The Islamic World, c. 622-1450 CE

1. The
Islamic
World:
c. 622-1450 CE

2. Islam

3. Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Jewish Star of David Latin Christian Cross Islamic Star and Crescent Moon

4. Islam
• founded in
Arabia, 622 CE
• Today, there
are around
1.2 billion
Muslims.
• largest
Islamic
populations:
- Pakistan
- India
- Bangladesh
- Indonesia
Arabia

5. Islamic Beliefs
There is only one God, called Allah.
• Arabic for “The one who is God”
• the creator of all things
• all-powerful, merciful, and eternal
• same god of Abraham common to Jews and Christians

6. Islamic Beliefs
• Islam = Arabic for “surrender to God”
• Muslim = “one who submits [to Allah]”
• All Muslims, of all ethnicities,
are members of one community.
• Muslims believe that they have one life,
after which they are judged by Allah.
• The soul is rewarded with heaven or
punished with hell.
• Islam seeks and welcomes converts. Calligraphic representation of the shahadah
"There is no deity but God. Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

7. Shari’ah
• Islam is more than a system of
religious beliefs, rituals and
observances.
• shari’ah = social and legal
system
• concerns family life, law and
order, ethics, dress, and
cleanliness
• requires honesty and
morality

8. Shari’ah
• bans gambling, alcohol, and
consumption of pork
• forbade enslavement of
Christians and Jews
• allows polygyny but it is rare;
men could have up to four
wives, in part for community
care for widows and orphans
following conflicts
• today = basis of law in
Saudi Arabia, Iran,
Afghanistan, Libya, Oman,
Sudan, and Yemen

9. Abraham:
• “Father of many nations”
– Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam
• ~ 2000-1500 BC: born
in Ur, Mesopotamia
• Moved to Canaan

11. Early Arabia
• Bedouins – nomadic
pastoralists, tribal,
polytheistic
• tribes were led by a
sheikh and tribal
council
• no priests
"I and my brothers against my cousins,
I and my brothers and my cousins against the world.”
- Bedouin Proverb

12. Early Arabia
• land-based
camel caravans
competed for trade
against
sea-based trade in
dhows
major incense
trade routes
dhows with lateen sails

13. Islamic Beliefs
• Allah revealed himself to humanity
through 25 prophets.
• Many prophets are common to Judaism
and Christianity, including:
• Adam
• Noah
• Abraham
• Moses
• Jesus
• Muhammad received the final revelation
as Allah's last prophet.

14. Islamic Beliefs
Muhammad (570-632 CE)
• He was not divine.
• He was a man through whom Allah revealed his will.
• Although he is revered by Muslims, he is not worshipped.
• Not only a religious leader, but a political leader as well.

15. Islamic Beliefs
Holy text = Quran
• dictated to Muhammad in a cave
on Mount Hira by the angel Jibril
(Gabriel) through divine revelation
• regarded as the actual word of God
• the only authoritative version is
the original Arabic
• has not been altered in any way
since it was first compiled

16. Hijrah
• Mecca attracted religious pilgrims
to a shrine called the Ka’aba
which contained over 360 idols.
• Muhammad’s early converts were
persecuted in Mecca by those who
believed his teachings were
offensive to traditional Arab gods.
• 622 CE: Muhammad and 70
followers escaped to Medina
during the Hijrah ('emigration' or
'flight’). This event marks the start
of the Islamic calendar.
Muslims pray around the Ka’aba
in a time-lapsed photo.

17. Islamic Beliefs
• place of worship =
mosque
The Prophet's Mosque was built by Muhammad in Medina.
It is the second largest mosque and second holiest site in Islam.

18. Islamic Beliefs
• All Muslims must perform
the Five Pillars of Islam.
• Shahada, the
profession of faith:
“There is no god
but Allah,
and Muhammad
is His prophet.”

19. Islamic Beliefs
• All Muslims must perform
the Five Pillars of Islam.
• Salah: A prayer ritual
performed 5 times
daily.

20. Islamic Beliefs
• All Muslims must perform
the Five Pillars of Islam.
• Sawm: Abstinence
from bodily pleasures
between dawn and
sunset during the holy
month of Ramadan.
• It is meant to develop
self-control, to better
understand God's
gifts, and nurture
greater compassion
towards the deprived.

21. Islamic Beliefs
• All Muslims must perform
the Five Pillars of Islam.
• Zakah: Giving alms to
the poor.

22. Islamic Beliefs
• All Muslims must perform
the Five Pillars of Islam.
• Hajj: The pilgrimage to
the holy city of Mecca
that all physically able
Muslims should make
at least once.

23. Spread of Islam
• In Medina, Muhammad formed a
new tribe that quickly grew.
• Islam spread throughout Arabia
during his lifetime.
• drought pushed followers to
new regions
• desire for expanded trade
• military conquest
• 632 CE: Muhammad returned to
Mecca with over 100,000 followers.

