Muslim Civilization

1. Muslim Civilization Objective: Describe the life of Muhammad, fundamental teachings of Islam, and the connections of Islam to Judaism and Christianity. Objective: Trace the extent and consequences of Islam’s spread in Asia and the Mediterranean region, including North Africa and Europe’s Iberian Peninsula.

2. Observation/InferenceWhat are these people doing, and why?

3. Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet • Work with your group to complete the vocabulary worksheet to see what you already know about Islam. We will go over the worksheet as a class and discuss important concepts and stereotypes that we have about this religion. • This movie is about the life of Muhammad and what that means to Muslims. For each historical segment, there is an American Muslim explaining their faith. • Muhammad lived from 570 to 620 CE. Because he lived later in history than other religious leaders, there is more historical documentation about his life. • As you watch the movie, take Cornell notes about what you learn. After the movie, you will be asked to work with your group to create a timeline of Muhammad’s life. • Later, we will add other historical events around the world that occurred in this time period. What was happening in China? In India? In Africa? In Europe? In the Americas?

4. An Introduction to Islam • What does Islam mean? • Arabic root words are consonants only. The root for the word peace is S-L-M. • ISLAM means to achieve peace through submission to God. • MUSLIM means one who has achieved peace through submission to God. • SHALOM is also the Hebrew word for peace! • How does one become Muslim? • One becomes Muslim be reciting the shahada, or Islamic Creed. “I affirm that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is a prophet of God.” • There is no excommunication in Islam; anyone who recites the creed must be accepted as a Muslim. • What are the sources of teachings in Islam? • The Qur’an is the revelation that Muhammad received from God by the Angel Gabriel over a 23 year period of time. It is an oral recitation (like poetry) that was later written down, and it is only authentic when spoken in Arabic. • The Hadith is a collection of stories about Muhammad. Followers can learn about the prophets words and deeds. • How is Islam related to Judaism and Christianity? • Who was the first prophet of Islam? Adam, the first human being, was the prophet to receive the word of God. • Why is Abraham important to Muslims?Abraham was a great prophet who is celebrated for his obedience to God. Abraham’s lineage produced other great prophets, including Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. • Do Muslims believe in Jesus? Muslim believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, that he performed many miracles on earth, and that he will come again at the end of time. They believe he was one of the highest prophets, but they do not believe that God can have sons or take a human form. • Do Muslims believe in Jewish and Christian scriptures? Yes. They consider both the Torah and the Bible a holy book and embrace all “people of the book” as followers of other prophets. • Do Muslims have to follow the Ten Commandments? They follow 9 out of 10. They do not keep the Sabbath. Muslims usually go to mosque on Fridays.

5. Islamic Worship and Beliefs • What are the five pillars of Islam? • Shahada/Islamic Creed • Islam is a monotheistic faith in the same tradition as Judaism and Christianity. • Allah means God in Arabic. • Arabic speaking Christians worship Allah—in the same way that Spanish speaking Christians worship Dios and German speaking Christians worship Gott. • Salat/Daily Prayer • The Call to Worship can be often be heard from the mosque for the daily call to prayer. Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day! • A mosque is an Islamic house of prayer; it is a rectangular room with no furniture. There is a raised platform called a minbar where a sermon is given on Fridays. It is also common for Islamic centers to be built on the same property as the mosque. • Zakat/Charity • Siyam/Ramadam • The Hajj/Pilgrimage • What is Sharia Law? • What is Jihad? • http://www.linktv.org/video/2944

