CHAPTER 10 FORMATION OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION
TERMS AND LECTURE
I. GENERAL
A. Read “Global Perspective.” Use Focus Questions to guide your reading.
B. Write and know all the Review Questions.
C. Know the following Lecture for Midterm Two.
D. Vision and importance of the Quran
Islam is based on the Quran (or Koran), which means “the Revelation.” THE QURAN
IS ABSOLUTELY CENTRAL TO THE FAITH. There are several aspects of its vision:
(1) The Quran is believed by Muslims to be the actual words of God. These are not
words of an inspired prophet or a translation, but supposedly the exact words of
God Almighty. The God meant is not an idol. “God” is the SAME concept as Jehovah
for the Jews and God the Father for Christians. It is the SAME GOD. The Arabic word
for God the Father (who is the Absolute Power of the Universe) is Lah. Al means
“the.” Thus “Al-lah” translates as “The Absolute Power of the Universe,”or what
believers in the Trinity call God the Father and Jews call
Jehovah/Yaweh/Adonai. Please remember this; this is widely misunderstood by
non-Muslims.
(2) The Koran has ideals which are not realized yet. Muslims are struggling to
realize these ideals, just as people of other faiths are trying to realize their own
faiths’ ideals. So it pays to be patient and hopeful in all cases.
(3) One of these ideals is “jihad,” which fundamentally means conquering or
getting rid of your personal sins and shortcomings. Secondarily, jihad means getting
rid of others’ sins and shortcomings. Jihad is supposed to be done peacefully if at all
possible, but a more militant and martial approach is also in the Quran. One of the
controversies in Islam today is the meaning of a militant approach.
(4) The main goal of the Quran is UNITY OF BELIEVERS in the message of the
Quran. Since this message is supposed to be the wishes of God, the main goal of the
Quran is unity of all people doing the will of God.
(5) The Quran is supposed to be a logical extension of the tradition of Judaism and
Christianity. Parts of the Old and New Testament are mentioned with great
reverence in the Quran. All three religions are part of ONE tradition. Jews,
Christians, and Muslims are called “People of the Book (i.e.,, Old Testament, New
Testament, and Quran, rolled into one).
(6) The basic difference among the three religions is the highest prophet. All three
religions venerate Abraham as the founder, so to speak. But the central prophet for
Jews is Moses, for Christians, Jesus, and for Muslims, Mohammed.
E. The Second Axial Age
Notice that c.500 AD, a bit before that date in some places, and a bit later in others,
various revisions to the original Axial Age belief systems occurred. Judaism evolved
in part into Christianity; Zoroastrianism evolved in part into Manichaeism;
Hinduism evolved in part into Bakhti; Buddhism evolved in part into Mahayana
sects like Zen; Christianity evolved in part into Islam.
GO TO FILM CLIP QURAN PT. 1 AND QURAN PT. 2
TAKE A BREAK. REST YOUR NEURONS!
II. ORIGINS AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT (PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIA)
Have the Metahistory Time Chart at hand as you go through the evolution of
Arabia and Islam.
A. The Setting: Traits of pre-Islamic Arabia which continue in Arab culture
Arabia prior to Mohammed was characterized by tribal conflict above all.
(1) Tribes fought over water, grazing land, and women
(2) Competitive trade was common, since the tribes were nomads
(3) Oral language, especially poetry, was esteemed, especially praising tribal
victories
(4) There was a mixed attitude towards women due to tribal conflict
(5) Family and tribe were the all-important protectors of a person in an insecure
region
(6) Mecca was the most important social, political, economic, artistic, and religions
center and the one place which prohibited tribal fighting. It was the place where the
Kaaba stood. The Kaaba was the enclosure and building housing sacred artifacts
(see text photo).
B. Trading Emporiums c.1000 BC: Ubar and Saba (Sheba)
1. Ubar
Not long ago the legendary trade center of Ubar was unearthed in the great Arabian
desert within the Kingdom of Oman. It was only one of dozens of major trade cities
which dotted the Arabian desert in time of wetter climate. The story of its
dangerous and daring discovery is fascinating.
