Chapter 10 World History

Mosque

A Muslim place of worship

Al-Andalus

A Muslim-ruled region in what is now Spain, established by the Berbers in the eighth century A.D.

Kaaba

A black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine

Umayyads

A dynasty that ruled the Muslim Empire from 661 to 750 and later established a kingdom in al-Andalus. •Umayyads abandoned the simple life of previous caliphs and began to surround themselves with wealth and ceremony similar to that of non-Muslim rulers. These actions, along with the leadership issue, gave rise to a fundamental division in the Muslim community

Muslim

A follower of Islam

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

Caliph

A supreme political and religious leader in a Muslim government

Abbasids

Abbasids come into power in 750, and murder the remaining Umayyad family

Rightly Guided Caliphs

Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali used Muhammad's actions and the Qur'an as a guide for leadership. All knew Muhammad personally. As a result, they are known as the "Rightly Guided" Caliphs

Links to Chirstianity and Judiasm

All "people of the book" so they had pretty good relationships

Sharia

Body of Islamic law that includes interpretation of the Quran and applies Islamic principles to everyday life

Mecca

City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.

House of Wisdom

Combination library, academy, and translation center in Baghdad established in the 800s.

Five Pillars of Islam

Declaration of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage

allah

God of Islam

Sunna

Islamic model for living based on the life and teachings of Muhammad/Muhammad's example

Fatimid

Member of a Muslim dynasty that traced its ancestry to Muhammad's daughter Fatima

Hijrah

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to (Yathrib) Medina

Ulama

Muslim religious scholars. From the ninth century onward, the primary interpreters of Islamic law and the social core of Muslim urban societies. (p. 238)

Meaning of Islam

Submission to the will of Allah

Umma

The community of all Muslims. A major innovation against the background of seventh-century Arabia, where traditionally kinship rather than faith had determined membership in a community.

Muhammed

The prophet and founder of Islam

Sunni

a Muslim group that accepts only the descendants of the Umayyads as the true rulers of Islam

calligraphy

the art of fine handwriting

Shi'a

the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors of Muhammad

Quran

the sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina

Muhammed's life

•570 CE: Muhammad was born into a prominent and respected clan •Became a merchant when he marries a wealthy businesswoman Khadija; widely traveled into Christian and Jewish regions. •610 CE: received first of many revelations in Mecca. •Muslims believe that God transmitted revelations to Muhammad through Angel Gabriel. •Revelations were later written down in Arabic and are called the Qu'ran.

advances in medicine

•A Persian scholar named al-Razi: greatest physician of the Muslim •wrote an encyclopedia called the Comprehensive Book •also wrote Treatise on Smallpox and Measles •Muslim contributions in the sciences were most recognizable in medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.

Beduoins

•Arab nomads known as Bedouins (BEHD-oo-ihnz) were organized into tribes known as clans (kin-related) Provided protection and support for one another in the harsh desert conditions.

Desert life

•Arab nomads known as Bedouins (BEHD-oo-ihnz) were organized into tribes known as clans (kin-related) Provided protection and support for one another in the harsh desert conditions. •Values of: courage, loyalty to family, and warrior skills would become part of the Islamic way of life. •By 600 Arabs begin to settle in an oasis or market town that were port farming communities.

culture and philosophy

•Architecture focused on great mosques with minarets. •Greco-Roman learning that had been lost after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire was recopied by Muslims and distributed throughout the empire for their use. •Writings from Aristotle (philosopher), Hippocrates (physician), Ptolemy (astronomer) and Euclid (mathematician) were saved.

Trade routes

•By the early 600s, trade routes connected Arabia to the major ocean and land trade routes. •Trade routes through Arabia ran from the extreme south of the peninsula to the Byzantine and Sassanid (Persian) empires to the north. • Merchants transported spices and incense from Yemen and other products to the west. They also carried information and ideas from the world outside Arabia.

significance of Arabian Peninsula

•Cultural crossroads: Southwest Asia often referred to as the Middle East served as a bridge between Africa, Asia, and Europe. •At its longest and widest points, it is 1,200 miles from north to south, and 1,300 miles from east to west. •Oman, is the only strip of fertile land that can support agriculture along with larger oasis. •The religion of Islam would be one of those ideas, and it would soon begin to grow rapidly

art and science

•House of Wisdom was comprised of: researchers, translators, editors, etc. •Standards for research are developed. Set the stage for the revival of European learning. •The Thousand and One Nights: The frame story tells of King Shahryar, who marries a new wife each day and has her killed the next. When Scheherezade marries the king, however, she tells him fascinating tales for a thousand and one nights, until the king realizes that he loves her.

