Spread of Islam

Islam

Islam

Is

is

Islam

Section 1 00:00:00 Back to our lesson question, scholars. It's at the top of the screen. What was the impact of the spread of Islam? Well, we just saw how quite rapidly Islam spread through North Africa, into Spain, and into Portugal, into Europe as we know it, as well as throughout the Middle East and into Asia. 00:00:20 Now this first part, we're going to build on that knowledge and we're going to take a deeper look at the spread of Islam, and we're going to see how that will really help us answer our lesson question. Let's get started with the first part, scholars. Section 2 00:00:00 TEACHER: After the death of Muhammad in 632 CE, the Muslim community turn to new leaders. And these new leaders are called Caliphs. And caliphs were elected by their respective clans. And one of the first caliphs, or actually the first caliph, was a close friend of Muhammad called Abu Bakr. Now, an interesting thing about Abu is the fact that 00:00:27 many scholars believe that he may actually have been Muhammad's father-in-law. So almost a direct relative of Muhammad. Now, he was succeeded by three caliphs who expanded the Muslim held territory, and built the first Muslim empire. Let me show you what I'm talking about by the use of this map that really shows the spread of Islam. First, always take a look at the key. 00:00:53 Here you can see, in green, is the area that Muhammad was able to conquer. And you can see it's all this area in green, especially those two key cities of Medina and Mecca. Next, there are the Caliphates these four right-guided leaders. And they expanded not only from here, but also expanded all over here, into North Africa, in modern day Egypt, 00:01:16 as well as more into the Middle East. And finally, you have the Umayyads, who we're going to talk about later as well, who actually expanded into Europe, further into Asia, and further into North Africa. Now, keep this map in mind as we go throughout this lesson, because you'll see the very rapid expanse of Islam, not just in the Middle East, but around the world as well. Section 4 00:00:00 TEACHER: We just saw how within a period of just over 100 years, Islam spread all around North Africa, into Asia, and even in Europe. Well, it was able to spread so quickly for a number of reasons. One was trade. Where traders moving from, perhaps, Mecca into North 00:00:20 Africa, they would talk to people they would come across with about their new beliefs, and they would make converts. The second way were missionaries-- people who set out to brand new areas just to bring people into the Islamic faith. But the third and possibly the most effective reason for the spread of Islam was military conquests against the different empires and kingdoms that they came across. 00:00:46 And we'll take a look at their conquests right now. Now, the Muslim armies, they were successful for many different reasons. One is that Muslim soldiers were extremely devout. They believed in what they were fighting for. Two, they were well-disciplined, and they had superior military leadership. So they had better generals, and those generals were able 00:01:09 to train better soldiers. The third reason is that both the Persian as well as the Byzantine empires were weak during that time period. So they were able to chip away at those two empires. And fourth is that many conquered people chose to accept Islam and Muslim leadership rather than the leadership they had been under previously. Now, during this time period, there was 00:01:38 some religious tolerance. Especially for Jews, as well as Christians. The reason being is that both Jews, Christians, and as well as Muslims were "people of the book." And also, they got special considerations because of the religious ties to Islam. You may have taken a lesson and spoke about the different prophets that are mentioned in all three religions. 00:02:09 For example, Abraham is mentioned in the Qur'an, in the Torah, as well as the Christian Bible, However, these different religions, they were forced and required to pay a special tax. And sometimes this tax was very expensive. So Jews and Christians, they would convert just so that they didn't have to pay the tax. Also, these Jews and Christians and people who 00:02:32 practiced other beliefs, they were not allowed to spread their own beliefs. They weren't allowed to go out and make converts. And finally, these other Jews, Christians, and these other beliefs, they were allowed to serve in positions of government under Muslim leadership. So you can see here that there was some religious toleration. However, we can also see the tax, as well as not being able 00:02:56 to spread their own beliefs as well. Section 6 00:00:00 TEACHER: A wonderful job, scholars. You finished the first part of the lesson only two more left. Stay with me, you're doing great. Take a look at that lesson question with me. It's at the top of the screen. It says, what was the impact of the spread of Islam? We'll begin answering that question where in the first 00:00:18 part we talked about the spread of Islam under the 4 Caliphates after Muhammad's death. And how by the use of trade, by the use of missionaries, as well as the use of military conquest, Islam was able to spread rapidly within 100 years. In this second part, we're going to continue by looking at various Muslim empires. And by looking at this in addition to the spread of 00:00:42 Islam, we'll definitely be able to further answer our lesson question, which again is what was the impact of the spread of Islam? Let's get started with this second part, scholars. Section 7 00:00:00 TEACHER: The first Muslim empire we're going to take a look at are the Umayyads, who ruled from 661 to 750 CE, or 750 years after the year 0. And they were the first great Muslim dynasty to rule after the caliphs. Now, these Umayyads, they created a hereditary system of succession. 