Dar al Islam

1
Dar al Islam
2
Dar al Islam

• An Arabic term that means the house of Islam
  and refers to the many lands of varied cultural
  backgrounds that formed a larger Islamic society.
  
• Muhammad didnt intend to establish a new faith
  --he wanted to express his faith in Allah
  prefect teachings of earlier Christian Jewish
  prophets
• But his message soon attracted devout followers
  by the time of his death most of Arabia converted
  ...and 2 centuries after his death the new faith
  was thru out SW Asia, North Africa, introduced
  to Central Asia, India, Iberia!

3
Muslim Population Today

• India/Pakistan/Bangladesh 250-300 Million
• Africa 200 Million
• Arab countries 180 Million
• Southeast Asia 170 Million
• Iran 50 Million
• Central Asia 50 Million
• China 50 Million
• Europe 20 Million
• North America 6 Million
• South America 3 Million
• Australia 1 Million
• Worldwide over 1 Billion
• Country with the MOST Muslims today Indonesia

4
Basic Tenets of Islam

• Muslims believe in One Unique, Incomparable God
  in the Angels created by Him in the prophets
  through whom His revelations were brought to
  mankind in the Day of Judgment and individual
  accountability for actions in God's complete
  authority over human destiny and in life after
  death.
• God's final message to man was revealed to the
  Prophet Muhammad through Gabriel.
• Islam means 'submission', and derives from a
  word meaning 'peace'. In a religious context it
  means complete submission to the will of God.
• Allah is the Arabic name for God.
• Muslims believe that the present life is only a
  trial for the next realm of existence.

5
Sacred Texts

• The Quran -- the recited
• The Sunnah, the practice and example of the
  Prophet, is the second authority for Muslims.
  Belief in the Sunnah is part of the Islamic
  faith.
• A Hadith is a reliably transmitted report of what
  the Prophet said, did, or approved.

6
Revealed Prophets

• Adam
• Noah
• Abraham
• Isaac
• Ishmael
• Moses
• David

• Solomon
• Zacharias
• Elisha
• Elias
• John the Baptist
• Jesus
• Mohammed

7
Mohammed570-632 CE

• 570 born in Mecca after the death of his father
• Orphaned at 8, he came under the care of the
  clan chief
• ca. 595 Married Kadijah, a wealthy widow and
  his business partner
• ca. 610 He received a vision from the angel
  Gabriel, telling him You are the Messenger of
  God
• Revelations continued throughout his life,
  recorded as the SURAS (verses/chapters) of the
  Quran
• ca. 613 began to preach to friends and
  followers
• Opposition in Mecca from powerful mercantile
  class

8
Hijra Emigration

• 622 Fear of persecution from Meccans led
  Mohammed and his followers to emigrate to Medina
  -- the beginning of Islamic history and the
  Islamic calendar
• --Break with Jewish tradition -- prayers
  oriented toward Mecca rather than Jerusalem
• 627 Muslims defeated Meccan attack on Medina
• 630 Triumphant entry into Mecca with most
  citizens converting to Islam
• Alliances with nomadic Arabian tribes
  strengthened by Christian defeat of Persians in
  627-628.
• 632 Died in Medina with no designated heir

9
The 'Five Pillars' of Islam

• Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the
  finality of the prophethood of Muhammad
• Establishment of the daily prayers
• Concern for and almsgiving to the needy
• Self-purification through fasting (Ramandan)
• The pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able

10
Hajj

• The annual pilgrimage to Mecca-the Hajj-is an
  obligation only for those who are physically and
  financially able to perform it.
• About two million people go to Mecca annually
• Pilgrims wear special clothes simple garments
  which strip away distinctions of class and
  culture, so that all stand equal before Allah.