observatories

•Muslim observatories were great centers of learning. This scene depicts astronomers working at the observatory in Istanbul. They are using many instruments including an astrolabe

philosphy

•Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd, argued Greek philosophy and Islam both had the same goal: to find the truth. Faced opposition for his ideas. Trying to blend Aristotle's and Plato's views with those of Islam. • The "Ideal Man"- values of many cultures were recognized by the Muslims. • •Muslim philosophical society showed that it recognized the empire's diverse nature when it described its "ideal man": •"The ideal and morally perfect man should be of East Persian derivation, Arabic in faith, of Iraqi education, a Hebrew in astuteness, a disciple of Christ in conduct, as pious as a Greek monk, a Greek in the individual sciences, an Indian in the interpretation of all mysteries, but lastly and especially a Sufi in his whole spiritual life." - IKHWAN AS-SAFA, quoted in The World of Islam

math and science

•Muslim scholars practice a reliance on scientific observation and experimentation, and the ability to find mathematical solutions to old problems. Preferred to solve problems by conducting experiments in laboratory settings. •Al- Khwarizmi, a mathematician born in Baghdad wrote a textbook explaining "the art of bringing together unknowns to match a known quantity." He called this technique al-jabr—today called algebra. •Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), a brilliant mathematician, produced a book called Optics. Revolutionized ideas about vision. His studies about optics were used in developing lenses for telescopes and microscopes.

Treatment of conquered people

•No forced conversion in Islam, people follow own religion •Jews and Christians seen as 'people of the book'-given special consideration •-Are only required to pay a tax •-Not allowed to spread their own religion •-Can hold elected office

role of women

•Qur'an also declares that men and women, as believers, are equal. The shari'a gave Muslim women specific legal rights concerning marriage, family, and property. •Muslim women had more economic and property rights than European, Indian, and Chinese women of the same time period. However, still expected to submit to men. •They had access to education, and among them were poets and scholars •In the early days of Islam, women could also participate in public life and gain an education. However, over time, Muslim women were forced to live increasingly isolated lives.

Dome of the Rock significance

•Situated on top of the Temple Mount (the site of Solomon's and Herod's Temples) in Jerusalem, framing a rock that holds sacred significance for all three monotheistic religions. •In the Judeo-Christian tradition this rock marks the place where Abraham came to sacrifice Isaac; for Muslims, it came to be thought of as the site of the miraj, the Prophet Muhammad's miraculous ascension to heaven with the angel Gabriel. • Although the monument's intended function continues to be debated, the Dome of the Rock has historically functioned—and continues to serve—not as a mosque but as a shrine, and one of the most important sites of pilgrimage for Muslims worldwide.

Muslim cities

•The Abbasid capital city, Baghdad was very impressive circular design, formed by three circular protective walls. •Caliph al-Mansur chose the site for his capital on the west bank of the Tigris River in 762. •Baghdad's population approached one million at its peak.

Why was expansion succesful

•The Muslim armies were well disciplined and expertly commanded. •Persian and Byzantine empires were exhausted militarily •Some groups were still being persecuted for their beliefs, and persecuted people often welcomed the invaders and their cause and chose to accept Islam. •Offered equality and hope in this world. They were also attracted by the economic benefit for Muslims of not having to pay a poll tax.

Why is a civil war started within Islam

•The caliphs are murdered, there is a wide debate as to who should rule next. •Ali, as Muhammad's cousin and son-in- law, was the natural choice as a successor but is challenged •A family known as the Umayyads (oo•MY•adz) then came to power. •Umayyads abandoned the simple life of previous caliphs and began to surround themselves with wealth and ceremony similar to that of non-Muslim rulers. •These actions, along with the leadership issue, gave rise to a fundamental division in the Muslim community. •Another group, the Sufi (SOO•fee), rejected the luxurious life of the Umayyads. They pursued a life of poverty and devotion to a spiritual path.

astronomy

•The device shown here is called an armillary sphere. The man standing in the center is aligning the sphere, while the seated man records the observations. Astronomers calculated the time of day or year by aligning the rings with various stars. This helped Muslims set their religious calendar

social class

•The upper class included those who were Muslims at birth. • Converts to Islam were in the second class. •The third class consisted of the "protected people" and included Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians. •The lowest class was composed of slaves. Many slaves were prisoners of war, and all were non-Muslim. Slaves most frequently performed household work or fought in the military.

art and architecture

•many artists turned to calligraphy, or the art of beautiful hand- writing. Muslims believed that only Allah can create life, images of living beings were discouraged. •Others expressed themselves through the decorative arts, such as woodwork, glass, ceramics, and textiles. •Great Mosque of Damascus was built on the site of a Christian church. blended Byzantine architecture with Muslim ideas. •Great Mosque of Cordoba used two levels of arches in a style unknown before.

Jihad

•means striving. In the Quran it means an armed struggle against unbelievers. Used to justify the expansion of Islam

Sufi

•rejected the luxurious life of the Umayyads. They pursued a life of poverty and devotion to a spiritual path.