6. The Spread of Islam • How did Islam spread during the life of Muhammad? • 570 CE: Muhammad was born in Mecca; his father died before he was born and his mother died when he was around six. He was sent to live with his grandfather, who died when Muhammad was around eight. Finally, he was sent to live with his uncle. • 595 CE: Muhammad worked for Khadija, a widow and wealthy merchant. They married and had six children, all of whom died in childhood except for their daughter Fatima. • 610 CE: Muhammad receives the first revelation. At first, Muhammad told only Khadija and his family about his experiences, but he eventually decided to take the message to his tribe. There was much animosity towards him, and he feared persecution and even assassination. • 622 CE: Muhammad and his followers migrated to Medina where he established the first Muslim community. This journey is known as the Hegria and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. • 625 CE: The Muslims in Medina fought the first of three battles with the people of Mecca. A treaty was eventually signed, but political tension was still intense. • 630 CE: The Muslims marched into Mecca and took over the city without bloodshed. Muhammad consolidated most of the Arabian peninsula under Islamic rule. • 632 CE: Muhammad made the pilgrimage to Mecca followed by tens of thousands of Muslims. He died later that year of natural causes. • What happened to the community after Muhammad’s death in 632 CE? • 632 CE: Although Muhammad did not name a successor, his long-time friend and earliest convert Abu Bakr was eventually named caliph, or leader of the Muslim community. Abu Bakr’s first job was to reunite the bedouin tribes and to regain control of Arabia. • 637 CE: Abu Bakr and his successor, Umar, turned their sights north to acquire more territory. They defeated the Persian forces in Iraq, and by 642, they ruled the Persian Empire. • 642 CE: After conquering Persia, the Muslims began to gain lands that were part of the Byzantine Empire. The Muslims Damascus and Jerusalem before conquering Egypt and the Nile Valley. • 644 CE: When Abu Bakr was selected as the first caliph, many followers were disappointed that the leadership was not handed over to Ali, a direct descendent of Muhammad. When Uthman, a leader supported by the Umayyad clan of Mecca was declared caliph, the supporters of Ali assassinated him. Ali was then briefly caliph before also being assassinated. Civil war between Ali’s forces and the Umayyads pursued. • Those who accepted the Umayyad leadership were called Sunnis, or “followers of the sunna or way of the prophet.” • Followers of Ali became known as Shia, and they believed that imams, or direct descendents of Ali and Muhammad should rule. • A third branch of Islam, the Sufis, follow a more mystical path and are less involved in political strife.

7. The Umayyad Dynasty • Under the Umayyad caliphs, the empire thrived. Arabic became the official language, and a uniformed system of money was used. • Architecture and the arts flourished. The Dome of the Rock was constructed in Jerusalem. • The army was successful in expanding territory from the western part of China to Africa and Spain. The army was not able to expand into France or to take over the Byzantine Empire. • Muslims were tolerant of other religions; conquered people could worship freely but had to pay taxes. • There was still a lot of conflict in the dynasty. The Shia did not support the Umayyad Dynasty, conquered people thought the taxes were unfair, and there were internal political problems. • As the Umayyad Dynasty weakened, the Abbasids were able to gain power and take over the dynasty.

8. The Abbasid Dynasty • Under the Abbasid Dynasty, the capital of the Islamic world was moved to Bagdad in modern day Iraq. • While in Iraq, the Abbasids adopted many Persian customs. Rulers spoke behind screens and viziers ruled the kingdom. • Islam became a religion that appealed to people outside the Arab community. Traders spread ideas and beliefs as well as goods. They brought Islam eastward towards China and westward to Africa. Iberia (Spain and Portugal) was also a cultural center of Islam. • By 900 CE, the Abbasid Dynasty was in decline. European Christians fought for control of Spain and Jerusalem. New empires, such as the Fatimids in Egypt and the Seljuks in Turkey, fought for control of power and resources. By the 1200’s, the Mamlucs in Egypt and the Mongols from China and central Asia wiped out the dynasty, but Islam remained an important force uniting people throughout the world.

9. What are these people doing, and why? (Observation/Inference)

10. Islamic Society and Culture • Islamic texts provided guidance on how to deal with many issues. • The Koran gave women many rights that they did not have before. Women were equal to men before God, and they were allowed to inherit property and ask for a divorce. • During the Abbasid dynasty, women were secluded and asked to wear the veil. This was a cultural shift that was very different from what was happening in the time of Muhammad. • Slavery was part of Islamic culture and a vital economic force; however, Muslims were required to treat slaves fairly and were encouraged to free them as a pious act. • The Koran encourage trade and was an important aspect of Muslim culture. Trade financed the empire and also helped to spread the religion! • Muslims were encouraged to seek knowledge about the world, and there was a clear culture of learning. Ancient Greek texts were translated into Arabic and later translated into Latin. • Muslim scholars excelled in astronomy, math and medicine. • The poet Rumi wrote mystical poems in the Sufi tradition. Omar Khayyam wrote the Rubiayat. The Arabian Nights (or 1001 Nights) was also written during this time.

