I. Pre-Islamic ArabiaA. Geography: The Arabian Peninsula

1. Largely deserts with mountains, oases2. Fertile areas in the southern mountains around

Yemen3. Nomadic Bedouin: Lived in the desert-covered

peninsula for millennia. Kept herds of sheep, goats, and camels. Organized in family and clan groups. Importance of kinship and loyalty to the clan. Many tribes seem to have been matrilineal with some rights for women

II. Post-classical ArabiaA. Romans (Byzantines) and Persians had client

kingdoms in areaB. Active in long-distance over land trade. Trade

from Damascus to Mecca/Medina to Yemen. Trade across desert to Persian Gulf and along coast. Part of Red Sea trade system; links between Yemen and Abyssinia. Trade includes gold, frankincense and myrrh

C. Religion was polytheist.D. Groups of Jews in Arabia; Monophysite

Christians in cities

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III. IslamA. Muhammad ibn Abdullah

1. Born in a Mecca merchant family, 570 C.E. 2. Difficult early life: orphaned, lived with uncle 3. Married a wealthy widow, Khadija, in 5954. Became a merchant at age 30, exposed to various faiths

B. Muhammad's spiritual transformation1. At age 40, he experienced visions 2. There was only one true god, Allah ("the god")3. Allah would soon bring judgment on the world4. The archangel Gabriel delivered these revelations to

Muhammad5. Did not intend to found a new religion, but his message

became appealing

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C. The Quran 1. Followers compiled Muhammad's actual revelations after

his death2. Quran ("recitation"), became the holy book of Islam3. Suras are chapters; organized from longest to shortest 4. A work of magnificent poetry

D. The Hadith1. Sayings attributed to Muhammad; not included in Quran2. Three levels from most accurate/likely to highly suspect

E. Conflict at Mecca1. His teachings offended others, especially ruling elite of

Mecca 2. Attacks on greed offended wealthy merchants3. Attacks on idolatry threatened shrines, especially the

Kaa'ba

F. The hijra 1. Under persecution, Muhammad, followers fled to Medina,

622 A.C.E. 2. The move, known as hijra, was starting point of Islamic

calendar

G. The umma 1. Organized a cohesive community called umma in Medina2. Led commercial adventure3. Sometimes launched raids against Mecca caravans4. Helped the poor and needy

H. The "seal of the prophets" 1. Referred himself as "seal of the prophets," - final prophet

of Allah 2. Held Hebrew scriptures and New Testament in high esteem3. Referred to followers as “Peoples of the Book”4. If they did not threaten umma, were to be protected5. Determined to spread Allah's wish to all humankind

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IV. Conquest of Arabia

A. Muhammad's return to Mecca 1. Conquered Mecca, 6302. Imposed a theocratic government dedicated to Allah3. Destroyed pagan shrines and built mosques

B. The Kaa'ba 1. The Kaa'ba shrine was not destroyed2. In 632, Muhammad led the first Islamic pilgrimage to the

Ka'ba

C. The Five Pillars of Islam 1. Obligations taught by Muhammad, known as the Five

Pillars 2. The Five Pillars bound the umma into a cohesive

community of faith3. Profession of faith, prayer, tithing, pilgrimage, fasting

at Ramadan

D. Islamic law: the sharia 1. Emerged during the centuries after Muhammad2. Detailed guidance on proper behavior in almost every

aspect of life3. Drew laws, precepts from the Quran4. Drew traditions from Arabic culture, Hadith5. Through the sharia, Islam became a religion and a way of

life

V. Expansion of Islam

A. •The caliph 1. Upon Muhammad's death, Abu Bakr served as caliph

("deputy") 2. Became head of state, chief judge, religious leader, military

commander3. First four called Orthodox caliphs because they were

original followers

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B. The expansion of Islam1. 633-637, seized Byzantine Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia2. 640's, conquered Egypt and North Africa 3. 651, toppled Sassanid dynasty 4. 711, conquered the Hindu kingdom of Sind5. 711-718, conquered northwest Africa, most of Iberia6. Success due to weakness of enemies, vigor of Islam7. Referred to Islamic world as Dar al Islam

C. The Shia and Sunnis1. The Shia sect supported Ali (last caliph and son in law of

Muhammad) A refuge for non-Arab converts, poor; followers in Iraq, Iran. Felt caliphs should be directly related to Muhammad

2. The Sunnis ("traditionalists") accepted legitimacy of early caliphs. Were Arab as opposed to Islamic. Did not feel caliphs had to be related to Muhammad.

