Chapter 6The First Global Civilization: The Rise and Spread of Islam

• 7th century CE Arab followers of Muhammad surge from the Arabian Peninsula

• They quickly became an empire incorporating elements of classical civilizations of Greece, Egypt and Persia

• Islamic merchants, mystics and warriors continued it expansion into Europe, Asia and Africa

• Although united in the belief of Muhammad’s message, the Islamic world was divided culturally and politically

• The disputes did not undermine the strength of the Muslim civilization until the 14th century

Clan Identity, Clan Rivalries and the Cycle of Vengeance

• Mobile kin-related clans were the basic social organization

• Only united into larger tribal units in times of crisis • Survival depended on clan loyalty • Leaders or shaykhs were elected by council • Free warriors enforced their decisions• Slave families served the leaders or the clan as a whole • Clan cohesion was reinforced by interclan rivalry and

conflict over water and pasturage • The strife weakened Bedouin society against it rivals

Desert and Town: The pre-Islamic Arabian World

• Arabian Peninsula inhabited by Bedouin societies • Some desert dwellers herded camels and goats • Others practiced agriculture in oasis towns • Important agricultural and commercial centers

flourished in southern coastal regions • The towns were extensions of Bedouin society,

sharing its culture and ruled by its clans

Town and long-distance trade

• Cities linked the Mediterranean to east Asia • Mecca was the most important city (western

Arabia) founded by the Umayyad• Mecca was the site of the Ka’ba (religious

shrine) • Medina was a second important town that

was a agricultural oasis and commercial center

Marriage and the family in pre-Islamic Arabia

• Women had key economic roles in clan life • Descent was traced through female line • Men paid a bride-price to the wife’s family • Women did not wear veils and were not secluded • Both sexes had multiple marriage partners • Still, men, who carried the honored warrior

tradition, remained superior • Traditional practices of property control,

inheritance and divorce favored men

Poets and neglected Gods

• Arab material culture was not highly developed• Main focus of creativity was in orally transmitted

poetry • Bedouin religion was a blend of animism and

polytheism • Some tribes recognized Allah but paid him little

attention • Instead of Allah they paid attention to spirits

associated with nature

The life of Muhammad and the Genesis of Islam

• Member of the Banu Hasim clan of the Quraysh, born in 570 CE

• He lived in Mecca and married a wealthy widow Khadijah

• Not happy with life focused on material gain • In 610 CE he meditates and receives revelations

from God through the angel Gabriel • These revelations were later written down in the

Qur’an which form the basis of Islam

Persecution , Flight and Victory • As Islam grows it is seen as a threat by Mecca's rulers • The new faith endangered the gods of the Ka’ba• With his life in danger Muhammad is invited to come to

Medina to mediate its clans quarrels • 622c CE Muhammad goes to Medina his skilled

leadership brought new followers • The Quraysh attack Medina but Muhammad’s force win • A treaty in 628 allowed Muslims to visit the Ka’ba• Muhammad returned to Mecca in 629 and converts most

of its inhabitants

Arab and Islam

• Islam offered opportunities for uniting Arabs • Islam provided a distinct indigineous monotheism• Islam supplanted clan divisions and ended feuding • The Umma (the community of the fatihful,

transcened old tribal boundries)• Islam offered offered an ethical system capable of

healing social rifts within arab society • All believers