Islam Civ

Describe the “Five Pillars” of Islam

In Islam, there are five duties that must be performed by every Muslim. These five duties, the

shehada, daily prayer (salat), fasting (sawm), almsgiving (zakat), and Hajj, are collectively known as

the Five Pillars of Islam. It is important to note that these duties are pillars of Islam and not the building

itself. Though they are essential to being a good Muslim, these pillars are not the only things that make

up Islam.

Shehada is the declaration of faith that every Muslim must pronounce and believe in. It states

that there is no God but Allah, and that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was his

messenger. Stating and believing in the shehada is the only requirement for becoming a Muslim.

Prayer is performed the most of any one of the Five Pillars. The purpose of prayer is to renew

our commitment of following the path of God at all times, to ask forgiveness for our sins, and to thank

God for all that he does for us. The idea is that if God helps us throughout the whole day, we should be

able to remember him for a few minutes at least several times a day. There are five obligatory prayers:

Fajr (prayed prior to dawn), Duhr (prayed at noon), Asr (prayed in the afternoon), Maghrib (prayed

prior to sunset), and Isha (prayed at night). Travelers are allowed to skip prayers on the condition that

they make them up afterwords.

Fasting is required only during the month of Ramadan, although it may be done on any other

days, with a few exceptions. When fasting, a Muslim abstains from all eating, drinking, smoking, and

other worldly pleasures from dawn to dusk. The person also tries to curb bad habits such as using

abusive language. Fasting is for the betterment of society, and it also teaches the individual self-control

and helps him to empathize with those who are not fortunate enough to have as much food as they need

every day. The idea is to take these lessons and try to apply them throughout the whole year. Because it

is based on the lunar calendar, fasting is fair for people all over the world. Every year, Ramadan starts

about ten days earlier than the previous year, cycling it throughout the solar-based year. In this way,

people from one part of the world will not always have to fast during the long summer days, but will

also get to fast during the wintertime. Certain groups of people are excluded from fasting, such as the

elderly, the sick, pregnant and nursing women, and travelers. However, these people are required to

make up any days that they missed as soon as possible. For those people who are terminally ill or for

some reason cannot make up their fasts, they are required to feed a poor person every day that they do

not fast.

Almsgiving must be paid by every Muslim who is capable of doing so. It is basically money

given to those in need; the amount is 2.5% of the individual's salary. The recipients of this money do

not have to be Muslim. The idea behind it is that everything one has is a gift from God, and therefore it

should be shared with those who do not have.

Hajj is required of every person who is able to afford it financially and physically. It is a five-

day pilgrimage to Mecca, and can be broken down into nine necessary steps.

BEDOUIN LIFE

Herders who lived in tents and moved from place to place in search of food and water.

2 types of Bedouins:

1. Those who settled near an oasis.

2. nomads = Constantly moving. Nomadic life was called badawah. Grim lifestyle with too

many people competing for too few resources.

Glazu = A raid to acquire resources. Accepted as a way of life in times of scarcity, essential to

badawah economy. Always avoid killing!

****** Death led to vendettas!

Muruwah = Code of the Arabs. To preserve honor each tribe member must be willing to leap to

kinsmen’s defense and obey chief without question. The most respected values were courage, patience,

endurance, avenging wrong doings, protecting the weak. Above all must be generous with food and

livestock. Noble Bedouins gave lavish parties to show they valued their kinsmen more then their

possessions. These parties to reduce a man to poverty overnight!

Karim = one who is a generous hero.

Each tribe had a special bond of muruwah, passed down from generation to generation called hasah

meaning ancestral honor. The tribe had supreme value, and everyone subordinated themselves for the

good of the group. The sheikh was leader of tribe.

Bedouins had no interest in conventional religion. Life was bleak and grim with no hope for afterlife.

Deviation from ancient customs was a great evil. Bedouins had a tragic worldview. Attempts for a more

stable life were frustrated by lack of food and water. Some Bedouins gained wealth by becoming

dependent on the caravan trade.

The Bedouins were a male dominated society. Women could inherit and own land, but primary role was

still a mother.

ARABIA AT THE TIME OF MUHAMMAD: Most Arabs live on the Arabian Peninsula, a largely

desert region. Most are nomads, thus depend on trade and livestock over agriculture. Limited water

supplies in the desert cause feuds between various Arab clans, one of the reasons they did not unify

before this point in history. The important Arab towns at this time are Medina and Mecca.