3. Two sects struggled over succession; produced a civil war, murder of Ali (Son-in-law of Muhammad).

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VI. The Umayyad dynasty (661-750 C.E.)

A. New caliph won civil war; murdered Ali; established dynasty1. Established capital city at Damascus in Syria2. Ruled for the interests of Arabian military aristocracy

B. Policy toward conquered peoples1. Dhimmis were the conquered Christians, Jews, and

Zoroastrians2. Levied jizya (head tax) on those who did not convert to

Islam3. Even the converts did not enjoy wealth, position of

authority

C. Umayyad decline 1. Caliphs became alienated from Arabs by early 8th century2. By the mid-century, faced strong resistance of the Shia

faction3. The discontent of conquered peoples also increased4. Umayyad family slaughtered; only one son escaped to

Spain5. Formed breakaway Umayyad Dynasty in Spain

VII. Abbasid Dynasty

A. Abu al-Abbas1. A descendant of Muhammad's uncle; allied with Shias and

non-Arab Muslims 2. Seized control of Persia and Mesopotamia during 740's3. Shattered Umayyad forces at a battle in 750; annihilated

the Umayyad clan

B. The Abbasid dynasty (750-1258 C.E.) 1. Showed no special favor to Arab military aristocracy 2. Empire still growing, but not initiated by the central

government

C. Abbasid administration

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1. Relied heavily on Persians, Persian techniques of statecraft

2. Central authority ruled from the court at Baghdad, newly built city

3. Governors ruled provinces; Ulama, qadis (judges) ruled local areas

D. Harun al-Rashid (786-809 C.E.) 1. Represented the high point of the dynasty 2. Baghdad became metropolis, center for commerce,

industry, and culture

E. Abbasid decline 1. Struggle for succession between Harun's sons led to civil

war 2. Governors built their own power bases, regional dynasties3. Local military commanders took title of Sultan4. Popular uprisings and peasant rebellions weakened the

dynasty 5. A Persian noble seized control of Baghdad in 945 6. Later, the Seljuk Turks controlled the imperial family

VIII. An Urban Society

A. Rise of the Islamic Urban Society1. Pre-Islamic Arabs were both urban, bedouin2. Mecca, Medina, Yemeni cities, cities of Palmyra, Arab

Petropolis3. Center of the city was a market place often shared with

religious center4. Cities designed with human-environment interaction in

mind5. Nomads came to city to trade, city often settled by whole

tribes6. Arabs had settled in cities in Syria, Iraq, Jordan7. Arabic cities linked to wider world through merchants,

trade8. Arab cities exposed to Jews, Persians, Monophysites,

SabeansB. Arabic Empire and Urban Growth

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1. Islam as a culture requires mosque, merchant: very urban in outlook

2. Capital moved from Mecca to Damascus by Umayyads3. Arabs founded military cities on edges of desert to rule

empire4. As empire grew, needed something more permanent5. Abbasids moved capital from Damascus, Kufa to Baghdad6. Other designed for purpose cities include Fez, Cairo, Tunis7. Increasing agricultural production contributed to growth of

cities 8. Cities: centers for administration, industry, trade,

education, faith9. Many different ethnic minorities settled in Muslim cities

(quarters)10. Mosque at center surrounded by suk, square, in

decreasing social order

IX. Changed Economics

A. Trade Zones and Goods1. Merchants, pilgrims, travelers exchanged foods across

empire2. The exchange and spread of food and industrial crops.

Indian plants traveled to other lands of the empire. Staple crops: sugarcane, rice, new varieties of sorghum and wheat. Vegetables: spinach, artichokes, eggplants. Fruits: oranges, lemons, limes, bananas, coconuts, watermelons, mangoes. Industrial crops: cotton, indigo, henna.

B. Effects of new crops1. Increased varieties and quantities of food2. Industrial crops became the basis for a thriving textile

industry3. Foodstuffs increased health, populations of cities

C. Agricultural experimentation1. Numerous agricultural manuals2. Agricultural methods and techniques improved3. Improved irrigation

X. A Vast Trade Zone

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A. Camels and caravans 1. Overland desert trade traveled mostly by camel caravan2. Caravanserais (motel, corrals) in Islamic cities3. Trading goods usually luxury in nature

B. Sea Trade1. Maritime trade based on technological borrowing.2. Arab, Persian mariners borrowed: Compass from the

Chinese. Lateen sail from Southeast Asian, Indian mariners. Astrolabe from the Hellenistic mariners.