2. Saba (Sheba)
Saba was another such city. Its ruins in modern Yemen have long been known. It
wealth and the wealth of Ubar was based on the rare and extremely costly incense
that only grows profusely in this part of the world and was indispensable for
religious, medical, burial, and cosmetic purposes. The wealth, renown, and beauty
of one of the queens of Sheba gave rise to the tale of Solomon and Sheba. The story
goes that King Solomon of Israel, c.1000 BC, had a relationship with the Queen of
Sheba which resulted in a baby boy whom they placed as the ruler of Ethiopia and
gave the title “Negus Negusti” or “King of Kings.” This tale forms the basis of much
of Ethiopian culture to the present.
GO TO FILM CLIP A JOURNEY TO ANCIENT ARABIA PT. 1 ANCIENT ARABIA PT.
2
GO TO FILM CLIP UBAR GO TO FILM CLIP QUEEN OF SHEBA PT. 1
QUEEN
OF SHEBA PT. 2
C. Muhammad and the Quran
As Ubar, Saba, and other trade cities fought to control the incense and other
valuables, empires rose and fell in the Arabian peninsula. Unfortunately, the sands
have buried most of the evidence. From 1000 BC to 500 AD we can presume these
empires followed the pattern of other empires of their time. Towards the end of all
the empires, including the Arabian , that is, c.300-500 AD, the rich got richer, the
poor poorer; there was overextension, corruption, and decline. This is the same
story in all classical empires (see Time Chart). Then all the empires are taken over
in part by new invading powers. In the case of Arabia, the invaders came from
within, but they were new.
Muhammed lived during the waning days of empire and experienced the social
problems of the times. Women and orphans were left to fend for
themselves. Traders cheated and even murdered each other for profit. Materialism
was rampant.
Muhammed was a highly sensitive and philosophical young man who was orphaned
early in life. He came from a wealthy and powerful tribe which protected him. His
merchant uncle took him all over Arabia and other areas and introduced him to
people and ideas like Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. When Muhammed
was in his twenties, he fell in love with and married a rich, older woman,
Khadija. She was his partner in life and no doubt his superior is business. The
couple were successful in business and in their personal life. They had children,
among whom Fatima is very important in Islam. Note here the high position of
women in Muhammed’s own life.
Muhammed was troubled by the greed and indifference to suffering of so many of
his fellow Arabs. He had a series of revelations which he believed were God’s own
words spoken by the Angel Gabriel. The core of the message was ,”There is one God,
and Muhammed is his prophet.” Further, this one God wants every person to submit
to God’s will (“submit” in Arabic is “Islam”). God wants you to treat all people as
brothers and sisters and show generosity and compassion, especially to the
disadvantaged.
Muhammed’s message from God was not well-received by merchants who did not
want to be curtailed or criticized in their search for profit and personal
advantage. Thus Muhammed was forced to leave Mecca and resettle in Yathrib
(Medina), north of Mecca (see map). There were already many Jews in Yathrib, and
Muhammed and his followers came into conflict with them. During this conflict, the
Five Pillars of Islam, acts which all Muslims must do, were developed to distinguish
Muslims from Jews. The Five Pillars are also central to Islam:
(1) Say there is one God and Muhammed is his prophet
(2) Pray facing Mecca five times a day (See text photo)
(3) Make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in your lifetime
(4) Fast once a month during Ramadan
(5) Give charity to the poor
Those persons who follow these Five Pillars are then part of the community of
believers in Islam, the “umma.”
GO TO FILM CLIP ISLAM EMPIRE OF FAITH PT. 1
2
ISLAM EMPIRE OF FAITH PT.
PLEASE READ THE SECTION “WOMEN IN EARLY ISLAMIC SOCIETY” FOR YOUR
OWN KNOWLEDGE. THERE WILL BE NO TEST QUESTIONS ON IT.