11
The Kabaa The place of worship which God
commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build over four
thousand years ago. The building was constructed
of stone on is believed to be the original site
of a sanctuary established by Adam. God ordered
Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place.
12
Branches of Islam

• Sunni
• Recognize first 4 caliphs as Muhammad's
  successors
• Emphasis on consensus of community

13
Branches of Islam

• Shia
• Began as political faction supporting the power
  of Ali, who was a son-in-law of Muhammad and the
  fourth caliph of the Muslim community.
• Gradually developed a religious movement that
  asserted the legitimate authority of Ali's
  descendants.
• The smaller of the two branches of Islam

14
Sunni Shia Today
15
Branches of Islam

• Sufiism --not a branch per say, but a mystical
  application of Islam
• Mystic belief and practice in which Muslims seek
  to find divine love and knowledge through direct
  personal experience of God
• Asserted a way and a reality alternative to
  those of the Sharia
• The flowering of Sufi literature, especially
  mystical love poetry, represents a golden age
  among the Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu
  languages.
• Using merchant trade routes, sufi missionaries
  spread Islam into India, Central Asia, Turkey,
  and sub-Saharan Africa

16
Sufis Effective missionaries
Whirling dervish focus on devotion
Sufis led aesetic and holy lives
17
The Spread of Islam

• Cultural Reasons
• The simplicity of its doctrine - Islam calls for
  faith in only one God worthy of worship.
• Emphasis on education within a few years, great
  civilizations and universities were flourishing,
  for according to the Prophet, "seeking knowledge
  is an obligation for every Muslim.
• Clear code of conduct Sharia
• Creates a sense of community by uniting people
  (ummah) giving shared practices
• But Why Else??? .

18
Religious Zeal ??? Rapid Spreadin 7th 8th c.

• Well-disciplined armies - For the most part, the
  Muslim commanders were able, war tactics were
  effective, and the armies were efficiently
  organized.
• Weakness of the Byzantine and Persian Empires -
  As the Islamic armies spread north, they were
  aided by the weakness of the empires they sought
  to conquer. Both the Byzantine and Persian
  Empires were weaker than they had been in
  previous times, and many of their subjects were
  willing to convert to the new religion.
• Treatment of conquered peoples - The Qur'an
  forbid forced conversions, so conquered people
  were allowed to retain their own religions (Pact
  of Umar). Muslims considered Christians and Jews
  to be superior to polytheistic people, not only
  because they were monotheistic, but also because
  they too adhered to a written religious code. As
  a result, Muslims called Christians and Jews
  "people of the book (dhimmis). Many conquered
  people converted to Islam, not only because of
  its appeal, but because as Muslims they did not
  have to pay a poll tax.

19
(No Transcript)
20
Islamic Spain Moors

• Umayyad Dynasty expanded by 710 C.E.
• Cordoba western capital RICH, public libraries
  school
• Major arts sciences center
• Encouraged Jewish scholarship (when Jews were
  persecuted elsewhere in Europe)
• BUT not great military leaders in later years
  landholdings gradually reduced to just Granada by
  15th c.

21
(No Transcript)
22
By 1100 There existed in Cordoba alone, 200,000
houses, 600 mosques, 900 public baths, 10,000
lamps, 50 hospitals, lighted and paved streets.
There were bookshops and more than 70 libraries
with over 400,000 books.
23
Mosque at Cordoba
24
Islamic Toleration

• The Qur'an says God forbids you not, with
  regards to those who fight you not for (your)
  faith nor drive you out of your homes, from
  dealing kindly and justly with them for God
  loveth those who are just. Also, the Quran
  states There is no compulsion in religion.
• Islamic law protects the privileged status of
  minorities which allowed non-Muslim places of
  worship to flourish in Muslim Spain and the
  Middle East.
• The life and property of all citizens in an
  Islamic state are considered sacred whether a
  person is Muslim or not. Racism is
  incomprehensible to Muslims, for the Qur'an
  speaks of human equality.

25
Women in Islam

• Women are seen as fully equal in Gods eyes.
• However, Quran makes clear gender distinctions
  in social practices men can have up to 4 wives
  and adultery by married women is a serious
  offense.
• Many restrictions on women were carryovers from
  pre-Islamic traditions (e.g. veiling, seclusion)
• BUT, women can divorce men and own property.
• Sharia came to include institute seclusion of
  women as Islam spread.