C. Organization and dominance of trade 1. In North Africa across Sahara, down Nile, SW Asia, to India2. Eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabia Gulf

down coasts3. Many cities grew rich from trade4. Entrepreneurs often pooled their resources in group

investments 5. Different kinds of joint endeavors

D. Banks1. Operated on large scale and provided extensive services2. Letters of credit, or sakk, functioned as bank checks

E. Key Ideas1. Exchange of Ideas included Islam, technology, culture

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XI. Other Islamic Regions

A. •Al-Andalus1. Islamic Spain, conquered by Muslim Berbers2. Claimed independence from the Abbasid dynasty 3. Participated in commercial life of the larger Islamic world4. Products of al-Andalus enjoyed a reputation for

excellence5. Cordoba was a center of learning, commerce, architecture6. After death of Abd al Rahman III broke up into petty

kingdoms7. A unique blended culture: Arab, Latin, German, Islamic,

Christian, Jewish 8. Very tolerant and integrated society9. Warred for 700 years with Christian kingdoms in north

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B. North Africa1. Strong followers of Shia, broke with Abbassids2. Berbers followed many puritanical Shia like movements3. Eventually Fatimids conquered Egypt, formed rival

caliphate

C. Central Asia1. Largely Turkish, Persian and Islamic but not Arabic2. Tended to be distant from Baghdad and more tolerant3. Integrated into trans-Eurasian trade network

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XII. Women’s Changing Status

A. Pre-Islamic Arab Women1. Arabs as nomads allowed women many rights2. Women often poets, tribe leaders3. Some evidence of matrilineal tribes

B. The Quran and women1. Quran enhanced rights, security of women2. Forced husbands to honor contracts, love women3. Allowed women to own property, protected from

exploitation

C. What produced the change?1. Foreign Contacts changed the perspective2. Adopted veiling from Mesopotamia, Persia3. Isolation from India through purdah, harem

D. Muslim rights for women1. Often weaken through Hadith, traditions2. Often reduced, ignored3. Patriarch beliefs reinforced by conquest

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4. Yet Quran, sharia also reinforced male domination5. Role of Hadith, Arab traditions reinforced male domination

XIII. Islamic Cultural Traditions

A. Quran, sharia were main sources to formulate moral guidelines

B. Constant struggle between what is Arabic and what is Islamic

i. Use of Arabic script as only language of Islam strengthened trend

ii. Persians, Turks, Indians, and Africans struggled for acceptance

C. Promotion of Islamic valuesi. Ulama, qadis, and missionaries were main

agents ii. Education also promoted Islamic values

D. Sufis i. Islamic mystics, effective missionaries

ii. Encouraged devotion by singing, dancing iii. Led ascetic, holy lives, won respect iv. Encouraged followers to revere Allah in own

ways v. Tolerated those who associated Allah with other

beliefs

E. The hajj i. The Kaa'ba became the symbol of Islamic

cultural unity ii. Pilgrims helped to spread Islamic beliefs and

values

XIV. Islam and Other Contacts

A. •Persian influence on Islam

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1. After Arabs most prominent of Muslims, resisted Arabization

2. Cultural traditions often borrowed heavily by Islam3. Became early followers of Shia

B. Government and regionalism1. Many advisors (vizer is Persian word) to Caliphs were

Persian2. Cultured, diplomatic language of Abbassid court became

Persian

C. Literary achievements1. Omar Khayyam was greatest of Medieval Muslim poets

a. The Arabian Nights largely in a Persian style

D. Turkish influences1. Central Asian nomads converted to Islam, developed

literary culture2. Invaded SW Asia and made caliphate dependent on

Turkish nomads3. Formed military might, leadership of late Abbassid state

E. Indian Influences1. Purdah and harem borrowed from Hindus2. "Hindi numerals," which Europeans called "Arabic

numerals"

F. Greek Influences 1. Muslims philosophers especially liked Plato and Aristotle;

Greek math 2. Effort of harmonizing two traditions met resistance from

Sufis

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