The Rise and Spread of Islam

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The Rise and Spread of Islam
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Pre-Islamic Society

• Bedouin Arab nomadic people organized by clan
  and tribe Desert dwelling across North Africa
  and the Arabian peninsula - "I and my brothers
  against my cousins, I and my brothers and my
  cousins against the world."
• Clan Identity
• Shaykhs leaders of tribes or clans
• QURAYSH dominant tribe of the trade city of
  Mecca
• Umayyad clan part of the Quraysh tribe they
  founded Mecca itself

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After the Death of Muhammad

• Muhammads claim to be a prophet and his attacks
  on the polytheism of Mecca and the Kaba led
  the Umayyad leaders of Mecca to move against him.
• Muhammads defeat of the Umayyads brought the
  Umayyad under his control as they converted to
  Islam.
• The Umayyad and other prominent clans became the
  warrior elite of the early Islamic movement.
  Many sought to conquer rather to convert
  initially.
• Succession Muhammad did not name a successor to
  his religious and political empire when he died
  in 632 C.E.

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Abu Bakr

• After the death of Muhammad, some conquered
  people and new converts began to leave Islam.
  The clans met after the death to choose a new
  religious and political leader Caliph
• Muhammads son-in-law ALI was deemed too young by
  many and Muhammads friend ABU BAKR was chosen
  the first caliph.
• Ridda Wars Muslim commanders fought the Arab
  tribes who had left Islam and forced their return
  to the fold

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Arab Conquests Arab or Islamic?

• The early unification of the Arabs seemed to have
  little to do with religious conversion and more
  to do with political conquest.
• The Muslim warriors split the booty taken during
  conquest.
• Money was also earned by taxing Christians, Jews,
  and other non-Muslims.
• Many Bedouins joined the Muslims because of the
  centuries of perceived oppression by their
  non-Arab conquerors Byzantines and Persians

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Byzantium
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Persian (Sassanid) Empire
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Muslim interaction with Judaism and Christianity

• Islamic attacks on the Byzantine Empire were
  hindered by the religious fervor of many of the
  Orthodox Christians in the empire. There were
  Christians, however, who sought liberation by the
  Muslims
• The Copts of Egypt had been persecuted by their
  Orthodox rulers after the Egyptian church
  differed with Constantinople over dogma
• The Nestorians of Syria were also attacked by the
  Orthodox Christians as the Nestorians believed
  the human and divine elements of Jesus were
  separate beings.

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Origins of Sunni vs. Shia

• 656 C.E. murder of 3rd caliph UTHMAN had been
  first Umayyad caliph. Murdered by rebels who
  questioned his division of conquests, personal
  hatreds, and old clan rivalries.
• ALI claimed the right to be caliph but angered
  the Umayyads by not punishing the assassins as
  the Umayyads thought he should.
• Battle of the Camel 656 C.E. Ali battles the
  Umayyads and his victories led many Arab
  fortresses to ally with Ali
• Battle of Siffin 657 C.E. Ali almost defeated
  the Umayyads when he was persuaded to adopt
  mediation.

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• Alis adoption of mediation angered many of his
  supporters weakening his forces
• The Umayyads were given time to regroup and
  strengthen
• 660 MUAWIYA new leader of Umayyads -
  proclaimed caliph in Jerusalem
• 661 Ali assassinated
• HASAN heir of Ali - pressured by Umayyads to
  renounce his claim to the caliphate

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Who is the true Muslim?

• Sunnis backed the Umayyads
• Shia supporters of Ali
• HUSAYN second son of Ali continued the fight
  against the Umayyad abandoned by clans in Iraq
  that had promised support Husayn was killed at
  Karbala 680 C.E.

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Umayyad Imperium

• Massive growth of Arab conquest after the initial
  Sunni Shia wars slowed.
• The Umayyads took all of North Africa and crosses
  the Strait of Gibraltar and moved into Spain
• 732 Battle of Tours the MOORS moved into France
  and challenged the power of the Catholic Church
  they were stopped by CHARLES MARTEL at the Battle
  of Tours
• Political shift to DAMASCUS the Umayyads moved
  their political capital to Syria after the death
  of Uthman.

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Height of the Umayyad Caliphate
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Battle of Tours romantic view
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People of the Book

• MAWALI Muslim converts in the early days
  still had to pay the non-Muslim taxes were kept
  from positions of power in the Islamic political,
  social, or military hierarchy.
• JIZYA head tax paid by non-believers
• DHIMMI people of the book a large portion
  of the population under Islamic control
• In most of the areas controlled by Muslims, the
  dhimmi and their communities were left largely
  intact they were allowed to maintain their
  identity in society and legal systems.

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Umayyad Decline

• The Umayyad caliphs grew in power BUT they also
  became addicted to luxury and extravagant living
  palaces, gardens, harems, etc. A division grew
  between the Umayyad and the Muslim faithful.
  Their failure to live as Muhammad and Abu Bakr
  lived gave impetus to many dissident groups to
  revolt.
• In eastern Iran 50,000 warriors had settled and
  married local women. Over time they began to
  develop a distinct identity separate from the
  Umayyads. They also disputed their share of the
  profits of the caliphate and were angered by the
  lifestyle of the caliphs in Damascus.
• MERV in the 740s C.E., the Umayyad caliphs
  sought to reestablish control of eastern Iran by
  introducing new troops in the area around the
  city of Merv this led to rebellion

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• ABBASID marching under the banner of the
  ABBASID named after Muhammad's uncle al-Abbas,
  the frontier warriors led a revolt against the
  Umayyads.
• Led by Abu Al-Abbas the great-great grandson of
  Muhammads uncle took control of the Abbasids
  who led victories over the Umayyad. The Abbasids
  were allied with the Shia the mawali also
  allied with the Abbasid because the mawali never
  felt part of the Umayyad empire.
• Battle on the River Zab 750 C.E. near the
  Tigris River the Umayyad caliph was defeated
  allowing the Abbasids to conquer Syria and
  Damascus. Abu al-Abbas invited the leaders of
  the Umayyad to a bury the hatchet dinner.
  During the dinner the Umayyad were slaughtered.
• Caliphate of Cordoba last Umayyad stronghold
  the grandson of the caliph defeated at the Battle
  of the River Zab fled to Spain where he
  established the Caliphate of Cordoba

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Abbasid move from Arabic to Islamic Conquests

• With the Umayyad defeat, the Abbasids rejected
  their Shia and mawali allies
• A new capital was established at Baghdad with a
  centralized absolutist rule.
• Opulence of Abbasid caliphate
• Bureaucracy allowed the Abbasid caliphate to have
  strong control over its empire.
• Wazir chief administrator led the growth of
  infrastructure, trade, taxes, and power

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Economic Expansion

• Dhows Arab sailing vessels dotted the
  Mediterranean and Arabian Seas economic
  prosperity and cultural diffusion
• Ayan large land owners using sharecroppers or
  migrant labor