A. 1.2 Developments of Dar Al-Islam

Developments in Dar al-Islam

• After the death of Muhammad in 632, Islam spread rapidly outward from Arabia. Though military actions and the activities of merchants and missionaries.

  • B/c of this, Islam reach from India to Spain

    • Many Islamic leaders showed tolerance to Christians, Jews, and others who believed in a single god and did good works.

• Under the Abbasid Empire, Scholars traveled from far away to Baghdad to study at a renowned center of learning known as the House of Wisdom. This Islamic community helped transfer knowledge throughout Afro-Eurasia.

Invasions and Shifts in Trade Routes

• (1100s and 1200s) The Abbasid Empire confronted many challenges, like the Chinese, they had conflicts with nomadic groups in Central Asia and European invaders.

  • (Egyptian Mamelukes)

    • Arabs often purchased enslaved people or Mamelukes, who were frequently ethnic Turks from Central Asian to serve as soldiers and later as bureaucrats.

    • Malik’s has more opportunities for advancement

      • In Egypt, Mamelukes seized control of the government, establishing the Mamelukes Sultante (1250-1517)

        • They were able to prospered by facilitating trade in cotton and sugar between the Islamic world and Europe.

          • However, when the Portuguese and other Europeans developed new sea routes for trade, the Manluks decline in power.

  • (Seljuk Turks)

    • Abbasids came from the Central Asian Seljuk Turks, who were also Muslim.

      • Starting from the 11th cen. They began conquering parts of Middle East, extending their power at far east as Western China.

  • (Crusaders)

    • the Abbasids allowed Christians to travel easily to and from their holy sites and around Jerusalem.

      • But the Seljuk Turks limited this travel so the Crusaders had to reopen access.

  • (Mongols)

    • They were the fourth group to attack the Abbasid Empire.

      • The Mongols conquered the remaining Abbasid Empres in 1258 and ended the Seljuk rule. They continued to push westward but were stopped in Egypt by the Mamluks.

  • (Economic Competition)

    • The Abbasids had been an important link connecting Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Goods and ideas flowed from one region to another on trade routes controlled by the Abbasids.

      • Many went through Baghdad, but the shift of trade pattern lead to the lose of wealth and population

        • B/c of this, they could not afford to keep its canals repaired. Farmers could not provide enough food for the urban population. Slowly it became the fall of Baghdad.

Cultural and Social Life

• The Islamic world fragmented politically, many of these new states adopted Abbasid practices but they were distinct ethnically.

  • The Abbasid Caliphate was led by Arabs and Persians, that was later shaped by Turkic people who descended from people in Central Asia.

  • These Islamic states continued to form a cultural region. Trade spread new goods and fresh ideas.

  • The common use of shariah created similar legal system leading to the creation of centers for sharing intellectual innovations.

• (Cultural Continuities)

  • Islamic scholars followed the advice of the prophet Muhammad: “Go in quest of knowledge even unto China.”

    • They translated Greek literary classics into Arabic’s, saying the works of Aristotle and other Greek thinkers from oblivion .

    • They studied mathematics tests from India and transferred the knowledge to Europeans

    • They adopted techniques for paper-making from CHina. Through them, Europeans learned to make paper.

• (Cultural Innovations)

  • The addition to building on the intellectual achievements of other cultures, scholars during the “golden age” in Baghdad.

    • Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1202-1274)

      • He contributed to astronomy, law, logic, ethics, mathematics, philosophy and medicine

      • He studied the relationship between the lengths of the sides of a triangle and the angles

        • This laid the groundwork for making trigonometry a separate subject. Medical advances and hospital care improved in cities such as Cairo.

    • Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406)

      • Well known for his historical accounts and is widely acknowledged as a founder of the fields of historiography)

    • A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah (1460-1507)

      • Most prolific female Muslim writer before the 20th cen.

      • A’ishah’s poetry reflects a contract between most Muslims and Sufis.

        • Sufis emphasized introspection to grasp truths that they believed could not be understood through learning.

• (Commerce, Class, and Diversity)

  • Helping to power the golden age of natural and moral philosophy and the arts was commerce.

    Commerce refers to the activity of buying and selling goods and services, typically on a large scale. It involves various aspects such as trade, marketing, finance, and economics. Commerce plays a crucial role in the global economy, facilitating the exchange of goods and services between producers and consumers. It encompasses different types of businesses, including retail, wholesale, e-commerce, and international trade. The study of commerce provides insights into the principles and practices of business, including topics like supply and demand, pricing, market research, and distribution.

  • Islamic society viewed merchants as more prestigious than did other societies in Europe and Asia at the time.

    • Muhammad himself had been a merchant.

    • They were esteemed as long as they maintained fair dealing and gave to charity in accords with the pillars of the Islamic faith.

• (Slavery)

  • Although Islam allowed slavery, Muslim could not enslave other Muslim.

    • Also examples from slavery were Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians.

    • Slaved were often imported from Africa, Kieran Rus, and Central Asia.

  • The institution of hereditary slavery had not developed. Many slaved converted to Islam, after which their wonders freed them.

  • Slave women had more freedom/independence

    • Ex. Slave women could go to market and to run errands - than the legal wives. Only slave women were permitted to dance or perform musically before unrelated men.

      • This led to money sometimes enable female slaved to buy their freedom.