00:00:22 Meaning that the person in charge had to be from the family of the person before, so for example, if your father, then it would go to that son, and so forth. They moved the capital to Damascus, to better control the Umayyad Empire, because it was more centrally located. But they were opposed by many of Muhammed's early followers for a number of reasons. To begin with, while they were in Damascus, the Umayyads 00:00:50 group grew very wealthy, and they grew to become despised by some of Muhammad's early followers. In addition, during Muhammad's life, the Umayyads were actually enemies of Muhammed. So for these two reasons, you gradually saw a split starting to occur in Islam. And there are actually to this day two major divisions. So a way to think of it is this. 00:01:16 If this is Islam, it gradually split. Not immediately, but over time. And instead of just being one, you had the Sunnis, and then you had the Shi'as. Both of them are Muslims, but there are two distinct groups. You saw this also in the Christian church, during the Great Schism. Where you had the Roman Catholic Church, and the 00:01:40 Eastern Orthodox Church. So a bit of a common similarity between there. But let's take a look at this division. SUNNI VS. SHI'A We'll first begin by looking at the Sunnis. Now, the Sunnis, they believe that the successor to Muhammad should be chosen from the Muslim community. They go on, they supported the Umayyads, who we just learned about. 00:02:03 And they believe that many people can interpret the Qur'an and lead prayers. Now remember, we're comparing and contrasting. So we're looking for similarities. Also we're looking for those differences. So we just looked at the Sunnis. Now, let's take a look at the Shi'as. Now, the Shi'as, they believe that the successor to Muhammad 00:02:26 should come from his inner circle, not from the Muslim community as a whole. And the Shi'as, they opposed the Umayyad rule, and they also believed only imams chosen by Allah can interpret the Qur'an. The reason why is that they believe that imams are perfect, or they are manifestations of God on earth. 00:02:49 And so they are the only ones that can interpret the Qur'an. So you can see that there was this division between Islam. And actually, it continues to this day. Now, 85% of all Muslims are followers of the Sunni sect, or the Sunni division, of Islam. And some countries that are Sunni. The majority of the people in Saudi Arabia are Sunni. But the majority of people in Iran are Shi'a. 00:03:18 So you can see it's also broken up by political boundary as well. The big takeaway here is because of the Umayyads and the reasons why people did not like them, you saw a division in Islam between the Sunnis and the Shi'as. And this division continues to this day. Section 9 00:00:00 TEACHER: Let's dive deeper and look a little bit more at the Umayyad rule. Now, recall on the map you've seen, the Umayyad's controlled a vast amount of territory. So they had to create a complex bureaucracy to oversee that empire. Remember, bureaucracy are governors or departments that 00:00:19 help the emperor or the caliph rule this very large empire. However, only Muslims were citizens, and they held almost all positions of power. But what we began to see is that these people who held power, these small elite groups, we're actually not giving out the wealth, or distributing the wealth equally to the rest. And because of that, we saw that corruption became rife 00:00:47 within the Umayyad Dynasty. And it would eventually cause the fall of the Umayyads. And their fall would actually bring in a brand new dynasty, which we're going to take a look at in a second. But first, I want to draw your attention to this map again. Recall, we see how Muhammad, around 632, he had established control of all this area. Then the Caliphates, this whole area in the pink. 00:01:16 And now, here are the Umayyads, who ruled this whole area, actually into Europe and further into Asia. But again, the Umayyads, because of corruption, gradually led to their fall. And this new empire would establish its capitol right here in Baghdad, which is actually in modern day Iraq. And this new dynasty were the Abbasids. Now, the Abbasids, they built an empire with absolute rule. 00:01:44 Meaning the people at the top had complete control. And like we said, they built the new capitol in Baghdad, away from Damascus. They focused on expansion eastward toward India. They were not looking westward toward Europe. They accepted converts to Islam as equals. Now, they promoted the trade, arts, as well as the sciences. But the big takeaway here is that during the Abbasid 00:02:12 Dynasty, you saw the rise of the Golden Age of Islam, which really saw an expansion and many achievements in these fields of art, of science, as well as an expanding amount of trade as well, scholars. Section 11 00:00:00 TEACHER: Hey, wonderful job, scholars. You finished the first two parts of the lesson. Only one more left. You're going great. Stay with me. I'm really proud of you all. But before we move on, take a look at that lesson question. 00:00:11 It's always at the top of the screen. It says, what was the impact of the spread of Islam? Well, recall in the first part, we talked about the initial spread of Islam. And how in the second part, that spread of Islam allowed for the creation of these various Muslim empires that we looked at as well. Now in this third and final part, we're going to look at 00:00:35 Islam's Golden Age. So let's take a look at this final part, scholars. You're doing great. Section 12 00:00:00 TEACHER: Before we jump into the Golden Age of Islam, I want to do a strategy with you real quick. And this is comparing and contrasting. Well, we're going to be comparing and contrasting the role of women between the Umayyad rule and the Abbasid rule. Now remember, when we're comparing and contrasting, 00:00:17 we're looking for similarities and differences. And what we're looking at, like we said, is the role of women. Let's start by looking at the role of women under the Umayyad rule. To begin with, women played a very important