Mohammed and the Rise of Islam

Abhimanyu Singh

Semester V

NUSRL, Ranchi

Middle East, ca. 600 A.D.

Islam

� Bedouin Arab named Mohammed� born ca. 570 A.D.� Merchant family, Hasimites� Qurayshis tribe, who dominate Mecca

– controlling much of the religious pilgrim trade

� raised by relatives-father and mother died by age six

-raised by an impoverished uncle

Mohammed� formal education ?? We don’t know

– Normally only the Poets of the Tribes could read and write

� commercial agent for a wealthy widow– Khadijah– supervising caravans from Mecca, north to

Jerusalem

– contact with both Jews and Christians

Mohammed, con’t

� He seems to have made an impression on his boss, because of his reputed honesty– married her and retired from commerce– to devote himself to religion

– and to making society more fair and equitable

Mohammed, con’t

� monogamous until his wife died� eventually married nine wives and had

assorted concubines� last marriage at 53 to Aishah, daughter of a

friend� wives: widows of friends or political marriages

Origins of Mohammed’s Teachings� periods of unconsciousness are indicated:

explanations– revelations from Allah by holy trances, spoken to by Gabriel

– epilepsy or a similar neurological disorder?– mental illness or hallucinations ?

� Mohammed’s explanation:

– revelations from God

– Very unpleasant and painful for him

The Quran

� Record of revelations received during visions

� Committed to writing c. 650 CE, compiled (Muhammad dies 632)– Under the third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan

� Tradition of Muhammad’s life: hadith

Nature of Revelations

� diverse� social, agricultural, medical, military,

astronomical, etc.

Historical Origins of His Ideas

� Arab polytheism� Hanifism: a belief in one God traced to Abraham, by

tradition� Judaism� Christianity: Orthodox, Nestorian, Arianism� Manichaeism: a mixture of Zoroastrianism,

Christianity, Judaism, and so forth

Beginning of His Ministry

� at about age 40, after a number of revelations� began to preach publicly� continued to receive revelations until death

– usually related to current problems or concerns

– Religious, political, social, economic

Early religious career� not particularly successful� threatened the social, political, and religious

structure, with his doctrine of social equity� threatened the economic basis of Mecca as a center

of religious pilgrimage� particularly the Black Rock

– sacred to the chief deity of the Arabs� run out of town, or at least encouraged to leave

– Went to the desert with his family and lived for about a year

The Hijra

� flight from Mecca, to Yathrib (Medina)

-tradition: invited by the Jews of Medina� 622 A.D.� beginning of the Islamic calendar� forms the umma (community)� welcomed, then resisted� Mohammed becomes an absolute theocrat

Muhammad’s Return to Mecca

� Attack on Mecca, 630 -- jihad� Conversion of Mecca to Islam� Destruction of pagan sites, replaced with mosques

– Ka’aba preserved in honor of importance of Mecca

– Approved as pilgrimage site

Jihad

� holy war against Mecca� ten year blockade� a deal was made

The Deal

� Mecca preserved as a holy city and place of pilgrimage– to preserve the economic prosperity

� the Ka’aba preserved as the central shrine

– idols and icons destroyed

– story of its origins emphasized the role of Abraham in its placement

– pilgrimage as an act of faith, at least once in your life

The Ka’aba in Mecca

The Religion: the Koran (Qu’ran)

� the Koran (Qu’ran): contains much of Mohammed recounting of Allah’s teachings

� written down by his followers after his death– from notes and memories, on “stones and

parchments”� Short: 114 chapters

– arranged from longest to the shortest

– not by subject or chronologically– length is the criterion of order for the text

The Koran, con’t

� some “Old” and “New” Testaments stories– but sometimes the story seems a bit different to

Jews and Christians

� parables and fables� political polemic and prophecy� “non-religious” subjects

– not dissimilar to Jewish and Christian scriptures in some ways

Five Pillars of Islam

� uniqueness of God– ‘There is no other god, but one….Allah’

� prayer five times a day� observe the month of Ramadan� give alms to the poor� pilgrimage to Mecca

– If possible, once in your life

Additional teachings

� dietary laws� no gambling or drinking� no sexual irregularities, as defined by tradition and

custom� no faulty weights or usury� no infanticide� elaborate rules concerning inheritance and property � improvement in the status of women and children

Changing Status of Women

� Qu’ran improves status of women– Outlawed female infanticide– Brides, not husbands, claim dowries

� Yet male dominance preserved

– Patrilineal descent

– Polygamy permitted, Polyandry forbidden– Veil adopted from ancient Mesopotamian practice

Similarities to Judaism and Christianity� monotheism (defined a bit differently)� insistence on the responsibility of human beings� final judgment and rewards� angels and spirits� practice of virtues: truthfulness, compassion, etc.

Differences

� an emphasis on compassion and mercy� alms giving moderate� heaven conceived a bit differently� no priests or sacramental system� easy conversion: the Shahadah

– ‘There is no God by Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.’

Islamic Law: The Sharia

� Codification of Islamic law� Based on Quran, hadith, logical schools

of analysis� Extends beyond ritual law to all areas of

human activity– This is the basis the idea of an “Islamic

republic” for instance

Expansion of Islam

� early victories� backsliders (tribes) punished

– Apostasy = treason = death

� assaults on:– the Byzantine (Roman) empire– the Persian empire

Spread of Islam

Dome of the Rock,

Temple Mount Jerusalem

Victories

� Syria: 635 A.D.� Palestine: 636 A.D.� Persia: captured in one battle

– expansion into India– expansion to the borders of China

� Egypt: help by local Christians� North Africa: the Berbers

Expansion, con’t

� Spain 711-720 A.D.� Battle of Tours: October 732 A.D.

