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The Rise of Islam
Islam
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The Arabian Peninsula
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Desert
Home of Arabs
 Loyal to tribes
 No centralized authority
 Pastoral nomads
Islam
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Arabian Religion
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Animistic, pagan
Mecca
 Commercial center of
Arabia
 Religious center
 Ka’ba
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The Ka’ba
Pilgrimage site
Brought money to city
Islam
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Muhammad (570-632)
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Born in Mecca
Involved in Meccan caravan trade
Spiritual man
Prophet of Islam
 Night of Power (610): Angel Gabriel  worship
God alone
 Revelations for rest of life
 Must preach to others
Islam
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Islam on the Rise
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Preached in Mecca
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Gained converts 
UMMAH
Overall response was
negative
Flight of Muhammad
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Invited to Medina
Hijrah (622)
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Emigration of ummah to
Medina
Gained political power,
subdued enemies
Islam
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Islam on the Rise:
Return to Mecca
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Ummah wanted to see
city converted
March on Mecca (630)
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Muhammad and 10,000
men
Offer made to city,
accepted by religious
leaders
Muhammad entered city
triumphantly
Cleansed Ka’ba
Islam
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Questions?
Islam
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Islam
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Islam: “submission to
God”
Five Pillars of Islam
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“There is no God but Allah
and Muhammad is His
Prophet”
Pray 5 times daily toward
Mecca
Ramadan
Almsgiving
Pilgrimage to Mecca
MOSQUE
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Muslim place of worship
Dome of the Rock (687-692), Jerusalem
Islam
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The Quran
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Collection of revelations
of Muhammad
Teachings
 Absolute monotheism
 Jesus was an “apostle
of God”
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“God forbid that he should
have a son!” (4:171)
Judgment on Last Day
“People of the Book”
Make war on “infidels”
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Jihad
Islam
Islamic Conquests (622-733)
Islam
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Why the Successful
Conquest?
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Arabs were fighters!
Exhausted Roman and Persian
military forces
Not all Roman and Persian
subjects were loyal
Muslims were tolerant toward
other monotheistic faiths
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No forced conversions
Relied on other monotheists’
leaders
Non-Muslims not equal to
Muslims
Islam
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The Caliphate
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Muhammad died (632)
 United many Arabs
 Who would succeed him?
CALIPHS
 Successors of Muhammad
 First were early converts, from inner circle of Prophet
(Rashidun)
 Office was political and religious
Islam
Islam
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Division within the Ummah
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Uthman (r. 644-656) murdered  successor?
Ali (r. 656-661)
 Muhammad’s cousin, husband of Fatima
 Dedicated Muslim
 The one Muhammad intended to be successor?
Civil war between Ali and Mu’awiyah
 Ali assassinated (661)
 Mu’awiyah (r.661-680)  caliph
Aftermath: Sunni vs. Shi’ah
Islam
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Division within the Ummah
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Sunnis
 Accept legality of Rashidun and subsequent caliphs
 Majority of Muslims (90%)
Shi’ahs
 Faction of Ali
 Except for Ali and descendants, all caliphs were usurpers
 Led by imams
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Divinely inspired
Await return of 12th imam
Islam
Islam
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Shari’ah
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Sacred law of ummah
Intended to regulate all
activities
Sources
 Quran
 Tradition of Muhammad
(sunnah)
 Community consensus
Qadis
 Shari’ah judges
 Appointed by state
Individuals before a qadi
Islam
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Islamic Civilization
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The “great” civilization of
Early Middle Ages
Science and mathematics
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Quran page, beginning of surah 18
(9th or 10th cent.)
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Immersed in knowledge of
classical world
Own contributions
Literature and poetry
Great libraries
Islam
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Status of Women
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Khadijah
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Women in the Quran
 Men to manage
women’s affairs
 Men may have up to 4
wives, to be treated
equally
 Some inheritance rights
granted
Reforms of Quran not
always maintained
Khadijah (d. ca. 620) was
first convert
Islam
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Questions?
The Rise of Islam
How does Islam compare and contrast
with the other religions introduced?
 How does Islamic civilization compare and
contrast with the others in the course?
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