Out of the sands of the Arabian Desert have come many wonderful things …
Haram Mosque in Makkah
Hajj at the Ka'bah
Dome of the Rock (Israel)
Royal Mosque (Pakistan)
Samarra Mosque
(Iraq)
The Alhambra (Spain)
Al-Razi & Ibn Sina
Al - Khwarizmi
Astrolabe
A Thousand and One Arabian Nights
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Islamic calligraphy (Allah)
Muhammad
Five Pillars of Islam
I. Profession of Faith
II. Prayer
III. Almsgiving
IV. Fasting
V. Pilgrimage
Spread of Islam
After the death of Muhammad…• Muhammad left no clear instructions on
succession →prominent Muslims met & chose a caliph (successor) and expansion continued
1. Abu Bakr (Muhammad’s father-in-law)2. Umar (father-in-law)
– conquered peoples retained land & religion– required to pay a special tax, known as the jizya
3. Uthman (son-in-law)4. Ali (son-in-law: Fatimah)
Divisions w/in Islam• In Syria, governor Muawiya refused to pay Ali
allegiance & after the murder of Ali in 661, became the caliph of the entire Muslim world
• This created a split in Muslim world – Ali’s followers refused to follow Muawiya & the concept of the caliph as a political leader → Shiite Muslims (Iran, some in Iraq & Lebanon)
• Most Muslims followed Muawiya as caliph → Sunni Muslims (90% of all Muslims)
• Sufi – dissatisfied w/ the worldliness of Muawiya & the Umayyad Dynasty, they focused on prayer, meditation, fasting & religious writing
Umayyad Caliphate(661 – 750)
• Stressed political rather than religious (ruled more like kings than caliphs)
• Arabic official language• Minted Arabic currency, built roads &
established postal routes• Jews & Christians were tolerated as people of
the book, but paid a tax• Shiite areas were discontent
Abbasid Caliphate(750 – 1258)
• Anti-Umayyad Arabs joined non-Arab muslims to overthrow the dynasty & new caliph, Abu al-Abbas (descendant of Muhammad’s uncle)
• Baghdad became the capital of the empire• More social equality → Persians dominated the
bureaucracy, Turks dominated the army & Arabs controlled religion
• However, many lands on the outskirts began to break free from the Abbasid Empire