26
Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258)

• Ruled until defeated by Mongols
• Baghdad capital political, econ,
  scientific/intellectual center
• Built around trade used credit (chek) to avoid
  dangerously carrying coins
• Constant contact with Christian West
• Attacked Byzantium led to Crusades
• Preserved Western culture (just like Byzs did)
• Tolerant of local customs (like Romans) though a
  theocracy, tolerant! Dhimmis, but still tried to
  convert non-muslims
• Egalitarian therefore high conversion among low
  classes
• Slavery widespread Muslims could not be
  enslaved, so slaves therefore came from Africa
  and non-Islamic groups

27
Abbasid Map
28
Sharia Islamic Law

• Systematized during first two centuries of Islam
  (8th-9th c.) during Abbasid
• Regulates mans relationships with neighbors and
  the state AND with God and his own conscience
• Includes both ritual practices and ethical
  standards
• Considered the expression of divine will, thus
  the Sharia has become rigid and static, posing
  fundamental problems for social advancement in
  contemporary Islam

29
The Golden Age of Islam under Abbasid Dynasty

• Astronomy
• discovered stars
• compiled astronomical tables and almanacs
• established observatories
• Mathematics
• Arabic numerals
• Zero
• Algebra, algorithm
• Inventions
• quadrant and astrolabe

• Medicine
• first hospital Baghdad 706
• surgery
• emphasized empirical observation
• hygiene and pharmacology
• Universities
• in Tunis Cairo
• Literature
• Religious Toleration

30
Scientists

• Jaber Ibn Haiyan (Geber)alchemist/metallurgist
• died 803 CE
• Ibn Sina (Avicenna)physician/philosopher
• 981-1037 CE
• Ar-Razi (Rhazes)physician/ philosopher
• 864-930 CE

• Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zahravi (Albucasis)surgeon/author
  
• 936-1013 CE
• Ibn Rushd (Averroes)physician/philosopher
• 1128-1198 CE
• Al-Khawarizmi (Algorizm)mathematician/
  astronomer
• 770-840 CE

31
Theme of Dar al Islam Blend, Borrow, Build

• Islamic society originally reflected the nomadic
  mercantile Arabian society. Yet, over time,
  Muslims drew from other societies as well.
• Adopted Persian techniques of govt finance and
  literature after conquering Sassinads.
• Transmitted Indian Chinese knowledge via trade
  conquest
• Preserved Greek Roman learning (Aristotle
  Plato)
• and Created own knowledge!

32
Islamic Learning --later influenced the West
thru the Crusades

• The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and
  of new thought with old, brought about great
  advances in medicine, mathematics, physics,
  astronomy, geography, architecture, art,
  literature, and history.
• Many systems such as algebra, the Arabic
  numerals, and also the concept of the zero vital
  to the advancement of mathematics, were
  transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam.
• Sophisticated instruments which were to make
  possible the European voyages of discovery were
  developed, including the astrolabe, the quadrant
  and good navigational maps.

33
Islamic Art

• Calligraphy
• Rugs
• Literature
• Music
• Miniatures
• Architecture

34
Arabesque and Geometrical Design

• Arabesque a style of decoration characterized
  by intertwining plants and abstract curvilinear
  motifs. Religious leaders forbade the depiction
  of animals people. This style is the essence
  of decorative Islamic art.
• Geometric Designs Intricate patterns
  emphasizing symmetry and repeated rhythms

35
Calligraphy

• While many religions have made use of figural
  images to convey their core convictions, Islam
  has instead used the shapes and sizes of words or
  letters.
• Because Islamic leaders saw in figural arts a
  possible implication of idolatry, Islam's early
  theocracy looked to the artistry of calligraphy
  for religious expression.
• In Islamic and Arabic cultures, calligraphy
  became highly respected as an art -- the art of
  writing.

36
Literature ProseA Thousand and One Nights

• Linked stories with frame tale
• Origins in Indian, Persian, and Arabic tales
• Blending of the marvelous with common, everyday
  experience
• Emphasizes the healing power of storytelling
• Collections of Eastern stories influenced the
  development of the novella and the short tale in
  Western European literature

37
Architecture

• The most striking feature is the focus on
  interior space as opposed to the outside or
  façade architecture that must be experienced by
  being entered and seen from within..
• With the exception of the dome and the entrance
  portal, decoration in Islamic architecture is
  reserved for the interior.
• Feeling of weightlessness -- metaphysical space
  Paradise on earth
• Vaults arches, domes, minarets, mihrabs
• Vibrant blues Cobalt blue turquoise
• -- of the Turks

38
The Blue MosqueIstanbul, Turkey