24. Sunni-Shi’a Schism
• After Muhammad’s death, a dispute
over leadership arose.
• Sunni Muslims accepted Abu Bakr,
Muhammad's father-in-law, as the
rightful caliph (“successor”), and
that Muslims should follow the
Sunna (“Muhammad’s example”).
• Shi’a Muslims believed Ali,
Muhammad’s son-in-law, to be the
rightful imam (“leader”), and that
Muslims should follow
Muhammad’s descendants.

25. Sunni-Shi’a Schism
Today: Sunni = 80-85%; Shi’a = 15-20% (mostly in Iran and Iraq)

26. Four Rightly Guided Caliphs
• 632-661 CE: Early Muslims
were led by four Rashidun
(“Rightly Guided”) Caliphs:
Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman,
and Ali.
• Abu Bakr invoked jihad
(“struggle”) against
unbelievers and Islam
quickly spread through
military conquest.

27. Umayyad Caliphate
• 661-750 CE: After the murder of Ali,
the general Mu’awiya founded the
Umayyad dynasty and moved the
Islamic capital to Damascus, Syria.
Shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, Iraq
Great Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria

28. Umayyad Caliphate
• Arab and North African
pastoral Berber forces
captured Spain.
• 717 CE: The Byzantine
Empire withstood an Arab
siege of Constantinople.
• 732 CE: The Battle of Tours,
France stopped Islamic
expansion into Europe.

29. Umayyad Caliphate
• By 750 CE, Islam sprawled 6,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to India.
• Dar al-Islam = all lands united by Islamic culture

30. Umayyad Caliphate
• Arab conquests led to the rapid spread of
Islam, the Arabic language, and
cultivation of cotton, sugar, and citrus
fruits

31. Islamic Society
• Christians and Jews
were respected as
Peoples of the Book
• non-Muslims paid the
jizya tax but were exempt
from military service

32. Islamic Society
• Newly conquered people
who had previously been
under Byzantine and
Sassanid Persian rule often
welcomed Islamic invaders.
• Attractions:
• promise of salvation and
hope of an afterlife
• tolerant rule following
initial conquest
• no forced conversions
• equality of all Muslims
• tax exemption from jizya
In 685 CE, the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ordered construction of the
Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem on top of the site of the Second Jewish Temple
which had been destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

33. Islamic Society
• upper class = Muslims at birth
• second class = Muslim converts
• third class = Peoples of the Book
• lowest class = enslaved persons
• from animist and pagan regions
of Africa, Eastern Europe, and
Central Asia
• not hereditary
• Islamic converts were freed

34. Islamic Society
• As Muhammad was a merchant, traders held greater respect than in
other Asian societies.

35. Islamic Society
Women
• more economic and property rights
than women in China, India, and Europe
• could inherit property and retain
ownership in marriage
• could read and study
(but not in front of unrelated men)
• potential husbands paid the bride,
not her father
• female infanticide was forbidden
• could practice birth control
• could initiate divorce
• widows could remarry

36. Abbasid Caliphate
• Internal struggles
threatened Umayyad
stability. Officials
favored Arabs over
other ethnic groups,
and revolts broke out.
• 750-1258 CE:
Abu al-Abbas al-
Saffah overthrew the
Umayyads and
founded the Abbasid
dynasty and moved
the Islamic capital to
Baghdad, Iraq.

37. al-Andalus
• 756-1031 CE:
The only surviving
Umayyad prince fled
to the Iberian
peninsula and
established the
Emirate of Cordoba in
Muslim al-Andalus.

38. al-Andalus
• 756-788 CE: Abd ar-Rahman founded the Umayyad
Caliphate in al-Andalus and built the Great Mosque
of Córdoba.
The Great Mosque of Córdoba

39. al-Andalus
Moses Ben Maimon (Maimonides)
• greatest Jewish philosopher
• influential rabbi, physician, and
astronomer
• compiled and codified Jewish
halakha religious law
Maimonides teaching his students, 1347

40. al-Andalus
• 1238 CE: The Alhambra
palace and fortress in
Cordoba, Spain held the
world’s largest library.

41. Abbasid Caliphate
• Judges, merchants, and government officials were
valued over warriors.
• Mawali, non-Arab Muslims could now hold office,
and Persian cultural influence increased.
• During council meetings, the caliph sat behind a
screen and whispered orders to the vizier (prime
minister) who advised him.

42. Baghdad
• Baghdad grew to become
the largest city in the
world outside of China.

43. Baghdad

44. Islamic Golden Age (c. 700s-1200s)
• Harun al-Rashid (786-809 CE)
• great patron of arts and learning
• built the House of Wisdom
• inspired the stories of
The One Thousand
and One Arabian Nights
• Al-Ma’mun (813-833 CE)
• continued patronage of arts and
learning
• supported astronomy
• translated ancient Greek works
The House of Wisdom in Baghdad was established by the two great
Abbasid caliphs, Harun Al-Rashid and Al-Ma’mun.

