The better Medievel Islamic World Study Guide

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Muhammad

The leading prophet and creator of the Islamic tradition, as delivered from God.

The Rightly Guided Caliphs

The first four successors of Muhammad (Abu Bakr, a companion to Muhammad), Umar (appointed by Abu Bakr), Uthman (chosen from amongst those nominated by Umar), and Ali.

Mecca

Holiest city in Islam as the birthplace of Muhammad and the site of the Kaa’ba, formerly a pagan shrine controlled by the Quraysh tribe (Muhammad’s family)

People of the Book/Children of Abraham

The three monotheistic religions. Muhammad believed he was the last of the prophets chosen by God to reveal messages to mankind. Earlier prophets such as Abraham, Moses and Jesus played a vital role in delivering the word of God to humanity, but their message was corrupted by Jews, Christians, and Arabs. Muhammad urged people to return to the old and pure religion of Abraham.

Allah

The only God, the all-powerful Creator. Lah is the word for God and Al means “the”

Islam

Submission, the primary obligation of one who believes

Muslim

One who submits

Umma

A community of believers, a just and moral society that would replace tribal/ethnic/racial identities of the Arab people

Quran (Qur’an/Koran)

The recitations of God’s words as revealed to Muhammad over a 22 year period

Hadith

Sayings of Muhammad

Hijrah

Flight to Medina in 622, the first year of the Muslim calendar, so 622 is really 1 AH.

Medina (formerly Yathrib)

A city with a mixed Jewish and Arab population divided by religious discord. Muhammad was invited to come to Yathrib and was accepted as there was intense resistance to his message in Mecca.

Sharia

The Sharia is a law code that evolved over centuries and regulates all aspects of a Muslim’s daily life. The word literally means “a path to water,” and water is the source of all life.

Jihad

A much disputed concept within the Islamic community. Muhammad may have talked about a “greater jihad,” which is the internal struggle within a person to overcome greed and selfishness. A Muslim can work towards this goal by memorizing the Quran or working for social justice. Muhammad may have also described a “lesser jihad” which was a holy war against an outer enemy. These sayings by Muhammad are seen by some as unreliable and some believe the interpretation of jihad as a holy war is more important.

Dhimmi

Protected second class subjects, most often the People of the Book -- namely Christians and Jews -- who paid a special tax.

Sufi

Another spiritualized minority sect of the Islamic tradition. The worldly success of Islamic civilization was a distraction and deviation from the more pure spirituality of Muhammad’s time. Sufis sought a direct and personal connection to God.

Umayyad Caliphate

Started by Mu’awiya, caliph after the death of Ali. He was a relative of Uthman and moved the capital of the growing Islamic Empire to Damascus.

Abbasid Caliphate

Overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate in 750 because of the luxurious lifestyle of its caliphs. Ruled from Baghdad until 1258.

What are some shared beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

- Monotheistic
- 10 Commandments as (moral framework)
- Afterlife
- Ethical God
- Abraham
- Moses ( belief in prophets)

Why might Arab/Bedouin people be open to new and, at the time, radical ideas

There were many leaders with different ideas and cultures so they might have been more open to new ideas and different cultures.

Why did Islam spread so quickly

Muhammad helped a Bedouin family and because he had many wives from different cultures. Since he had children with them he was associated and connected with many different cultures. Because of Muhammad's association and connection with different cultures, it could have made people of those cultures trust him more. People were also already familiar with monotheism so Islam is not that much of a different ideology.
•Islam spread so quickly throughout the Arabian Peninsula because there were many poor people who were tired of being taken advantage of and we're ready for a change where they were seen as equal to everybody else. Muhammed was also very convincing it was said to be good at getting people to join Islam.
•Early military achievements and wins made Muslims more confident and caused other people to believe in them

What were some of Muhammads revelations and the reception of his teachings

- His first visions and revelations of God's message were terrifying
- Very open-minded
- Married Khadija (she tells him to do something about his visions)
- taught equality
- proposing to change the foundation of business (he said to give back to the poor)

What are some challenges faced by Muhammad and his community of believers

- The wealthy rejected his message because he was proposing to change the foundation of business (he said to give back to the poor)
- Some powerful people in Mecca immediately joined him, but most were underprivileged
- Forced to leave for Medina where he became the head of community of believers of the umma tribal affiliation no longer mattered
•Muhammed was seen to be disloyal to his own tribes
• some Jewish people sided with their enemies and fought against them

Causes of the Sunni-Shi'a split

- the sunni's thought that the next leader or caliph did NOT have to be related to Muhammad and should just follow his example
- the shi'a's believed that the next leader or caliph DID have to be related to Muhammad

Sunni

from the Arabic word: sunna "custom tradtion, rule"
- beleived that caliphs did not have to be related to Muhammad but follow his example

Shi'a

party for Ali
- believed that Ali - Muhammads son in law and first cousin should have been caliph

Accomplishments and failures of the Umayyad Caliphate

- They established a common currency that connected everyone and unified them
- The same currency increased trade and made it easier to buy things
- They had written documents were all in Arabic
- They taxed everyone the same
- They built great mosques everywhere to promote Islam
-They got their power by the Caliphs being killed and dying
- Moved the Muslim capital to Damascus
- The capital being located in Damascus made it easier for the Umayyads to conquer other lands
- Lived a wealthy lifestyle

