WAP Overview of Dar al-Islam (1200–1450)
AP World History Study Guide: Dar al-Islam (1200–1450)
Overview of Dar al-Islam
Definition: "Dar al-Islam" refers to regions with Islamic communities and often Islamic governance.
New Empire Type: The Islamic Caliphate, distinct from re-establishment empires (e.g., Tang/Song China), as it introduces a new political and religious structure.
Key Characteristics: Combines religion and governance (theocracy), with Islam as the predominant religion and guiding principles.
Foundations of Islam (610 CE Onward)
Founded by Muhammad: Established in 610 CE in the Middle East as a monotheistic faith rooted in Abrahamic traditions (shared deity with Christianity and Judaism).
Five Pillars of Islam (Code of Law):
Shahada: Declaration of one God, with Muhammad as His prophet.
Salat: Prayer five times daily toward Mecca (drives innovations like the astrolabe for navigation).
Zakat: Charity (almsgiving) to support the community, fostering social cohesion.
Sawm: Fasting during Ramadan (sunrise to sunset).
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca’s Kaaba at least once in a lifetime, facilitating cultural diffusion as Muslims from regions like North Africa and Southeast Asia exchange ideas and tools.
Historical Significance: Hajj promotes cultural diffusion, spreading Islamic and regional influences across Dar al-Islam.
Political Structure of the Caliphate
Caliph: The leader, both a political and religious figure, responsible for governing the empire and upholding Islamic principles.
Expansion: Muhammad and successors conquered Bedouin tribes, Arabs, and later Persian regions, forming a vast empire.
Sunni-Shia Split:
Sunni Muslims: Advocate for a merit-based caliph, not requiring blood relation to Muhammad or prior caliphs (majority today).
Shia Muslims: Believe the caliph should be blood-related to Ali (Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law), leading to a religious and political divide.
Dynasties:
Umayyad Dynasty (661–750 CE):
Expansionist, conquering Persia, North Africa, Anatolia (modern Türkiye), and southern Spain (Cordoba).
Excluded non-Arabs from government, causing unrest.
Overthrown by the Abbasids at a violent banquet.
Abbasid Dynasty (750–1258 CE):
Marked by a Golden Age of peace and prosperity, focusing on maintaining rather than expanding territory.
Relied on a large bureaucracy, including viziers (high-ranking advisors) for secular and religious (Sharia law) matters.
Sharia Law:
Based on the Quran, regulates food (halal), family dynamics, community relations, business transactions, and morals.
Includes courts for civil and religious disputes, influenced by Roman legal traditions.
Treatment of Non-Muslims
Polytheists (e.g., Berbers, Bedouin tribes):
Actively converted, often through enslavement, with conversion leading to freedom.
Conversion offered social mobility and equality, appealing in hierarchical societies.
Monotheists (Christians and Jews, "People of the Book"):
Respected as believers in the same deity, allowed to live in autonomous communities (millets) with their own courts and laws.
Paid the jizya tax to maintain autonomy and contribute to the empire (later applied to other non-Muslims, e.g., in India, for stability).
Outcome: Conversion to Islam provided social and economic benefits, encouraging its spread.
Economic and Trade Developments
Trade as Wealth Source: Limited by geographical barriers (Indian Ocean, Himalayas, deserts), the Abbasids focused on trade rather than conquest.
Islamic Merchants:
Dominated Indian Ocean trade due to widespread presence and standardized trade rules under Sharia law.
Used Arabic as a common language, simplifying trade across regions.
Dhow Ships: Equipped with lateen sails, enabled efficient cargo transport in the Indian Ocean.
Monsoon Winds:
Recognized as a "technology" for AP purposes due to their predictable patterns (one direction for half the year, opposite for the other half).
Facilitated trade and led to diasporic merchant communities (e.g., Muslims in India).
Diasporic Communities:
Muslim merchants settled in regions like India, forming communities and building mosques.
Intermarriage (often with local women converting to Islam) and mosque construction spread Islam and created syncretic cultural practices.
Spread of Islam
Merchants: Converted to Islam for trade benefits (consistent rules, Arabic literacy), spreading religion through trade networks.
Sufi Missionaries:
Mystics who traveled lightly and tolerated local animistic/polytheistic practices.
Promoted syncretism, blending Islamic and local beliefs (e.g., in Southeast Asia’s Khmer Empire), making Islam adaptable and appealing.
Cultural Diffusion: Trade, intermarriage, and missionary work spread Islam to India, Southeast Asia, and East Africa (Swahili city-states).
Intellectual and Technological Advancements
House of Wisdom (Baghdad):
A library and study center (not a university) where scholars conducted independent research under masters.
Facilitated cultural diffusion by compiling knowledge from China, India, Greece, and West Africa.
Key Innovations:
Papermaking: Adopted from China, enabled recording of knowledge and advancements.
Arabic Numerals: Adapted from Hindu numerals (Gupta Empire), introduced concepts like zero, infinity, and decimals, leading to algebra and trigonometry.
Astrolabe: Used for navigation and determining Mecca’s direction, relying on trigonometry and star/horizon measurements.
Medicine:
Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine: A medical encyclopedia compiling knowledge from Greece, India, China, and Islamic studies, detailing diseases like smallpox and treatments.
Early hospitals (attached to mosques) separated sick individuals, reducing disease spread (e.g., bubonic plague).
Advancements in anatomy, surgical sutures (using animal gut), and surgery, surpassing European capabilities due to Christian restrictions on dissection.
Astronomy and Mathematics:
Built on Greek and Indian knowledge to model planetary motion (imperfect circular models) and calculate lunar calendars.
Developed geometry for practical applications like navigation and timekeeping.
Vision Theories: Incorrectly theorized eyesight functioned like smell (particles entering the eye), but advanced understanding of light and optics.
Key Takeaways for AP Exam
Caliphate Structure: Combines religious and political authority under the caliph, with viziers and Sharia law managing a vast bureaucracy.
Sunni-Shia Split: Rooted in succession disputes (merit vs. hereditary), shaping Islamic governance and religious practices.
Treatment of Non-Muslims: Polytheists converted (often via slavery), while monotheists paid jizya for autonomy, promoting social stability.
Trade Dominance: Muslim merchants leveraged Sharia law, Arabic, dhow ships, and monsoon winds to dominate Indian Ocean trade.
Cultural Diffusion: Hajj, trade, and Sufi missionaries spread Islam and blended it with local cultures (syncretism).
Golden Age Innovations: House of Wisdom, papermaking, Arabic numerals, astrolabe, and medical advancements (e.g., Canon of Medicine, hospitals) drove intellectual progress.
Study Tips
Memorize key terms: Five Pillars, caliph, Sunni-Shia split, Sharia law, jizya tax, House of Wisdom, Canon of Medicine, astrolabe, monsoon winds.
Understand the role of trade and Sufi missionaries in spreading Islam and fostering syncretism.
Connect technological advancements (e.g., papermaking, numerals, astrolabe) to their origins (China, India, Greece) and impacts (trade, medicine, navigation).
Compare the Islamic Caliphate’s new empire model with re-establishment empires like Tang/Song China.
Note the significance of the House of Wisdom and Ibn Sina’s contributions for cultural diffusion and medical advancements.