Islamic Empires

Many empires, one faithMany peoples, one faith

Islamic Governance• Islam is a faith, not a government, although Shari’a law

is religious law– Many modern nations employ some system of Shari’a –

which usually is a system of courts populated with religiously educated judges – day-to-day law – that heavily influenced common law in the medieval period.

• Decisions are made by consensus of imams, who are scholars of Islam and lead services – these are NOT priests, but qadis, who are essentially judges of shari’a and spiritual leaders.– There is no priesthood in Islam, but basic study of the Qur’an

at a madrasa, participation in the Hajj, and knowledge of the Sunna and the Hadith are enough for one to be recognized as a leader in a Muslim community.

Islamic Governance, continued

• Wherever Islam spread, the concept of the Caliph, or successor of Muhammad, was meant to unite all Muslim– In the tradition of Muhammad, the Caliph is the temporal

(worldly, secular) leader as well as the spiritual leader– Practically, this dual system died out with the destruction of the

Abbasid Caliphate by the Mongols, and temporal and spiritual leadership became decentralized.

• There is no central political or religious authority for Muslims.– This was true in 1250 CE, and it is true today, although many

strong leaders attempted to “claim the Caliphate” – including the Ottomans

Muslims• Most Muslims are not Arab• The history of “The Islamic Empire” soon became a very diverse

affair as those who were conquered or exposed to Islam converted.– Saladin was Kurdish, The Ottomans, Seljuks, Delhi Sultans, and the

Mughals were Turkic peoples– Berber tribes in North Africa helped create Al-Andalus– Three of the four leaders of the Ordus (“Hordes”) of the Mongols

converted.– Chinese, SE Asian, African, and Indian converts soon followed.

• Now, ethnicities all over the world are Muslim– The most populous Muslim nation is: …….

• Indonesia with 202 million people

• 23% of the world’s population is Muslim– The Asia-Pacific region has more than three times the number of Muslims

as there are in the Middle East and North Africa

Allah MuhammedQur’anIslamMuslim4 “Rightly-Guided Caliphs” (Abu-Bakr, Uthman, Umar, Ali)

Ali assassinated, Umayyad Dynasty established – capital moved to DamascusSunni/Shi’a split (Shi’a: Caliph needs to be relative of Muhammed; Sunni: Caliph just

needs to follow the Sunna and be the strongest contender)Umayyad slaughtered by Abbasids, who move capital to Baghdad but one Umayyad

prince escapes to Al-Andalus to establish a rival CaliphateAbbasid Dynasty destroyed by Mongols 1258 – Mongols stopped by Mameluke

(slave-soldiers) soldiers who have est. dynasty in Egypt. “Islamic Empire” ceases to exist, the Caliphate is constantly fought over between rival

Muslim empires who are split by ethnicity, language, and culture, but linked by the Qur’an

Vibrant slave trade leads to new groups establishing influence in these areas (Mamelukes and the Janissaries are two examples)

By the 10th century CE, Dar-Al-Islam (literally: The House of Islam, or The Muslim World) is a collection of dynasties led by converts like the Turks and Persians.

Converts throughout the Indian Ocean trade and Silk Road are not Arabs – Even three of the four Mongol ordus and Chinese and SE Asians are converts – Most

Muslims are SunniSeljuks, Ottomans, Delhi Sultans, Mughals, and Timurids are each Turkish (Safavids

are Persian Shi’ites) all carve out their own territories.

Arab Conquests

Umayyad Empire (661-750)

Al-Andalus (711-1492)

Abbasid (750-1258/1519)

Turks• First arrived in Muslim lands fleeing the Mongols• Then migrated peacefully when the Mongols established

the Pax Mongolica and allowed for free trade in Asia – Settled first in central Asia around Samarkand, which is within

the sphere of the Baghdad Caliphate (Abbasids)• Eventually, separate waves of Turkish-speaking people

moved into SW Asia, converting and eventually establishing themselves as powerful, mounted warriors.

• Numerous central Asian states – the regions of modern-day Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are the launching pad for Tamerlane and Babur

Seljuk Empire (1037-1153)

Tamerlane (Timur)

Mameluke Empire (1250-1517)

Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526)

Safavid Empire (1501/2 -1722)

Ottoman Empire (1299-1922)

Mughal Empire (1526-1707)

Mali (13th -16th Centuries)