ARABIA

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ARABIA
Muhammed was born in Mecca
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ARABIA BEFORE MUHAMMAD

• Mecca one of many busy commercial cities along
  Red Sea coast
• Mecca contained the Kaaba (square temple
  containing a sacred black rock that Arabs
  believed Allah threw down to earth. Kaaba also
  contained idols to other gods.
• Great Arabian Desert
• Bedouins desert Arabs who herded flocks, fought
  among each other, and robbed caravans. Disliked
  city people

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MUHAMMAD

• Born in Mecca, 570 AD
• Orphan
• Married wealthy widow
• Traveled to Syria and may have heard Christian
  monks
• Familiar with Judaism
• Had first vision in 610
• Ordered by angel Gabriel to be a messenger for God

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ISLAM

• Koran. Poetic account of Muhammads visions
• Moslemstrue believers
• Muhammads vision constitute Gods final message
  to mankind and the Muhammad was Gods last and
  greatest prophet

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ISLAMIC DOCTRINE

• Emphasizes absolute power of Allah
• Duty of human beings is to worship Allah
• Islamic prayers are prayers of praise, not
  petition
• Prayer five times a day
• Paradise for true believers, hellfire for the
  wicked
• Fasting from dusk until dawn during Ramadan
• Pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca
• Recognizes Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as earlier
  prophets but argues that Muhammad was Allahs
  final prophet with his ultimate message for
  mankind

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HEGIRA

• MUHAMMADS MESSAGE NOT WELL RECEIVED IN MECCA
• FORCED TO FLEE TO MEDINA (HEGIRA)
• WELL RECEIVED AT MEDINA
• CONVERTS ENTIRE CITY
• ORGANIZES CONVERTS INTO UMMA (A COMMUNITY OF TRUE
  BELIEVERS THAT TRANSCENDED OLD BONDS OF TRIBE,
  CLAN, OR CITY)
• A SUPERTRIBE OPEN TO ALL PEOPLE WHO ACCEPTED
  MUHAMMADS MESSAGE
• EVENTUALLY TAKES CONTROL OF MECCA THROUGH
  MILITARY CONQUEST (629)
• DURING NEXT THREE YEARS, ALL OF ARABIA CONVERTS
  TO ISLAM

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SUCCESS OF ISLAM

• SIMPLE, STRAIGHT FORWARD, EASY TO UNDERSTAND
• PROMISED AFTERLIFE OF SENSUOUS DELIGHTS TO THE
  FAITHFUL AND ETERNAL TORMENT TO UNBELIEBERS
• MUHAMMAD PREACHED THAT HIS MESSAGE BE SPREAD BY
  ANY MEANS NECESSARYEVEN WAR
• LED TO JIHADS (HOLY WARS)
• SPOILS OF JIHADS SPLIT AMONG THOSE WHO CONDUCTED
  THEM AND ISLAMIC LEADERSHIP IN MECCA
• CHRISTIANS AND JEWS ALLOWED TO RETAIN THEIR
  RELIGIONSBUT THEY HAD TO PAY SPECIAL TAX
• REVENUE FROM TAX SPLIT AMONG ALL MEMBERS OF UMMA
• THE DESIRE TO CONTINUE THE OLD BEDOUIN CUSTOM OF
  WARFARE AND THE CHANCE TO ENRICH ONESELF THROUGH
  THE SPREAD OF ISLAM PLAYED A ROLE IN THE GROWING
  POPULARITY OF ISLAM IN ARABIA

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CREATION OF THE ARAB EMPIRE

• Abu Bakr named as Muhammads successor or caliph
• Bedouin tribes believe Muhammads death freed
  them from all obligations and leave the Umma
• Abu Bakr launches war of reconversion
• Loyal Moslem forces attack and defeat all tribes
  that defected from the Umma
• Long term survival depended on continual military
  expansion
• Arabs led on new military expeditions against
  non-Moslems
• Leads to creation of empire

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ARAB EMPIRE
Under Umar Arab armies conquer Iraq, Iran,
Syria, and Egypt
Arab armies even attacked Constantinople but were
unable to take the city
Reduced once huge Byzantine Empire to a small
state
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CALIPHS

• Abu Bakrfirst caliph
• Umarsecond caliph
• Ali (Muhammads nephew)fourth caliph
• Ali murdered by Ummayad family
• Tradition later developed that leadership of
  Islamic world could only be held by descendant of
  Ali
• Shiites

Murder of Ali
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ARAB DYNASTIES I

• UMMAYAD DYNASTY (661-750 AD)
• Took over after murder of Ali
• Capital at Damascus
• Conquest of North Africa, Spain, and parts of
  India
• Overthrown in 750 AD

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ARAB DYNASTIES II

• ABBASID DYNASTY
• (750-1258 AD)
• Descended from Muhammads uncle, Abbas
• Overthrew Ummayads
• Capital at Baghdad
• Lost chunks of empire after 1000
• Egypt and Spain broke away
• Syria, North Africa, and Iran conquered by Seljuk
  Turks and Berbers
• Last caliph killed by Mongols during their
  conquest of Baghdad in 1258

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ARAB LEGACY

• Collected and translated ancient Persian and
  Greek scientific and philosophical works
• Works of Hippocrates
• Introduced Arabic numerals to west and
  perfected the use of decimal fractions and
  algebra
• Concentrated on decorative arts (ceramics,
  tapestries, mosiacs)
• Literature Arabian Nights and the Koran itself