Aim: why did Islam spread to many parts of the world as quickly as it did during the

first few hundred years of its existence?

Key

Early Life of Mohammed• 570 CE: Born in Mecca

• Arabian Peninsula dominated by the Byzantines, Persians, and Ethiopians.

• 595CE: At the age of twenty five marries a wealthy forty year old widow named Khadija.

3

Questions

• When did Islam begin to expand out of the Arabian Peninsula? When did this expansion take place?

• How quickly did this “expansion” happen?• What lands “came under the influence” of Islam?• Who did Arab Islamic armies conquer land from?• Who stopped the above Islamic expansion?• Why did Islam spread to many parts of the world as

quickly as it did during the first few hundred years of its existence?

• 610CE: Received his first revelation from God through the angel Gabriel.

• 620CE: Hijra (Migration from Mecca to Medina) (Start of the Calendar) (615CE)

• 622CE: Medina (Yathrib) becomes the capital of the Caliphate.

• 630CE: Mecca captured by Muslims.

• 632CE:Mohammed died.

Medina aka Yathrib

Mecca

Ridda Wars• Abu Bakr of the Umayyad clan becomes

the Caliph after Mohammed’s death.

• Various other prophets and successors to the prophet challenged Bakr’s authority.

• War: chaos in the Caliphate.

• Various Caliphs are assassinated.

• Eventually the Umayyads exert their authority.

Shia and Sunni Islam (in terms of political history)

• Shia believe that the Caliph must be a direct relative or descendent of the family of Mohammed.

• E.g.: Ali (Mohammed’s cousin and son in law) was the rightful Caliph after the death of the prophet not Abu Bakr.

• Hussein, Ali’s son, led an uprising against the Umayyads in 680CE. He and his followers were massacred at the Battle of Karbala. Hussein is now revered as a Shia saint.

• Umayyad’s rule the Caliphate.

Mosque and Shrine to Hussein ibn Ali, Karbala, Iraq

Mosque and Shrine to Hussein ibn Ali, Karbala, Iraq

BTW

Questions• When did Islam begin to expand out of the Arabian Peninsula? When did this

expansion take place?

• How quickly did this “expansion” happen?

• What lands “came under the influence” of Islam?

• Who did Arab Islamic armies conquer land from?

• Who stopped the above Islamic expansion?

• Why did Islam spread to many parts of the world as quickly as it did during the first few hundred years of its existence?

Islamic Expansion

• Rapid expansion led by Arab military conquests.

• 641CE: “Fertile Crescent” and Egypt conquered mostly from the Byzantines.

• 651CE: All of Persia conquered.

3

Red Dots with dates = battles

13

654CE: All of North Africa except for Morocco conquered.

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.

Tunisia

669CE: Morocco falls to Arab Islamic armies

• 711CE: Islamic armies begin the conquest of Afghanistan.

710CE: Invasion of Spain begins and by

718CE almost the entire Iberian Peninsula is under Islamic control.

Questions• When did Islam begin to expand out of the Arabian

Peninsula? When did this expansion take place?• How quickly did this “expansion” happen?• What lands “came under the influence” of Islam?• Who did Arab Islamic armies conquer land from?

• Who stopped the above Islamic expansion?

• Why did Islam spread to many parts of the world as quickly as it did during the first few hundred years of its existence?

717CE: The attempted capture of Constantinople fails.

• 732CE: The Islamic invasion of France is halted at the Battle of Tours by Charles Martel leader of the Franks.

Charles Martel

Chop Chop Chop

StabStab

711CE

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800CE

6

3

Red Dots with dates = battles

13

?

7

800CE

1

10

Questions• When did Islam begin to expand out of the Arabian

Peninsula? When did this expansion take place?• How quickly did this “expansion” happen?• What lands “came under the influence” of Islam?• Who did Arab Islamic armies conquer land from?• Who stopped the above Islamic expansion?

• Why did Islam spread to many parts of the world as quickly as it did during the first few hundred years of its existence?

Fin

But wait… there’s more… if you have time.

Ummayad vs. Abassid Caliphate / Dynasty

• Abassid clan also related to Mohammed.

• Overthrew the Umayyads in 750CE, massacred nearly all of them, and controlled nearly all of the Islamic world except for Spain.

• Moved the capital to from Damascus to Baghdad.

• Ruled until 1258CE until Baghdad and Abassid power destroyed by the Mongols.

Note that the Umayyads

remained in control of (parts of) Spain until

1492.

BTW, know what the Arabs called the French? It’s a word derived from the word Frank.

Ferengi(faranj, farangi) meaning Frank, then used

as a derogatory word for Europeans, Christians and foreigners in general, …and

on Star Trek too.

Fin

Aim: why did Islam spread to many parts of the world as quickly as it did during the

first few hundred years of its existence?

800CE

1

7

711CE

5

800CE

6

Red Dots with dates = battles

13

3

12

4

2

8

9

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Questions• When did Islam begin to expand out of the Arabian

Peninsula? When did this expansion take place?• How quickly did this “expansion” happen?• What lands “came under the influence” of Islam?• Who did Arab Islamic armies conquer land from?• Who stopped the above Islamic expansion?• Why did Islam spread to many parts of the world as

quickly as it did during the first few hundred years of its existence?

Aim: why did Islam spread to many parts of the world as quickly as it did during the

first few hundred years of its existence?

Fin