islam in the heartlands and beyond. consolidation of sunni orthodoxy decline of caliphate enables...
TRANSCRIPT
Consolidation of Sunni Orthodoxy
• Decline of Caliphate enables rise of Ulama (scholars of Islamic law).
• Rise of the Madrasa formalized Ulama training
• Sunni forcus on Orthopraxy--correct practice, not Orthodoxy--correct belief
• Orthopraxy is defined by the Ulama. • By 1000, Orthopraxy is fairly settled
Sufi Piety
• Sufi are mystics who focus on simple life and communion with Allah
• Asceticism and/or devotionalism
• By 11th century, brotherhoods arise, often persecuted
Consolidation of Shi’ite Tradition
• Seveners / Isma’illis:– 7 Imams– Often Revolutionary– Esoteric, Mystical Interpretation of
Koran/Hadith– Fatmid Empire was Apex (10th-12 century AD)
Consolidation of Shi’ite Islam (II): Twelver Shi’a
• 12 Imams before line ends
• More literal interpretation of holy texts
• 80% of Shi’ites
• Add Hadith from the 12 Imams
• The last Imam will return at end of time as the Mahdi; together with Jesus, he will reform the world to purity– Lots of would be revolutionaries claim the title
The Islamic West
• Umayyad Dynasty in Spain (755-1086 AD)
• Almoravid Dynasty (1086-1147 AD)
• Almohads (1147-1225 AD)
Ibn Rushd / Averroes (1126-1198 AD)
• Doctor, Philosopher, Polymath
• The Incoherence of the Incoherence– A Defense of Aristotelian Philosophy– Religion and Philosophy = two views of same
truths– Religion = Based on Faith, open to all– Philosophy = Grounded in Reason, only really
accessible to the educated.
Ibn Arabi (1165-1240 AD)
• Mystic and Philosopher and Sufi
• Emphasized mystic path on unlocking human potential to approach the divine
• Wrote 300 books
• The Seals of Wisdom was his masterpiece.
Moses Maimonides (1135-1204 AD)
• Jewish rabbi, doctor, and philosopher
• Many Greek ideas pass from Islam to Christianity through his work passing ideas to other Jews in Europe
• Tried to reconcile the Torah with Greek Philosophy
• Overcame initial opposition.
The Fatmid Empire (969-1171 AD)
• Claimed descent from Mohammed through Fatima
• Tunisian Dynasty --> Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Sicily and Egypt
• Founded a Shi’ite Caliphate (Sevener)
• Founded Cairo as capital.
Fatmid Decline
• Isma’ili Assassins– Founded 1000 AD by Fatmid Defector– Esoteric, Mystical, Drugged Assassins– Destroyed by the Mongols
• Saladin and Nur al-Din– Rulers of Syria– Conquer Egypt in 1171 AD– Impose Sunni Islam
Mamluks (1250-1517 AD
• Slave Soldiers
• Used to overcome loyalty of tribal warriors to local leaders by Caliphs
• Overrused by Saladin’s descendents
• During Saint Louis’ crusade, they took over Egypt in 1250 AD
• Defeated the Mongols in 1260
Mamluk Apogee and Decline
• Sultan Baybars (1260-1277) overcomes Crusaders, sets up puppet Caliph
• Conquered by the Ottomans in 1517 AD
The Islamic East
• Abassid Usurpers:– Samanids at Bukhara (875-999 AD) and the
Buyids at Baghdad (945-1055 AD)
• The Seljuk Turks (1055-1194 AD)– Tugril Beg, Sultan--“Authority” (1037-1063
AD)– Seljuks controlled much of Abassid Caliphate;
for a time, trade and culture revived.
Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 AD)
• Sufi theologian, ulama, mystic, and philosopher
• Helped acceptance of Sufis by others
• The Incoherence of the Philosophers– Heavily condemned Greek-style philosophy as useless at best
and evil at worst– Only God’s will determines events– Most Islamic writers henceforth turned against philosophy;
contributes to eventual decline of Islamic nations compared to Europe
Islam and the Mongols
• Ilkhanid Dynasty (1261-1335 AD)
• Hulagu Khan founds it in 1250s
• Checked by the Mamluks in 1250 AD
• Tolerant rulers who eventually converted to Islam
• Decay after 1335 AD
Timurids
• Timur-i Lang (Timur the Lame / Tamerlane), 1336-1405 AD– Devastates central Asia, killing millions– Last of the Steppe Conquerors
• Timurid Dynasty (1405-1494 AD)
Islam in India and SE Asia
• Moslem Merchants spread Islam by Trade
• Various Groups of Moslems conquer pieces of India for a time, repeatedly– Dehli Sultanate (1200s-1400s)– Bahmanids (1347-1527 AD): South-Central India
(The Deccan)– Indonesia: Traditional Orthopraxy was challenged
due to things like the difficulty of pilgrimage to Mecca and Coast vs Interior Conflict.
Religious and Cultural Accomodation
• North India and Deccan = Moslem ruled over Hindu masses
• Ghazis = Warriors of Moslem Faith
• Hindus treated Moslems as new castes
• Persian is dominant Moslem language
• Urdu-Hindi blends local language and Persian and Arabic
Hindus under Moslem Rule
• Indian Buddhism dies
• Vaishnava Brahman Ramnuja (d. 1137) reconciles bhakti (popular devotion to a God) with Upanashadic religious tradition
The Gita Govinda (12th Century)
• By Jayadeva of Puri
• A masterwork of love poetry mixed with Theology, about Krishna (avatar of Vishnu) and his cowgirl lovers
• Redefines Vishnu worship to appeal to non-ruling caste members, as a love affair of bhakti devotion
• Krishna becomes the central figure of whom other gods are aspects.