Free Women in Islam

• Some practices now associated with Islam were common cultural customs.

• Women often covered their heads and faces. This practiced solidified under Islam, with most women observing hijab.

  • Men often wore head covering, from turbans to skulls caps.

• They were able to study and read but they were unable to do so in the company of men not related to them.

• (Muhammad’s Policies)

  • Muhammad raised the status of women in several ways

    • He insitied the Dow rise the paper prospective husband made to secure brides, be paid to the future wife rather to her father.

    • He forbade female infanticide, the killing of newborn girls.

      • This set the pattern for the recognition of women’s abilities

• (The Status of Women)

  • Islamic women enjoyed a higher status than Christian or Jewish Women, Islamic women allowed to inherit property and retain ownership after marriage.

    • They could remarry if widowed and receive a cash settlement if divorce.

    • Women could practice birth control.

  • However, one gap in the historical record is written evidence of how women viewed their position in society: most of the records created before 1450 were written by men.

  • The rise of towns and cities in Islamic-ruled area resulted in new limitation on women’s right, just as it did in other cultures. The new statues of women might best be symbolized by the veil and the harem, a dwelling set aside for wives, concubines, and the children of these women.

Islamic Rule in Spain

• (Battle of Tours)

  • The Islamic Military was turned back in 732 when it lost the battle of tours against Frankish Forces.

    • B/c of this, it marked the limit of rapid Islamic expansion into Western Europe. Most of the continent remained Christian, but Muslims ruled Spain for the next 7th cen.

• (Prosperity Under Islam)

  • Abbasids in Baghdad, the Umayyad rulers in Cordoba created a climate of toleration, with Muslims, Christians, and Jews coexist peacefully.

  • They promoted trade, allowing Chinese and Southeast Asian products to enter into Spain.

  • Many of the goods in this trade traveled aboard ships called dhows.

    • These ships were invented in India or China.

• (Cultural and Scholarly Transfers)

  • This Islamic state in SPain, known as al-Andalus, became a center of learning.

  • The Muslims, Christians, and Jews living in al-Andalus were not only tolerated one another but also influenced one another.

  • Islamic scholarships and scientific innovations, along with the knowledge transferred from India and China, Laid the groundwork for the Renaissance and Scientific Revolutions in Europe.

    • Ex. Making paper, a technology that was developed in China and taught to Europeans my Muslims, was vital to spreading ideas in Europe.

    • 

Summary:

Main Topic: Developments in Dar al-Islam

I. Spread and Cultural Exchange

- Spread of Islam: After Muhammad's death in 632, Islam rapidly expanded through military actions, merchant activities, and missionary efforts, extending from India to Spain.

- Tolerance and Cultural Exchange: Many Islamic leaders showed tolerance toward other monotheistic faiths, leading to diverse cultural and intellectual exchanges.

II. Abbasid Empire

- House of Wisdom: Baghdad became a renowned center of learning under the Abbasid Empire, attracting scholars from various regions and promoting knowledge transfer.

- Invasions and Trade Route Shifts: Challenges, such as conflicts with nomadic groups and European invasions, threatened the empire's stability.

III. Key Players

- Egyptian Mamelukes: Ethnic Turks from Central Asia served as soldiers and bureaucrats. They established the Mameluke Sultanate, facilitating trade in cotton and sugar between the Islamic world and Europe.

- Seljuk Turks: The Seljuk Turks expanded their power and impacted access to holy sites, leading to the Crusades.

- Mongols: The Mongols conquered the Abbasid Empire, shifting the balance of power and affecting trade routes.

IV. Economic Competition

- Commerce and Cultural Region: The Abbasids served as a crucial link connecting Asia, Europe, and North Africa, but changing trade patterns led to their decline.

- Commerce and Merchants: Merchants were esteemed in Islamic society, as long as they maintained fair dealing and charity contributions.

V. Slavery and Status of Women

- Slavery: Islam allowed slavery, but Muslim enslavement was prohibited. Slaves came from various regions, and hereditary slavery hadn't developed.

- Free Women in Islam: Muhammad improved the status of women by forbidding female infanticide and enhancing the dowry system.

- Status of Women: Islamic women enjoyed higher status than Christian or Jewish women, with property inheritance, rights to remarry, and birth control.

VI. Islamic Rule in Spain

- Battle of Tours: Islamic military expansion was limited in Western Europe after their defeat at the Battle of Tours in 732.

- Prosperity Under Islam: Muslims ruled Spain, promoting trade and tolerance among different faiths, leading to cultural and intellectual exchange.

VII. Cultural and Scholarly Transfers

- Al-Andalus: Islamic Spain became a center of learning, where Muslims, Christians, and Jews coexisted and influenced each other.

- Innovations and Knowledge Transfer: Islamic scholars made significant contributions, translating Greek classics, studying Indian mathematics, and sharing paper-making techniques that influenced Europe.

Summary:

In the context of developments in Dar al-Islam, the spread of Islam, cultural tolerance, and the prominence of the Abbasid Empire marked a period of scholarly and cultural exchange. Challenges such as invasions and trade route shifts influenced the region. Economic competition, the role of merchants, and the status of women evolved. Cultural and scholarly transfers between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Spain, along with innovations and knowledge transfers, had a profound impact on both the Islamic world and Europe, laying the foundation for intellectual and scientific advancements.