MUHAMMAD: Muhammad was part of the ruling family of Mecca, although his branch of the family

was not in power. Muhammad has visions of visits from the archangel Gabriel revealing religious truths

different from other contemporary teachings. Muhammad shares his visions with his family – he

soon has a group of converts following him. The authorities in Mecca grow fearful of Muhammad’s

growing influence, and Muhammad is forced to flee to Medina. Hijra = Muhammad’s escape from

Mecca to Medina. Muhammad arrives in Medina amidst unrest, with disputing parties looking for

someone to arbitrate disputes. He fills this role and gains a reputation for wisdom, ultimately becoming

the ruler of the city. After banishing the Jewish inhabitants of Medina, Muhammad confiscates their

wealth and distributes it among his followers. Muhammad then begins extending his power to

neighboring communities and cities that fall under his control, including Mecca.

ISLAM: Islam = submission to will of god as explained by Muhammad (the faith)

Muslim = is one who has submitted (one who practices the faith).

The Ka’bah is a religious site in Islam. By sanctifying the rock inside the Ka’bah, Muhammad is

replacing the pagan center of Arab belief with a monotheistic Islamic belief.

The religion founded by Muhammad, Islam, incorporates various aspects of the Judeo- Christian

tradition. The teachings of Muhammad are recorded in the holy book, the Qu’ran, written after

his death by several of his followers. Some of the writings in the Qu’ran revisit or revise aspects

of the Old Testament and New Testament. The Qu’ran accepts Jesus as a messiah, but not as the

son of God (Allah).

The Qu’ran also includes social conventions, such as the correct form of behavior, that allude to the

Judeo-Christian and pre-Islamic Arab traditions. There are also militaristic aspects of the Qu’ran,

understandable given that at the time of its writing, the practitioners of Islam were surrounded by

enemy states. Note: “Allah” is the term used in Islam to reference God, but this is the same god as

worshipped in Judaism and Christianity.

There are “five pillars” of the Islamic faith. All good Muslims are expected to do the following:

In Islam, there are five duties that must be performed by every Muslim. These five duties, the shehada,

daily prayer (salat), fasting (sawm), almsgiving (zakat), and Hajj, are collectively known as the Five

Pillars of Islam. It is important to note that these duties are pillars of Islam and not the building itself.

Though they are essential to being a good Muslim, these pillars are not the only things that make up

Islam.

Shehada is the declaration of faith that every Muslim must pronounce and believe in. It states

that there is no God but Allah, and that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was his

messenger. Stating and believing in the shehada is the only requirement for becoming a Muslim.

Prayer is performed the most of any one of the Five Pillars. The purpose of prayer is to renew

our commitment of following the path of God at all times, to ask forgiveness for our sins, and to thank

God for all that he does for us. The idea is that if God helps us throughout the whole day, we should be

able to remember him for a few minutes at least several times a day. There are five obligatory prayers:

Fajr (prayed prior to dawn), Duhr (prayed at noon), Asr (prayed in the afternoon), Maghrib (prayed

prior to sunset), and Isha (prayed at night). Travelers are allowed to skip prayers on the condition that

they make them up afterwords.

Fasting is required only during the month of Ramadan, although it may be done on any other

days, with a few exceptions. When fasting, a Muslim abstains from all eating, drinking, smoking, and

other worldly pleasures from dawn to dusk. The person also tries to curb bad habits such as using

abusive language. Fasting is for the betterment of society, and it also teaches the individual self-control

and helps him to empathize with those who are not fortunate enough to have as much food as they need

every day. The idea is to take these lessons and try to apply them throughout the whole year. Because it

is based on the lunar calendar, fasting is fair for people all over the world. Every year, Ramadan starts

about ten days earlier than the previous year, cycling it throughout the solar-based year. In this way,

people from one part of the world will not always have to fast during the long summer days, but will

also get to fast during the wintertime. Certain groups of people are excluded from fasting, such as the

elderly, the sick, pregnant and nursing women, and travelers. However, these people are required to

make up any days that they missed as soon as possible. For those people who are terminally ill or for

some reason cannot make up their fasts, they are required to feed a poor person every day that they do

not fast.

Almsgiving must be paid by every Muslim who is capable of doing so. It is basically money

given to those in need; the amount is 2.5% of the individual's salary. The recipients of this money do

not have to be Muslim. The idea behind it is that everything one has is a gift from God, and therefore it

should be shared with those who do not have.

Hajj is required of every person who is able to afford it financially and is physically capable. It

is a 5 day pilgrimage to Mecca, and can be broken down into nine necessary steps.

EXPANSION AND FRAGMENTATION: Caliph = meaning “God’s deputy,” a political leader or

spiritual leader of the Muslim community, the secular head of a religiously defined community.

