In Medina, 1st community-state was founded, led by Muhammed himself for 10 years
From Medina to success in Mecca
• Created the Charter of Medina: rights & duties of all citizens– Recognizes people of the book / tolerance in
return for loyalty and poll tax
• Muslims and Jews continued to exist in Medina
Mecca• Truce in 628 between
Muhammed and Meccans
• Muslims won right to pilgrimmage at Mecca
• Muslim rule consolidated over the rest of Arabia through diplomacy and military battles
• 632 Muhammed died
Quran as Sculptured Design
Abu Bakr - 1st Caliph
• Father-in-law (Aisha) • Ordered revelations into a book• Died 634
Umar I - 2nd Caliph
• 636 – Damascus• 637 – Sasanid Empire & Iraq• 638 –Jerusalem• 641-643 – Egypt and Tripoli• 644 - Assassinated
Uthman - 3rd Caliph
• Assassinated in 656 / Buried in Medina
• 656-661: Ali supported by Shi’a /Shi’ites
• Believed Muhammed’s successors should be related to him
• Religious purity emphasized
• 661 - Ali was assassinated – Was and is considered a martyr
Uthman’s tomb
4th & 5th Umayyad Caliphs• 4th Caliph: Mu’awiya (Umayyad Family)
• Moved the capital to Damascus
• 5th Caliph Yazid I (Umayyad Family) • Ali’s son Husayn died tried to take power from Yazid causing
civil war– Husayn died /2nd martyr for Shi’as / Tomb: Karbala
Islamic Spain• Muslim Kingdoms in
Spain: 8th-16th centuries
• Revitalized Mediterranean trade
• Culture flourished:– Christians,Jews and
Muslims lived in Spain– Classical writings entered
Europe through Spain
Mezquita / Cordoba Mosque
Abbasids 762-1258
• Descended from Muhammad’s Uncle
• Revolted against Umayyads– Shi’as and non-Arabs supported them– Protested high taxes
Abbasids 762-1258 CE
• “Golden Age”of commerce, architecture, arts, scholarship
• The 1st 100 years: relative peace and stability
• Baghdad on Tigris River– Trade via river to and from the Persian Gulf
• Baghdad on the Silk Road Trade Route• Goods and ideas exchanged from one end of the world to the
other
Abbasids
• Allowed non-Arabs into governmental administration– Nestorian Christians, Jews, Shi’as had
prominent roles
• Good relations with local authorities– Rotated officers– Regulated taxes
Abbasids in Decline
• 9th & 11th centuries : revolts in Iran, Egypt, Afghanistan, India, Central Asia, Turkey and North Africa led to regional rule
• Tang expansion pushed Seljuk Turks westward
• Seljuk Turks became powerful as military mercenaries under the Abbasids
Seljuk Turks• 1055 - 1258: Seljuk Turks ruled
Islamic territories
• Called themselves “Sultans” (secular rulers) – Kept Abbasid Caliphs as religious
rulers
• 1071: Turks defeated the Byzantines in the Battle of Manzikert– Beginning point for Crusades
1st Crusade: 1096-1099
• Captured Antioch, Edessa & Jerusalem– French Baldwin declared himself King of
Jerusalem (r.1100-1118)– 1144 Muslims won Edessa back
2nd Crusade: 1146-1148
• Holy Roman Emperor Conrad and King of France, Louis the VII attacked Damascus– Retreated to Europe in defeat– 1187- Saladin recaptured Jerusalem for Islam
3rd Crusade: 1189-1192• Richard the Lionheart of England and
Saladin battle in Acre, Jaffa & Jerusalem – Ended with a peace treaty between the two
4th Crusade: 1202-1204
• Sailed to Jerusalem
• Attacked Constantinople against the direct orders of the Pope – Ended with Europeans defeated
Mongolian Empire
1258 - Mongol ruler, Hulegu, executed the last Abbasid caliph
Delhi Sultanate• Freed slave soldiers created a
new Muslim government in Ghazni, Afghanistan
• Conquered Delhi in 1211• After 1335, controlled entire
subcontinent under five dynasties until 1526
• Granted Hindus religious tolerance as long as they accepted Islamic rule
The Mughal Empire 1556 - • 1556 - Beginning of
the Mughal Empire in India
• Established by Mongol and Turkish soldiers
• Tolerance of Hindus as long as they accepted Islamic rule
Islam and Trade in Africa
Ottomans 1289-1923
Fight for Palestine• 1917 Balfour Declaration -
– Britain’s support for limited Jewish settlement in Palestine following World War I (Britain was expected to take over Turkey)
– Most Jews (not Reform Jews) supported this Zionist realization
• 1947 United Nations decision to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab areas / Jerusalem was to be a neutral, international zone
• 1948 - Jews declared Israel an independent state• Arabs didn’t agree with partition and invaded Israel when
British troops left– Attack was aided by Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt– The first of many Arab-Israeli Wars
• This particular war ended in 1949 with Israelis gaining more territory than they would have had granted by the United Nations
• 1967 - Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Palestine: “Six-Day War”
• 1973 - Egypt and Syria conducted a surprise attack on Israel, but were stopped
• 2003 - Geneva Accords created two independent states of Palestine and Israel
Islamic History at a glance• 622-632: Expansion on Arabian peninsula under
Muhammed• 632-656 Relatives of Muhammed lead Muslim
conquest• 656-762: Umayyad Dynasty• 762-1258 Abbasid Dynasty (splinter states)• 14th/15th centuries: Arab merchants and Sufis from
India led mass conversions of SE Asians to Islam (Malaysia / Indonesia)
• By 1601: the last Muslims and Jews out of Spain• 14th century – WWI: Ottoman Turks in Anatolia
Sura 87:14-20
• “He who makes himself pure will flourish, who remembers the name of his lord and performs the prayer…Better is the life ultimate, the life that endures. As is set down in the scrolls of the ancients, the scrolls of Ibrahim and Musa.”
Sura 83:1-7
• “Cursed are the cheats who when their portion is measured among people take their full share, who when they measure the share of others are frauds. Do they think they will not be raised again for a momentous day, a day humankind will stand before the lord of all beings.”
Quran as Sculptured Design