Unit 1.2 APWH - Developments in Dar-al Islam

Arabian Peninsula

Landscape was dry and inhospitable, although coastal regions had extensive agriculture

Who were the first civilizations on the Arabian Peninsula?

Bedouin (nomadic) cultures

• organized into clans (kin-related)

• tribes (groups of clans)

What was pre-Islamic Arabia like?

Transcontinental trading was common

• Wealthy merchants were the elite

• Tribes often matriarchal because husbands were often traders

• Religions: animism and polytheism

Mecca

An important city for trading and site of religious shrine (Ka'aba) for polytheistic worship

Ka'aba

Religious shrine

Abrahamic Religions

Monotheistic faiths of Middle Eastern origins that trace a common origin to Abraham

• Judaism

• Christianity

• Islam

Muhammad

Arab prophet; founder of the religion of Islam

Qu'ran

The sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina

Umma

The community of all Muslims

Islam

Means "submission" to Allah (God)

• Created a strong sense of community based on religion

• Created an ethical system and legal/moral code

5 Pillars of Islam

• Confession of faith (uncompromising monotheism)

• Pray, facing Mecca 5 times a day

• Fast during Ramadan

• Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca to worship at ka'aba)

• Give to charity, social responsibility

Who was Muhammad's successor?

Muhammad died without naming a successor, causing a debate over who should succeed him and caused a political split in the Muslims

Caliph

Political and religious successor

Ali

Cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad

• Deemed too young

Abu Bakr

Father-in-law, chosen because he understands the politics of the region and tribes

Sunni Muslims

85% of Muslims who believed Abu Bakr was the best choice as caliph; caliphs should be chosen from the umma

Shia Muslims

15% of Muslims who believed Ali should've been chosen as caliph because he was a direct descendant of Muhammad

How and where did Islam spread?

Islam spread through military actions and the activities of merchants and missionaries

Its reach extended from India to Spain

Dhimmi

Non-Muslims living in Islamic states

Caliphate

Dynasty of Islamic caliphs

Rightly Guided Caliphs

The first four rulers of the Islamic world

• Abu Bakr; Umar; Uthman; Ali

Umayyads

Ruled from 661-750, centered in Damascus

• Little motivation to convert to Islam because converts were inferior to born Muslims

• Muslim Arabs were first-class citizens

- Paid lower taxes

- Could join the imperial administration and the army

- Received share of riches from conquests

Decline of the Umayyads

Umayyads enjoyed luxurious lifestyles; legitimacy is questioned because Muhammad led a simple lifestyle

• People see them as corrupt and decadent

Abbasid army rebels and challenge Umayyad army

• Umayyad survivor, Abd-ar-Rahman I, creates the Caliphate of Cordoba

Abbasids

Ruled from 750-1258, centered in Baghdad

• Begin as Shi'ites but change to Sunnis

• Converts are seen as equal to natural-born Muslims

Wazir

Chief administrator

• Head of the caliph's inner councils

• Royal executioner

• Built administrative infrastructure

Cordobas

Ruled from 756-1031, Iberia

Al-Andalus

Islamic Spain

Berbers

North African Muslims

Dhows

Sailing vessels with triangular sails to carry goods for trade

Commercial Boom

Muslims trade with Christians and Jews

• Artisans created glassware, jewelry, furniture, carpets

- had few natural resources

Ottomans

Ruled from 1517-1922

House of Wisdom

a renowned center of learning located in Baghdad

Challenges the Abbasid Empire had to face (invaders)

Nomadic group from Central Asia:

• Egyptian Mamluks

• Seljuk Turks

• Mongols

European invaders:

• Crusaders

Mamluks

enslaved people, mostly ethnic Turks from Central Asia who served as soldiers and later as bureaucrats

Mamluk Sultanate

a political unit in Egypt when the Mamluks seized control of the government

Seljuk Turks

nomadic Turks from Central Asia who began conquering parts of the Middle East

Sultan

Seljuk leader

Crusaders

European Christians organized groups of soldiers

Mongols

The fourth group to attack the Abbasid Empire which come from Central Asia and ended the Seljuk rule

Baghdad

A city that acted as a crossroad for trade routes

• trade routes shifted and Baghdad lost its place as the center of trade

Abbasid Caliphate

Led by Arabs and Persians, but the later Islamic states were shaped by Turkic peoples who descended from people in Central Asia

• Mamluks in North Africa

• Seljuks in the Middle East

• Delhi Sultanate in South Asia

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

An Islamic scholar who contributed to astronomy, law, logic, ethics, mathematics, philosophy, and medicine

Made trigonometry

'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

Sufi poet and mystic, she was the most prolific female Muslim writer before the 20th century

• many of her works describe her journey toward mystical illumination

Sufis

Emphasized introspection to grasp truths that they believed could not be understood through learning

How did Islamic society view merchants?

Compared to societies in Europe and Asia, merchants were seen as prestigious

• Muhammad and his first wife were merchants

How were non-Arabs treated?

In the non-Arab areas of Islamic expansion, the Islamic caliphs led to discrimination against non-Arabs

Did Islam allow slavery?

Islam prohibited Muslims from enslaving other Muslins or monotheists, but allowed them to enslave anyone else

• Many enslaved people were freed by their owners after converting to Islam

Hijab

The practice of dressing modestly or in a specific type of covering

How did Muhammad raise the status of women?

He treated his wives with love and devotion

Insisted that dowries, the payments prospective husbands made to secure brides, be paid to the future wife rather than her father

Forbade female infanticide, the killing of newborn girls

The status of women

Overall, Islamic women enjoyed a higher status than Christian or Jewish women

• allowed to inherit property and retain ownership after marriage

• could remarry if widowed, could receive a cash settlement if divorced

• could practice birth control

Harem

A dwelling set aside for wives, concubines, and the children of these women

Islamic rule in Spain

After Muslim forces defeated Byzantine armies, they invaded Spain

• designated Cordoba as their capital of Spain