Caliphate is the government under a caliph.

Abu-Bakr = Muhammad’s father-in-law, the first of Muhammad’s successors as caliph. While only

caliph for 2 years, he was successful at keeping the various tribes in Arabia under Muslim control and

wins a civil war that arises from infighting amongst different Muslim clans.

Umar = Also a father-in-law of Muhammad, he replaces Abu Bakr as the second caliph. He spreads

Islam through what is today the Middle East. He conquers the Fertile Crescent, along with Sassanid and

Byzantine areas.

Uthman = The 3rd caliph. Most notable achievement is that he commissions the writing of the Qu’ran,

the Islamic holy book that chronicles Muhammad’s revelations. Uthman appoints deputies based on

their family relationship to him (nepotism); rivals that fear such appointments will lead to a caliphate

dynasty assassinating him. Uthman is followed by Ali, the 4th caliph.

Ali was a son-in-law and an important deputy to Muhammad, but passed over in the first three caliph

elections on the belief he is too young to lead. When Ali fails to go after the murderers of Uthman, a

civil war within Islam occurs. The Umayyads, the family to which Uthman belonged, rebel against Ali.

The Umayyads under Mu’awiya win the war, resulting in a dynasty of Umayyad caliphs and creating

a dividing line between two sects of Muslims, the Shia and the Sunni. Mu’awiya was the Umayyad

governor of Damascus who leads the civil war against Ali and replaced Ali as caliph.

A split occurs between Sunni and Shia Muslims over the selection of caliph. Supporters of Ali

(Shia) believe that the caliph should be a descendent of Muhammad’s bloodline. Followers of

Mu’awiya (Sunni) believe the caliph should be selected via merit or through evidence of ability as

a faithful and practicing Muslim. Today, roughly 80% of Muslims are Sunni.

MORE EXPANSION: In 634, six years after the Byzantines and Persians stop fighting each

other, both armies are exhausted. Neither the Byzantines nor Persian Empires are able to stop

Muslim invasions of parts of their territories under Umar, the 2nd Caliph. The Islamic army is

led by Khalid ibn Walid, who was given the nickname ” The Sword of Allah” .

634: Battle of Chains against the Persians. Called the Battle of Chains because Persian slaves were

chained together to prevent them from running away. Muslims win despite being vastly outnumbered.

636: Battle of Qadisaya: Muslims defeat the Persians despite once again being outnumbered.

636: Battle of Yarmuk: Khalid defeats the Byzantines despite being outnumbered.

The invasions by Umar are also successful because the Muslim invaders are tolerant of other

monotheistic religions. The Muslims did not rape or pillage, therefore there was no reason not to

cooperate with them. Followers of other religions were taxed, but not persecuted. Muslims were

not required to pay tax, but were required by their faith to provide alms (donations to the

poor/those in need).

Dhimmis = Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians tolerated by the Muslim political authority in exchange

for tax payments (jizya and kharaj).

Jizya = wealth tax on non-Muslims in Muslim controlled territories.

Kharaj = land tax on non-Muslims in Muslim controlled territories.

The religious leaders of the Dhimmis were expected to maintain civil obedience from their

communities. The taxes paid by Dhimmis were generally lower than paid previously to the Roman

or Persian governments.

The spread of Muslim influence begins on the Arabian Peninsula, but soon expands to North

Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Mecca remains the religious center of Islam, but the

governmental center moves from Medina to Damascus to Baghdad.

UMAYYAD CALIPHATE: (661-750): Comes into power after Ali’s death. The move of the political

capital to Damascus exposes the caliphate to Greco-Roman influence. Under Abd-al-Malik (685-

705), Muslims replace the dhimmi as the political leaders of newly conquered areas and the religion

grows (noticeable in things like the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem).

Umayyad Caliphate attacks Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire, twice during this period.

The Romans hold back the invasions using “Greek Fire,” an incendiary device that was not

extinguishable by water. The Umayyad Caliphate changes the landscape of some cities, building

sacred Islamic sites on top of the sacred sites of other religions. This shows a changing nature in

the relations between Muslim rulers and their non- Muslim subjects.

ABBASIDS: Islam gains additional converts in new territories they conquer. As a result, a

hierarchy within the religion develops based on when one’s family converted. Descendants of

those who followed Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to Medina and descendants of conquers

receive privileges (like pensions) denied to recent converts. This produces opposition to the

Umayyad Caliphate, and a rebellion ensues. The Umayyads are toppled by the Abbasids under Al

Mansur (754-775). Al Mansur’s Baghdad = The Abbasids move the capital to Baghdad and

created the round city. Baghdad and other Muslim cities become cultural centers, producing

advancements in various sciences such as astronomy.