role in compiling, or putting together, the Qur'an. In addition, during the Umayyad rule they could own 00:00:37 their own businesses, also inherit property. What's interesting to note is that Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, was actually a very wealthy businesswoman herself. And in fact, Muhammad actually met Khadijah by actually working for her, or working for her business. Well, back to this. Let's explain, and we'll see the role of women, of how it changed during the Abbasid rule. 00:01:08 Now, during the Abbasid rule, women, they were confined to the home and began to veil themselves when they went out in public. to veil means to cover up. And societies, they became much more paternalistic. What we mean by that is that the male figures in the house became much more powerful. And also, Islamic law preserved certain rights 00:01:32 denied in other societies. The big takeaway here is that from the Umayyad into the Abbasids, you did see the rights of women decline over time. Section 14 00:00:00 TEACHER: Islam's golden age was really known for a quest for knowledge, and knowledge was extremely prized. We know that for a number of reasons. To begin with, one is that scholars translated classical Greek texts into Arabic. You'll see there is a great deal of influence from these Greek texts into Islam's golden age. 00:00:22 That was one. Second is that many scholars explored science, philosophy, and literature. And the third thing is that universities and libraries were constructed. In fact, in Baghdad there was a university that was called the House of Wisdom, and for 400 years it served as a meeting place for these scholars as well as a meeting 00:00:46 place for these new discoveries that were being made in these various areas. Let's take a look at some of the actual areas that were advanced during this time, for example in science and mathematics. And there were huge numbers of achievements in these different fields. The first is al-Razi, who made a number of 00:01:06 advancements in medicine. And you can see right here is actually a page from an herbal medicine guidebook where you can see a plant or an herb that would be used for medical purposes. And you can possibly see the description or the directions at the top. Pretty incredible stuff. The second thing is, or was, the invention of the astrolabe 00:01:33 and advancements in the field of astronomy. Now, this astrolabe did an excellent job of using the stars to help guide your direction. And this was critical if you were sailing. And the astrolabe would actually play a huge role in the age of discovery with the Europeans. Now, the third thing was this man right here, al-Khwarizmi. Now, he actually invented algebra. 00:02:02 So if you go into math class and you really like algebra, you can thank this gentleman right here, because he's the one who invented the idea of algebra. Now, remember I said in the last slide, talking about translating Greek texts. Well, this man right here, he actually utilized the work of Euclid as well as other Greek mathematicians to help build algebra. 00:02:29 So you can see how these cultures really blended together. He also used the works of Archimedes. Now let's go on and take a look at the art and architecture. And so often these would actually work together. And I want to show you this by using this mosque as an example. 00:02:48 This is a mosque in Damascus. But before I take a look at the actual things, can you see the Greek or the Roman influence here? Take a closer look at this area right here. You see the influence? Let me help you out. Take a look at those arches, and also take a look at the columns. 00:03:08 So again you can see the blending of culture here. Also, right here you can see the arches as well as the columns. So a mosque is then actually the highest form of art in Islam. And inside these mosques you'll often find calligraphy, which is this beautiful writing you see here, as well as arabesque. 00:03:32 It's a form of art, and it usually starts as a small thing like a flower, and it gradually duplicates into a much larger image. And they all come together. It's very geometric, if you take a closer look at it. And both of these, calligraphy and arabesque, many times they will decorate mosques. So the big takeaway here is that during Islam's golden age 00:03:59 there was a great deal of achievements in many different areas, just like science and math but also in art and architecture, scholars. Section 16 00:00:00 TEACHER: The Golden Age of Islam had a number of effects. To begin with, it would greatly influence the European Renaissance. And you may say, well how would it do that? Well to begin with, Islamic scholars during this time, remember they were translating those Greek and those Roman text into Arabic, so they helped preserve those 00:00:20 classical texts. In addition, the second thing is that new ideas, new inventions, and technologies would spread through trade. Like that astrolab we just took a look at, which would greatly influence European Age of Discovery. The third, are these factors, like we just said, would allow the Europeans to make great advancements in the 1400s. Let's sum up all of this by looking at the spread of 00:00:47 Islam, but again, by using a timeline, which allows us to look at the information very succinctly, very little amounts, but we can tell it all. So we can see Muhammad's death in 632. Here you have the Umayyad Dynasty. The fall of the Umayyad Dynasty brought in the Abbasid Dynasty, which collapsed during the Mughal invasion of Baghdad in 1258. 00:01:11 But recall, I don't want you to live in a historical bubble. There are other things going on during this time period. You see in 527 the start of Justinian's rule. And in 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks.

Sunni

Shi'a

Spread of islam

trade, missionaries, military conquest

In the first one hundred years after Muhammad's death, how far did Islam spread?

across the Middle East, North Africa, and into Europe