11. The Ottoman Empire • Anatolia (modern day Turkey) lies at the intersection between Europe and Asia. In the middle ages, it was the divide between the Christians in the west and the Muslims in the east. To the north was Russia. • In 1055, a Turkish people known as the Seljuks rose to power and took control of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Dynasty. They also fought against the Byzantines and took control of most of Anatolia. • The Mongols conquered this area during the 1200’s, and the Seljuk Empire was divided into many small states. • Osman I was the leader of one of these states, and he took control of the region, creating the Ottoman Empire.

12. More about the Ottoman Empire • Turks saw themselves as ghazis, warriors for Islam. They were militaristic nomads who conquered in the “footprint” of other great empires. • The Ottoman Empire lasted until WWI and then became the modern state of Turkey. • As the Ottoman sultans (leaders) conquered parts of the Byzantine territories, they enslaved young boys, converted them to Islam, and trained them as janissaries. These highly skilled, well respected warriors were loyal only to the sultan. • They also had gunpowder weapons. • There was a period of decline when Timur (Timur the Lame or Tamerlane) attacked and left the Empire in shambles. The Ottoman regained their ground and began to expand again under Mehmed II in the mid 1400’s. • Mehmed seized Constantinople, effectively ending the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople became ________! • The Empire continued to expand in all directions, and it reached its height under Suleyman I, who ruled from 1520 to 1566. Suleyman was respected both at home and abroad. His people called him ‘the lawmaker.” • Although the ruling class was Muslim, other religions coexisted in Ottoman society. Muslims had to serve in the army, but they did not have to pay taxes. People of other faiths had to pay taxes, but they did not have to serve in the military. People of other faiths formed millets, which were a form of self-rule the reported back to the sultan.

13. The Safavid Empire • The Safavids were Persians who established a new empire around 1500 CE. • The Safavids were Shia, and the Ottoman were Sunnis. This led to tension as the two empires expanded. • Esma’il was founder of the Empire, and he used the title shah, which means king. His father was killed by Sunni Muslims. Esma’il made Shia the official religion, even though most people in the empire were Sunni. • The Safavids battled to Uzbeks to the north, but lost a major battle with the Ottomans in 1514. • The empire struggled to survive, and finally flourished under Abbas, who became shah in 1588. A golden age pursued, and the empire lasted until 1722.

14. The Mughal Empire • India has had several empires: The Mauryans (Ashoka), the Kushans, the Tamil, and the Gupta. Remember that India has always been a center of trade between Asia and Europe via the silk roads. • Although the first Muslims to settle in India were peaceful traders, there were major raids in the 700’s. By 1200, most of northern India was under Muslim control. • The Muslims established the Delhi Sultanate that lasted until the early 1500’s. During this time, a new language was formed. Urdu is a mix of Sanskrit and Arabic. • Babur “the tiger” defeated the Delhi Sultanate and began his own empire, known as the Mughal Empire. • Babur’s grandson, Akbar the Great, took the throne when he was 13! Akbar did everything in his power to unite a diverse empire and to expand his territory. • Akbar’s son continued his tradition of appointing both Muslims and Hindus to government positions. Sikhism is a religion that combines elements from Islam with elements from Hinduism. • When Akbar’s grandson took the throne, he built the TajMahal and a new capital at Delhi. He raised taxes to fund these projects, which created unrest. He also did not practice religious tolerance, and he got involved in wars over religion. His sons competed with him for power, and a family feud pursued. • By the late 1600’s, the Mughal Empire was no longer a place of tolerance, and many religions were persecuted. Civil war broke out, and the empire was open to invaders. Eventually, India colonized India.