The Islamic Empires

Arabia• Mostly desert• Occupied by nomadic

herders called Bedouins

• Clans of Bedouins fought over scarce resources

• Town of Mecca was a major trading center

The Prophet Muhammad• Arabian merchant who believed he

had been called upon to spread the word (Qu’ran) of God (Allah)

• Meccan merchants grew angry over his rejection of the old polytheistic religion (which was good for trade) and plotted to kill him, prompting him to flee Mecca for the town of Medina; this flight is known as the hegira

• Muhammad was welcomed in Medina and became the ruler of the city; later led his converts in conquering Mecca and destroyed the idols (or statues) worshipped there

Islam• Monotheistic: believe in the

same “God of Abraham” as Christians and Jews

• Sacred text = Qu’ran• God is all-powerful and

compassionate• Men are responsible for their

own actions and will be judged at death and sent to either heaven or hell

• Sharia: Islamic law which governs daily life, applies the Qu’ran to all legal issues

The Five Pillars• make a declaration of faith: “there is

no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger”– recognizes other prophets, including

Abraham. Moses, and Jesus (do not recognize Jesus as divine), but considers Muhammad to be the last and greatest of the prophets

• daily prayer: must face Mecca when praying

• give charity to the poor• fast (not eat or drink) between

sunrise and sunset during the holy month of Ramadan

• make a pilgrimage to Mecca (this trip is called a hajj)

Spread of Islam• After Muhammad died in 632

AD, control of Islam passed to his follower Abu Bakr

• Islamic armies swept out of Arabia and quickly conquered the Middle East, Persia, Egypt, and North Africa

• 711 AD, crossed into Spain until defeated in 732 at the Battle of Tours, stopping Islam’s advance into Europe

Life for the Conquered• Muslim rulers were

extremely tolerant of non-Muslims who were also monotheistic (Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians), allowing them to continue their own religions and follow their own laws; those of other faith systems were usually converted “by the sword” (convert or be punished)

The Islamic Schism• The first 4 caliphs (leaders

of Islam) were from Muhammad’s family but political divisions soon erupted between the Shia and Sunni– Shiites believed that only

descendents of Muhammad should lead Islam (minority group)

– Sunnis believed that any devout Muslim may lead Islam (majority group)

The Umayyad Caliphate• Came to power by assassinating

many members of Muhammad’s extended family in order to frustrate the Shia

• Moved capital of Islamic empire from Mecca (a religious center) to Damascus (an economic center outside Arabia)

• Created a social class system where converts to Islam did not hold the same status as those born into the faith

• Continued to expand empire through conquest

The Abbasid Caliphate• Overthrew the Umayyads in

750 AD through a successful insurrection

• Moved capital of Islamic empire to the new city of Baghdad (in modern day Iraq) to better administer the empire from a more central location and to take advantage of its position along the Silk Road

Disintegration of Empire• Starting around 850 AD,

the Islamic empire began to fragment into smaller Islamic states

• Invaders began to compound the problem– Seljuks invade from central

Asia in the 900s– Crusades out of Europe in

the 1100s and 1200s– Mongols out of China in

1200s

Islamic Society• People enjoyed social mobility

(could change social classes)• Had slaves, but Muslims could

not be enslaved– if a slave converted to Islam,

their children became free– if a slave married a free

Muslim, they became free– slaves worked as servants,

soldiers, artisans, government officials

– slaves could be freed or could buy their own freedom

Trade• Muslims were great

merchants– crossed Saharan Desert to

trade with West Africa– traveled the Silk Road to trade

with China– sailed the Indian Ocean to

trade with India– Introduced Europe to sugar

from India, paper from China– Created branch-banking,

checks, and credit– Artisans were controlled by

guilds (just like in Europe)

Arts & Architecture• Qu’ran forbids artistic

representations of God or religious figures

• Islamic art is usually made up of geometric patterns (called arabesques)

• Used fancy calligraphy and vivid illustrations in books

• Built elaborate and beautiful mosques

Literature• Poetry– Firdawsi’s Shah Namah

(Book of Kings)– Omar Khayyam’s The

Rubaiyat

• The Thousand and One Nights– Aladdin– Ali Baba and the 40

Thieves– Sinbad the Sailor

Education• Boys and girls educated in reading,

writing, and the Qu’ran• Great universities, libraries• Preserved the works of the Greeks

and other earlier civilizations at a time when such works were being destroyed in Europe because of their pagan origins

• Had great philosophers and historians

• Developed new forms of math (Omar Khayyam’s “al jabr” or “algebra”)

• Made tremendous advances in medicine

Islam in India• Muslims first conquered

Indus valley in 711• Moved into the sub-

continent in 1100s• Many people of low-castes

converted from Hinduism to Islam because it allowed social mobility

• After Mongol invasions in 1398, India broke into a number of small rival states (some Muslim, some Hindu)

The Mughal Dynasty• In 1526, the Mongols (now

converted to Islam) again invaded India– Established the Mughal

Dynasty (1526-1857)– Founded by Babur and his

son Akbar the Great– Chose to be tolerant of

Hindus to maintain peace– Akbar’s grandson, Shah

Jahan, built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his beloved wife, who had died young

The Ottoman Empire• Swept out of central Asia and toppled

the Byzantine Empire in 1453, using cannons (a recent invention)

• Eventually, empire stretched from Eastern Europe to Arabia and through the Middle East and across North Africa

• Distinct social classes– Men of the pen – the educated– Men of the sword - soldiers– Men of negotiation – merchants,

artisans– Men of husbandry – farmers,

herders

The Safavid Empire • Formed in Persia (modern-day

Iran) in early 1500s• Clashed with the Ottomans• Greatest leader was Shah Abbas

(1588-1629)– tolerated non-Muslims– encouraged the arts– strengthened trade along the Silk

Road– walked the streets in disguise to

talk to the people and find out their problems

– after his death, empire declined and finally collapsed in 1722