ABBASID BUREAUCRACY:

Vizier = a bureaucratic official who administers for the caliph.

Imam = title given to one with religious authority.

'Ulama are religious scholars who decide interpretations of Shari’a law (the law based on Islamic

principles and the Qur’an).

Mamluks – slaves who convert to Islam and train as professional soldiers who would serve as

part of a private army for caliphs. They ultimately gain enough power that Abbasid caliphs must

grant their wishes, or the caliph would lose his own power (or life).

Harun al Rashid = A skilled diplomat and general, this vizier was known to dress up as commoner and

walk about the city to observe his subjects. Responsible for creating the House of Wisdom in

Baghdad. The House of Wisdom was in fame, status, scope, size, resources, patronage, etc. similar to

that of the present day British Library in London or the Nationale Bibliotheque in Paris, in addition to

being an Academy for the Arts and the Sciences where scholars came together for dialogue, discussions

and discourses.

Al Ma’mun = Son of Harun al-Rashid, he tries to give the office of caliph religious power. He declares

himself an imam and orders an inquisition forcing others to admit to his religious primacy. This results

in the ‛ulama asserting their right to interpret the Qur’an and to define the religious law, Shari‛a. The

idea of caliph as religious leader does not last long. The Abbasid capital temporarily moved from

Baghdad to Samarra. This isolated the caliph from his bureaucracy, leaving him at the mercy of the

mamluks.

MORE CALIPHATES: Multiple caliphates emerge after the death of al Ma’mun in 833 AD. While

the Abbassids will technically rule until 1258, the caliphates will become fragmented, connected but

ruled independently of each other. In many areas, the caliphs are under the control of the military with

no religious interest. Islam ceases to operate under a single government or polity.

UMAYYAD SPAIN: An example of the multiple caliphs that emerge after the death of al Ma’mun,

Cordoba (in present day Spain) is ruled by a surviving branch of the Umayyads. The Umayyad

prince Abd ar-Rahman had survived and escaped to Spain. Cordoba will become the greatest

intellectual city in Europe, containing over 70 libraries with over 500,000 manuscripts! It will also be

the first European city to have streetlights and paved streets.

FATIMIDS: The Fatimids in North Africa claimed descent from Ali and his wife Fatima, the

daughter of Muhammad. By the end of the 960s they seized Egypt, built Cairo as their new

capital (it is still the capital of Egypt today), and pressed on to Palestine, Syria, and parts of Arabia.

Cairo will become a center of intellectual growth and commercial trade. This is a period of triumph

for the Shi’ites.

GHAZNAWIDS: The Turks also set up new caliphates arising from mamluks who rose through

the military ranks. One example is the Ghaznawids (Ghaz-NAH-weeds) who ruled part of

present-day Afghanistan and Iran. The Ghaznawids retain some elements of Persian culture.

They are also responsible for the spread of Islam into India, which does not go well initially. The

Caliph Mahmoud led an army into India to Somnath, the Hindu holy temple. Hindu is an effront

to Muslims because of its idolatry. 50,000 Hindus die defending the temple, touching off 1,000

years of hatred between the Hindu’s and the Muslims.

SALJUQIDS: The Saljuqids converted to Islam in Central Asia and invaded the Iranian plateau in the

1030s. They defeated the Ghaznawids and other local powers and in the 1050s became the new

protectors of the Abbasid caliph. The caliph rewarded their chief leader, Tughrul, with the new title

of sultan: derived from the Arabic word for “power,” the title was deemed superior to malik (“king”)

or amir (“prince”). Saljuqid Turks were traditionally nomads, thus even if Saljuqid leaders were

willing to settle down and adapt to the lifestyle of traditional sedentary Muslim rulers, their nomadic

tribal supporters did not always want to give up their own traditions. The Saljuqid Turks also

constitute the first major influx of nomads into the Islamic East, causing friction with the settled

populations (nomads and their herds vs. farmers and their fields). The nomadic tribesmen initially

proved useful in expanding Islamic political control west by taking over Asia Minor after defeating the

Eastern Roman Empire. Atabegs were rulers like regents or generals who take charge for maliks or

sultans and govern on their behalf. Eventually make their offices hereditary and stop paying homage to

the Saljuqid rulers, weakening Saljuqid power. Over time, the Saljuqid sultans spread across the

Islamic world, decreasing loyalty to a centralized Saljuqid power. By the early 12th century, Saljuqid

sultans lose control over junior branches of the family ensconced in other provinces. These local kings

(maliks) ruled with great autonomy, although in many cases their authority was eclipsed by atabegs.

