The Rise of Islam

Terms to Know• Muhammad (c. 571 – 632)• The Qur’an• Umayyad Dynasty, 661 – 750• Abbasid Dynasty, 750 – 1258

Arabia Before Islam

• Commercial cities• Nomadic culture• Polytheistic

Western Afroeurasia before the Rise of Islam

Muhammad (c. 571 – 632)• Born into a commercial family in Mecca• 610: visited by Gabriel; becomes prophet of

Islam • 622, Hegira: Forced to leave Mecca for Medina• By 627, Muhammad united Medina under

Islam with protection for other faiths, peace & prosperity; Islam spread rapidly amongst Arabs

• 630: returned to Mecca in triumph and worked for unification of Arabia

The Practice of Early Islam• Five Pillars: Recitation;

Prayer; Alms; Ramadan; Pilgrimage (Hajj)

• The Qur’an: 114 surahs (chapters) lay out creation, life & laws

• Sunni: recognized authority of Caliphs

• Shi’ite: followed lineage of Muhammad

Decorations in the Great Mosque of Aleppo demonstrate the sophistication of Islamic decorative art and architecture

Creating an Empire• Four Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali – incorporated Persia, Syria, Egypt & North Africa into Islamic Empire• Ali’s assassination in 661 ended the direct line of Muhammad’s household in leading Islam

The Dome of the Rock, one of the most sacred sites in Islam, was begun in 684 after the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem

Umayyad Dynasty, 661 – 750

• Mu'awiyah, governor of Damascus, rebelled against Ali and, after Ali’s asssassination, seized control

• Umayyad Caliphs focused on expansion in the East (against Byzantium) and the West (against Vandals, Visigoths and Franks)

This example of Islamic architecture comes from eighth century Cordoba in Spain

The Empire Grows & Divides

Abbasid Dynasty, 750 – 1258

• Caliphs of Baghdad, rebelled against Umayyad caliphs, 747-750

• Islam quickly fragmented– Umayyad dynasty re-emerges in Spain– Africa soon declared its independence– Critics complained of persecution against Shi’a– Harun al-Rashid (763-809) was a scholar, poet

and military leader who bested the Byzantines– Al-Mu'tasim (833-842) began practice of

passing power to Turkish household slaves

The Muslim World to 1500 C.E.