Chapter 11

The Muslim World(622–1650)

• How did Muhammad become the prophet of Islam?

• What are the teachings of Islam?

• How did Islam help shape the way of life of its believers?

Rise of Islam

Muhammad Becomes the Prophet of Islam

Muhammad said he heard the angel Gabriel calling him to be the messenger of God.

Muhammad devoted his life to spreading Islam.

Muhammad made a journey from Mecca to Medina, where he was welcomed by Muslim converts. This was a turning point for Islam.

Muhammad returned to Mecca and worked to unite Arabs under Islam.

Islam is monotheistic, based on the belief in one God.

Muslims believe that the Quran contains the sacred word of God and is the final authority on all matters.

All Muslims accept five duties, known as the Five Pillars of Islam:• faith• daily prayer• charity• fasting during Ramadan• hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca

The Teachings of Islam

The 5 Pillars of Islam1. Faith

2. Five daily prayers

3. Charity

4. Fasting during Ramadan

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) Haji denotes one who has made the Hajj • Some authorities add a sixth pillar:

Jihad or Holy War in defense of Islam.Means active opposition to evil and injustice, more than literal warfare.

Islam is both a religion and a way of life.

The Islamic system of law, called Sharia, regulated moral conduct, family life, business practices, government, and other aspects of a Muslim community.

Unlike the law codes that evolved in the West, the Sharia does not separate religious matters from criminal or civil law.

Islam as a Way of Life

Islam Spreads

• How did Muslims conquer many lands?

• What movements emerged within Islam?

• Why did the empire of the caliphs decline?

An Age of Conquests

How were the Muslims able to conquer so many lands?

• The Byzantine and Persian empires were weak from years of fighting each other.

• People in the Fertile Crescent welcomed Arab conquerors as liberators.

• The Arabs used bold, efficient fighting methods, which overwhelmed traditional armies.

• The common faith of Islam united a patchwork of tribes into a determined, unified state.

The spread of IslamInherent appeal· Simplicity · Equality · Rights for Women · High moral teachings

Jihad· Military skill · Good government · Tolerance

Conversion Incentives

· Tax on "People of the Book” - Originally Christians and Jews, later Hindus and certain other groups as well.

· Forced conversion of pagans

Trade· Indonesia and sub-

Saharan Africa

Spread of Islam: Causes and Effects2

Immediate Effects Long-Term Effects

Islam spreads from the Atlantic coast to the Indus Valley

Centers of learning flourish in Cairo, Córdoba, and elsewhere

Muslim civilization emerges

Linking of Europe, Asia, and Africa through Muslim trade network

Arabic becomes shared language of Muslims

Split between Sunni and Shiites

Muslim mystics who sought to communicate with God through meditation, fasting, and other rituals.

Respected for their piety and miraculous powers.

Believed that only descendants of Muhammad could become caliph.

Believed descendants of Muhammad to be divinely inspired.

Believed caliph, or successor to Muhammad, should be chosen by leaders of the Muslim community.

Viewed caliph as a leader, not as a religious authority.

SUFISHIITESSUNNI

Shortly after Muhammad’s death, divisions arose within Islam.

Movements Within Islam

• Around 850, the caliphs power faded and they became unable to maintain centralized control, and the empire fragmented.

• In the 900s, Seljuk Turks invaded the Middle East and built a large empire in the Fertile Crescent.

• The crusades had a lasting effect on the Muslim world although it had a greater impact on W. Europe

• In the 1200s and 1300s, Mongol invaders dominated the Middle East.

Decline of the Muslim Empire

Muslim rulers united people from diverse cultures. As a result, Muslim civilization absorbed and blended many traditions.

The class distinction between Arabs and non-Arabs faded over time.

People enjoyed a certain degree of social mobility, the ability to move up in social class.

Slavery was a common institution.

Muslim Society

Between 750 and 1360, merchants built a vast trading network across the Muslim world and beyond.

New business practices were established, such as partnerships, credit, banks, and bank checks.

Handicraft manufacturing in cities was organized by guilds.

Outside the cities, agriculture flourished.

The Muslim Economy

Influences on Art and Literature

MUSLIM ART AND LITERATURE

Islamic religionQuran forbid artist to portray God or human figures in art.

Traditions of the many people living under Muslim rule

Skills and styles of Greeks, Romans, Persians, Indians, and other peoples with whom they came in contact

Government set up hospitals with emergency rooms.

Muhammad al-Razi studied measles and smallpox.

Ibn Sina wrote a medical encyclopedia. Surgeons developed treatment for cataracts.

Al-Khwarizmi developed astronomical tables.

Astronomers calculated circumference of the Earth.

Scholars studied Indian and Greek mathematics.

Al-Khwarizmi pioneered the study of algebra and wrote mathematics textbook that became standard in Europe.

Scholars tried to harmonize Greek ideas of reason with religious teachings of Islam.

Ibn Khaldun set standards for scientific study of history.

MEDICINEASTRONOMYMATHEMATICSPHILOSOPHY

Muslim Advances in Learning