– Charles Martel� Siege of Constantinople: 717-718 A.D.

– Leo III– Greek fire

� beginnings of Christian reconquest of former Roman/Christian territory

Reasons for success

� exhaustion of Rome and Persia– End of a 400 year war

� nationalist sentiments in Egypt and Syria� arguments among Christian factions� speed and size of Moslem armies� simplicity and uncomplicated nature of Islam� acceptance of the Old and New Testament

– People of the Book

Consequences of Expansion

� loss of the oldest and most central lands of Christendom

� aided the ascendancy of the bishop of Rome� virtual collapse of Zoroastrianism as a major religion� radically altered the balance of power between the

Roman Empire and the East� disruption of the Mediterranean economic community

Early Problems

� Succession ?– Mohammed had no surviving male children– Daughter: Fatima– Son-in-law: Ali, child of his uncle

� generated a permanent split in the Islamic community– Sunnis– Shi’as

Sunnis

� considered themselves the “orthodox” followers of Mohammed

� consider the Shi’as to be “dissenters”� issue: who leads after Mohammed ??� the Caliph (or “leader”)� went successively to followers

-Abu Bakr, then Oman

-then Uthman and

The Shia

� Disagreements over selection of caliphs � Ali passed over for Abu Bakr� Served as caliph 656-661 CE, then assassinated

along with most of his followers� Remaining followers organize separate party called

“Shia”

– Traditionalists: Sunni

Abu Bakr

� not particularly popular with the Muslim community

� allowed raid, then invasions of Byzantine and Persian territory

� subjugated any dissident elements or tribes

� disposed of any “new prophets”

Success = strain

� success introduced luxury and change– From original caliphs to the Umayyad caliphs

� new ideas and new ethnic groups– with their own customs and heritage, to try to

assimilate� rise of a sort of “revivalist element”

– Islam had strayed from its original path and purity

– Muslims were being led back to paganism– caliphs were becoming idle, corrupt, tyrants

Uthman: the third Caliph

� murdered: warfare broke out� Ali: cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed� originally passed over as too young� contested the succession� Uthman supported by the Umayyad clan

– early enemies of Mohammed– refused to accept Ali’s claims

Umayyeds

� successful in the war� Ali assassinated in 661 A.D.

– by the Kharijites

� beginning of the Umayyed dynasty

Policy toward Conquered Peoples� Favoritism of Arab military rulers causes

discontent� Limited social mobility for non-Arab

Muslims� Head tax (jizya) on non-Muslims� Umayyad luxurious living causes further

decline in moral authority

Sunnis

� accepted the legitimacy of early caliphs� “Sunni” : from an Arabic word

– “usage” or “custom”– implies: “precedent”

Shi’as

� accepted Ali� word means: “party”, “faction”,

“following”

Factions

� Sunni and Shi’as dominant� originally political

– Eventually the differences became dogmatic in emphasis

� Shi’as become a party of religious dissent

Perceptions

� Sunni: conservative, in favor of the “status quo”– consensus is the guiding principle

� Shi’as: defenders of the oppressed, critics of privilege and power– obedience is required only as long as it can

be forced, and no longer

Umayyed empire

� Atlantic Ocean to India� Syria: center of the Islamic World� eventually displaced by the Abbasids

– an Arab family claiming decent from Mohammed

The Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258 CE)� Abu al-Abbas Sunni Arab, allied with Shia, non-Arab

Muslims� Seizes control of Persia and Mesopotamia� Defeats Umayyad army in 750

– Invited Umayyads to banquet, then massacred them

– Only Spain remains Umayyad– North Africa is disputed territory, ultimately

Fatamid

Nature of the Abbasid Dynasty

� Diverse nature of administration (i.e. not exclusively Arab)

� Militarily competent, but not bent on imperial expansion

� Dar al-Islam� Growth through military activity of autonomous

Islamic forces

Nature of the Abbasid Dynasty

� Diverse nature of administration (i.e. not exclusively Arab)

� Militarily competent, but not bent on imperial expansion

� Dar al-Islam� Growth through military activity of

autonomous Islamic forces

Caliph Harun al-Rashid (786-809 CE)

� High point of Abbasid dynasty� Baghdad center of commerce� Great cultural activity

Abbasid Decline

� Civil war between sons of Harun al-Rashid� Provincial governers assert regional independence� Dissenting sects, heretical movements� Abbasid caliphs become puppets of Persian

nobility� Later, Saljuq Turks influence, Sultan real power

behind the throne

Formation of an Islamic Cultural Tradition

� Islamic values– Uniformity of Islamic law in dar al-Islam– Establishment of madrasas– Importance of the Hajj

� Sufi missionaries– Asceticism, mysticism– Some tension with orthodox Islamic

theologians– Wide popularity

Cultural influences on Islam

� Persia– Adminstration and governance– literature

� India– Mathematics, science, medicine

• “Hindi” numbers

� Greece– Philosophy, esp. Aristotle– Greek medicine

Cultural Importance of Islam

� Development of these received influences

� Distribution throughout the Muslim world

� Introduction and reintroduction of these ideas to medieval Europe– Through Spain– Spanish Jews

THANK YOU