45. Islamic Golden Age
• The Great Mosque of Sammara (built 848-851 CE)
was destroyed by the Mongols in 1278 CE.
Only the 171-foot tall minaret survived.
The Great Mosque of Sammara

46. House of Wisdom
• scholars gathered and
translated Greek, Persian,
and Indian texts into Arabic.
• major advances in medicine,
mathematics, and astronomy
• Knowledge preserved by
Muslim scholars was passed
on to Christian Crusaders
and contributed to the
European Renaissance
(c. 1400s-1500s).
Scholars worked together to
translate ancient knowledge
of the Greeks and other
ancient civilizations into a
common language, Arabic.

47. House of Wisdom
Al-Khwarizmi
• influential astronomer
and geographer
• developed al-jabr (algebra)
Ibn Hayyan
• developed first systematic
classification of chemicals
Jabir ibn Hayyan (left) was the father of chemistry,
and Al-Khwarizmi (right) invented modern algebra.

48. House of Wisdom
Physicians were required to pass a
medical exam and be licensed
Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
• father of early modern medicine
• wrote a medical textbook used for
over six hundred years
Al-Razi
• greatest Islamic physician
• compiled a medical encyclopedia
from Greek, Syrian, Arabic and
Indian sources
• father of pediatrics, obstetrics,
and ophthalmology
• developed treatment for smallpox
Al-Zahrawi (right), the father of surgery, invented
many surgical Instruments that are still used today.

49. House of Wisdom
Al-Zahrawi
• father of modern surgery
• wrote 30-volume medical
encyclopedia that was a
standard textbook for over
500 years
• pioneered use of catgut for
stitches and invented
surgical instruments still
used today

50. House of Wisdom
Al-Haytham
• studied vision
• discoveries contributed
to the development of
lenses for telescopes
and microscopes
Ibn-Rushd (Averroes)
• studied law,
philosophy, and
sciences
• argued that Greek
philosophy and Islam
had the shared goal of
finding the truth
Al-Haytham (left) studied light. Ibn-Sina (middle) laid the foundation for modern medicine.
Ibn-Rushd (right) was the father of western philosophy.

51. Persian Culture
• Persian Muslims resisted Arab cultural
domination and maintained use of Farsi
language rather than Arabic
• Omar Khayyam (1048-1131 CE)
• astronomer-poet
• calculated precise length solar year and
provided the basis for the Persian calendar
• developed solutions for algebraic cubic
equations
• wrote Rubaiyat poems
• Rumi (1207-1273 CE)
• poet and Islamic scholar who inspired Sufi
mystics
“How sad, a heart that
does not know how to love, that
does not know what it is to be drunk with love.
If you are not in love, how can you enjoy
the blinding light of the sun,
the soft light of the moon?”
- Omar Khayyám, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

52. Seljuk Turks
• Central Asian nomads
• converted to Islam and
prospered as Abbasid soldiers
• captured Baghdad and
established office of sultan
(“holder of power”)
• stripped caliphs of political
power and reduced them to
religious authorities only

53. Seljuk Turks
• Seljuk Turks defeated the
Byzantine Empire at the
Battle of Manzikert (1071)
and settled in Asia Minor.
• 1096 CE: Byzantine emperor
Alexius I turned to western
Christian states for help
against the Seljuks.

54. The Crusades
• 1096–1400s: The Crusades brought
the Christian and Islamic worlds into
conflict.
• European knights sought to capture
Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

55. Control of Jerusalem
70-638 CE: Roman/Byzantine Empire
638-1099 CE: Islamic Caliphates
1099-1187 CE: Christian Crusaders
1187-1229 CE: Egyptian Islamic Sultanate
1229-1244 CE: Christian Crusaders

56. Mamluk Sultanate
• 1250-1517 CE: Mamluk Turkish
military slaves captured Egypt
and the Crusader states.
The battle of Wadi al-Khazandar (1299) depicting Mongol
archers and Mamluk cavalry.

57. Invasions
• Mongols: sacked Baghdad and destroyed
the Abbasids in 1258 CE

58. Ottoman Turks
• Osman I founded the Ottoman Turkish
Empire (1299). Murid I expanded the
Ottomans into the Balkans.

59. Ottoman Turks
• 1389 CE: The Ottomans defeated Serbia,
and encircled Constantinople.
• The last great Crusade failed to stop the
Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria at the
Battle of Nicopolis (1396).
Nicopolis, the last great battle
of the Crusades

60. Ottoman Turks
• 1453 CE: Mehmed II
conquered Constantinople’s
walls with a massive cannon
that was able to fire 600-
pound stone balls over a mile.

61. The Iberian Peninsula
• 1400s: The Iberian
Peninsula was divided
between Muslim outpost of
Grenada and the Christian
Kingdoms of Portugal,
Castile, Aragon, and
Navarre.

62. Reconquista of Spain
• 1469 CE: The marriage of
Isabella I of Castille and
Ferdinand II of Aragon
politically unified Spain.
• 1492 CE: the Christian
Reconquista of Spain was
completed.
• 800,000 were Jews exiled;
conversos spread through
the Spanish and Portuguese
empires but faced the
Inquisition.