Several atabegs eventually overthrow their weak masters and establish their own local dynasties. The

Saljuqid Empire was falling apart.

MONGOL INVASIONS: Hulegu Khan: Hulegu Khan was the grandson of the great Ghengis

Khan. He was given the task of expanding the Mongol empire into southwest Asia in 1251, by his

brother Mongke, who was the Great Khan at the time. It was said that 2 out of every 10 soldiers in the

empire were assigned to Hulegu’s army! The Mongol Hülegü eliminated the radical Shi‛a sect called

the Hashshashin, also known as the Assassins, in their mountain fortress of Alamut without a fight. He

then took Baghdad in 1258. Hülegü mocked the ‛Abbasid caliph, Mustastim, for hoarding treasure

rather than securing better defenses, locking the caliph in a tower with treasure but no food. This

effectively ends the ‛Abbasid caliphate, although in fact a series of weak ‛Abbasid caliphs survive

in Egypt as puppets of the local sultans until 1517. Hülegu established a Mongol polity in

Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau, that formed the fourth component of the Mongol World

Empire. His line of rulers are called Il-Khans (EEL-Khans).

IL-KHANS: In 1295 the Il-Khan Ghazan (Ghaz-AHN) converted to Islam and offered his

patronage to his Muslim subjects. Not only were they the vast majority, but they included the learned

and talented officials who could help the Il-Khan govern more effectively. One of his viziers, a Persian

convert to Islam from Judaism, composed a long history dedicated to Ghazan and his Mongol

predecessors. Ghazan’s brother and successor Öljeytü (Ool-JAY- too) followed much the same

religious policy: Islam was there to stay. He also built a new palace city appropriately named

Sultaniyya, where several monuments including his tomb survive. In spite of conversion to Islam, the

Il-Khans were staunch opponents of several neighboring Muslim polities, including their cousins of the

“Golden Horde” in the Russian steppes and the Mamluk rulers of Egypt to the west. In fact, the Il-

Khans, even after converting to Islam, occasionally toyed with the idea of making an alliance

with European Christians against their common enemies. In 1308 Öljeytü dispatched a large

military detachment to aid the Eastern Roman Emperor against the Ottoman Turks. Not all of the

Il-Khan’s policies worked well. As good Mongols and rulers of an Islamic polity, the Il-Khans tried to

encourage and sponsor trade. However, when Ghazan decided to introduce paper money following

the example of China (ruled by a cousin), he met with determined opposition from the local

population which would have none of that innovation.

Another problem related to trade was the spread of the Black Death (the Bubonic Plague) across the

trade lanes and routes of the East in the 14th century. It should also not be forgotten that the Mongol

conquest brought into the Near East a second major wave of nomadic tribesmen of Turkic and Mongol

origin, exacerbating the already existing friction between nomads and farmers just when local

economies were beginning to overcome the negative effects of the previous nomadic influx under the

Saljuqids.

MAMLUKS OF EGYPT: One of the most powerful Islamic polities in the late Middle Ages was

the mamluk sultanate in Egypt. This was not the first Muslim polity established by mamluks (we

have mentioned the Ghaznawids), but it was the first that did not establish a normal and consistent

hereditary succession. The Mamluks defeated the Ayyubid sultan of Egypt and Syria amidst the

turmoil of the Crusades in 1250. In 1260 (and in the early 1300s) the mamluks defeated the Mongols,

and in 1291 they destroyed the last mainland base of the Crusaders. The religious fervor of the

mamluks may be attributed to having been born non-Muslim (as military slaves, the mamluks

still had to be “recruited” from the outside). Many mamluk sultans built both fortresses and

mosques (usually with attached madrasas: learning centers), thereby supporting defense,

religion, and learning.

The inability to establish a hereditary leadership succession meant mamluk sultans had to

constantly guard against usurpers. This process also meant the leadership consisted of

experienced military leaders as opposed to young or inexperienced princes. Mamluk sultans were

both warlike and strategically capable, helping them effectively oppose Crusaders and Mongols

alike. Yet the constant changeover at the top, frequent warfare, and inept economic policies (a

disinterest in trade) ultimately led to the fatal weakening of the mamluk regime. mamluks

refused to adopt new and more effective methods of warfare, including guns and artillery,

because they saw them as inferior methods used by inferior and unskilled troops – when the

Ottoman Turks invaded Syria with modern warfare, the mamluk army was crushed. By 1517, the

last mamluk sultan was defeated by the Ottoman Turks.