What were the origins of the Abbasid Caliphate and changes to the government and trade

- They moved the capital to Baghdad because it was the center of trade routes which boosted the economy, it was also right by water
- Overthrew the Umayyads and murdered any remaing Umayyad family members (except for one prince who escaped to spain)
- Made bureaucracy
- Taxed imports, exports, and non-Muslims
-had many different departments that handle things such as money in the military
-increased authority through consulting religious leaders

Describe Baghdad and the factors that made the city so wealthy and advanced

- Baghdad had many scholars (it was the center of learning)
- Baghdad had amazing architecture and its clear lots of planning went into it
- Baghdad had the house of wisdom which was filled with scholars of many different religions whole had many different ideas
- Sciences and mathematics from many different places were used in the house of wisdom
- Advancements in astrology and medicine also came from the house of wisdom
- Paper encouraged the spread of knowledge because people wrote down their theories and they were shared that way
- People would all meet once a year in Mecca (for the hajj) and ideas were shared and then when people went back home they would share those ideas

Abd al-Rahman and Cordoba - describe the ways in which this city exhibited both tolerance and a love for learning

- Cordoba's number of books in its library (about 400,000)
- Cordoba had 70 libraries and the al-Andalus possessed many libraries
- In the libraries, there were many copies of the Quran, works on religion, and language
- The libraries represented the social and scholarly advancements
- The libraries helped provoke advancements in technology (like a paper factory)
- Paper had many benefits and helped knowledge be passed from generation to generation
- There were books that almost contradicted each other sitting together in libraries. I think this helped the Islamic world a lot because they got the learn about many different ideas and styles of learning

Environment of Arabian peninsula

•Barren desert, hard to find water so tribes would fight over it
•Bedouin tribes often fought with other Bedouin tribes due to water being so sparse. However, they were very hospitable.
• Sedentary village based farming was here. This meant that farmers were farming mainly just for their family instead of trading a surplus amount.
-In the northern and southern regions of Arabia there and been small kingdoms that flourished in previous times
•Many important trade routes that connected India to the Mediterranean sea
•Arabia was located on the edge of the fighting between the Byzantine Empire, heir to the Roman World, and the Sasnett empire

Islam beginnings

Muhammed was born and was in a cave one day when he had some terrifying visions of an angel coming down to talk to him and tell him to be the messenger of God. Muhammed begin to spread his revelations but was quickly pushed out of Mecca into Medina because of the Bedouin people believed that they were many gods

Beliefs and practices of Islam

•The Quran is the sacred book that is believed to be the word of God that Muhammad was spreading.
•Monotheistic, only believed in Allah as true god
•Submission to Allah is your main goal in life and if you spend life following him you will go to paradise

Issues Muslims faced after Muhammed's death and how they resolved them

Mohammed had given no instruction as to who should be the next Islamic leader. They resolve these issues by relying on a tribal custom to decide the Abu-Bakr, one of Muhammed's friends, should be the next Islamic leader

Abd al-Rahman

Only remaining member of the Umayyads, survived and fled to Cordoba where he spread Islam

Bedouin

These people were of many tribes and were polytheistic. Muhammed was born into a Bedouin tribe. These people were very poetic, valued bravery, loyalty, and hospitality while also being violent

Mecca

The large city where Mohammed lived originally. There was much corruption here and he was kicked out for being too monotheistic. This is seen as the holiest city since it is where Islam started.

Medina

Where Mohammed was kicked out to. This is where he and his followers, the poorer people of Mecca, began to spread their religion.

5 pillars

A set a five requirements for Islam's believers

First pillar

Shahada - there is no God but God and Muhammed is the messenger of God

Second pillar

Salat - The act of prayer and how one should be doing it in Islam. You are supposed to face towards Mecca and this is an active submission to the majesty of God

Third pillar

Zakaat - help the needy. The more you help people the more help you'll get. You cannot be a believer as long without following Zakaat and helping others. Zakaat donations occur during Ramadan so you get more blessings, and money is a gift from the Almighty. Money doesn't only belong to you it belongs to everyone around you, Allah as well

Fourth pillar

Sawm - fasting. this is Ramadan where you do not eat or drink until sunset for a month. It requires a lot of emotional discipline but feels very good to be around your family and friends, a.k.a. other believers.

Fifth pillar

Hajj - muslim pilgrimage. Hajj says that each able-bodied believer is called to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once a year. You need to wear special garments that everyone wears to prove the point that everyone is the same in God's eyes

First rightly guided Caliph

Abu Bakr used Jihad, a word that means thriving and the inner struggle against evil, to run the Islamic kingdom and spread Islam to all of Arabia.

Second rightly guided Caliph

Umar. Conquered parts of Syria and lower Egypt.

Third rightly guided caliph

Uthman. Started a civil war and was murdered.

Fourth rightly guided caliph

Ali. Muhammad's cousin and son in law. Was assassinated.

Muawiya

-First caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate
-Overthrew Ali

Umayyad

Moved the Muslim capital to Damascus and surround themselves with wealth and ceremony. They took the power instead of being appointed and were overthrown in 750

Abbasid

-Murdered remaining members of Umayyad family
-Moved capital to Baghdad
-750-1258

Damascus

-In Syria
-Umayyad capital

House of Wisdom

Place of art, trade, astronomy, etc.

In Baghdad