TAKE A BREAK
III. EARLY ISLAMIC CONQUESTS
A. Course of conquest
In the early days of Islam, the sword was sometimes brought in. That arguably
changed the message of Muhammed from a purely peaceful message. The first
conflicts stemmed from the fact that Muhammed died without naming an heir or
successor (Arabic “caliph”). Various contenders based their argument for power on
either who was most closely related to Muhammed by blood or who followed his
teachings the best. The group that stressed following his teachings, in all their
complexity and various interpretations, ultimately became the Sunnis. The family
descended from Muhammed’s daughter Fatima’s husband Ali became the Shia (in
Arabic “followers of Ali”). Then Muslim conquerors traveled West and East--West
across North Africa, through northern Morocco, across the Straits of Gibraltar, and
into Spain, where they were stopped at the Pyrenees Mountains dividing Spain from
France. They moved East into the Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire, and into the
Persian Empire, and then into the Indian Empire, all c.700-800 AD. (See map and
photos.) The conquered empires fell largely because they had reached the end of
their classical empire period and were rotting from within. Islam then took over as
an invading force. (The Huns also invaded these empires a bit before the Muslims.)
B. Factors of Success--Reasons for Islam’s rapid expansion, especially tolerance
Islam was very attractive to many inhabitants of the older empires of the time:
(1) Since the empires were fading, corruption was endemic, e.g., the Byzantine
and Persian Empires
(2) Islamic notions of social justice and unity were extremely appealing notions to
the poor in these empires
(3) Muslim leaders were moral and fair
(4) Jews, Christian, and others were allowed to practice their religions and
customs in return for a small tax.
Early Islam was noted for its tolerance towards non-Muslims! In the context of
today’s quarrels over “true” Islam, this is worth remembering
IV. THE NEW ISLAMIC WORLD ORDER--THE CALIPHATE
A. The “Caliphate” and conflict among early Muslim Dynasties
The Caliphate is the state ruled by the main successor of Muhammed and upholder
of Islam, who is the Caliph. The Caliphate is the medieval sacred state period of
Islam, c. 1000-1300 AD. Due to the quarrels over who was the legitimate successor
of Muhammed, as early as 700 BC, Islam split into different branches or sects (see
below in “Umma” section). Thus, the Caliphate was from its beginning rent with
factions. (See the Document and photos.)
B. The “Ulama”
Ideally, the ulama were men and women (yes, women in the beginning) scholars of
Islamic doctrine. These theologians had many different interpretations of the words
of the Quran (which they had to read in the original Arabic transmission from
God). Eventually, as always happens with the elite, the ulama became dominated by
conservative, establishment, wealthy status-quo scholars. By 1300 AD they had put
a gap between them and many of the faithful. They were all wrapped up in who had
the correct interpretation of tiny theological points in the Quran (reminiscent of
Roman Catholic medieval theologians at this time).
C. The “Umma”--Early division of Islam: Sunni, Shia, and Kharajite
The faithful were the “umma” who looked to the ulama for guidance, but were
confused and antagonistic as time went on. Referring back to the splits in Islam
starting c.700 AD, the umma and ulama divided roughly into
(1) Sunni—followers of the loosely interpreted Islamic teachings. Sunnis tended
to be tolerant, all-embracing, moderates accepting of diversity
(2) Shia—followers of Fatima’s husband, Ali. Shia are theologically less tolerant
than Sunni and tend to focus on the sadder aspects of Muslim history like the
martyrdom of Ali and his sons. (See text photo)
(3) Kharajites—are very strict and unforgiving moralists and evolve over time
into what the West calls “radical Islam”
V. THE HIGH CALIPHATE and ISLAMIC CULTURE IN THE CLASSICAL ERA
1. Muslim High Culture: Abbasid Dynasty glory under Harun al-Rashid
Around 800 AD, Sunni Muslims in Baghdad enjoyed a vibrant, literate, tolerant, and
sometimes racy (wine, women, and song) culture in one of the most magnificent
courts of the era, the court of the Abassid Caliphs. (See photo and map.) The most
celebrated of the Abassid caliphs was Harun al-Rashid. During his time, Persian,
Indian, and Greek science and arts mingled with those of the Silk Road. (See
photos.) One of the products of this fusion was “The Arabian Nights,” which was a
compendium of tales from all over the Muslim Caliphate, not only from Arabia. It
was just one of the famous creations of this bookish and highly educated society.
GO TO FILM CLIP ARABIAN NIGHTS
2. Muhammed’s “hadith” and language
The traditions associated with Muhammed’s life and words and which were handed
down orally are called the “hadith.” They are an important source of Muslim
teaching, second to the Quran. They are controversial and hard to verify, as are all
oral traditions.
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