The Spread of Islam in the Post Classical Era - PowerPoint Presentation

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The Spread of Islamin the Post Classical Era600 C.E. to 1450 C.E.

From 600-1450 in the Middle East the Arabs went from decentralized clans led by Sheiks to unification under the banner of Islam

Led by a Caliph. The early Arab belief of polytheism and animism was supplanted to reflect the Abrahamic tradition of ethical

Monotheism with Muhammad as the final prophet. The role of camel caravan travel and competition over resources would be

Maintained and would facilitate the rise and spread of Dar Al Islam.Slide2

Comparisons

Similarities

Differences

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Pillars

ShariaKoranArabicRole of tradeToleranceHadith-sayings of the prophet MuhammadMethods of conversionMovement throughout Dar Al IslamRole of womenRelationship to other religionsDifferent cultures which were adopted and adaptedTrade regionsInteractions with other empiresWar vs Peace as a method of conversionSlide3

Middle East – BeginningEarly Post Classical Period (600 C.E.)

632 C. E. – 1st Islamic pilgrimage to the Ka’ba

*Mecca)by

Muhammad

Muslim forces seized Byzantine Syria and Palestine, most of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, NW India, and NW Africa

.Umayyad then Abbasid CaliphatesPersians, Egyptians, Mesopotamians and others rose to positions of wealth and power under Abbasid rule. Abu al-Abbas did not show preference to Arab Muslims.  Slide4

Middle East Middle Post Classical Period 1000

After the 9

th

century, Sufi Muslims attracted numerous converts particularly in Persia and India.

Conversely, in the 12th century Muslim philosophers sought a rational understanding of the world through the works of Aristotle and Plato

. House of Wisdom in Baghdad Advances made in trade (banking, credit)Advances in Medicine and MathematicsAbbasid- “Golden Age of Islam”Ability to adopt (cultural diffusion) and adapt (translate works to Arabic and expand upon ideas)Slide5

Middle East End Post Classical Period 1450

Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd followed Aristotle, and his work found its way into the schools and universities of western Europe.

Turks from Central Asia( Seljuks) to assimilate into Islamic belief system. Challenge Jerusalem , attack Byzantine Empire and begin fighting Christian forces over access to the sacred territory for pilgrims.

Rushd was an Arab philosopher, physician, philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, physicist .Slide6

Middle East Continuities 600 to 1450 C.E.

Muslim merchants, pilgrims, and missionaries traded over the Silk Road.

Trade improved agricultural production which resulted in the development of commercial centers

Maritime trade in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean increased.

Though the Quran recognized women as honorable and equal to men, the practice of veiling women created a symbol of male authority in the Islamic community. Slide7

Middle East Continuities 600 to 1450 C.E.

Missionaries, mosques, and Islamic educational institutions were established throughout the dar al-Islam.

As Muslims made the

pilgrimage

to Mecca (Hajj), mosques and inns were established. Over the centuries these pilgrims helped to spread Islamic beliefs and values.

Arabic remained the language of religion, theology, philosophy and law, while thePersian language dominated literature, poetry, history and political reflection.  Baghdad flourished as a center of learning and culture.Slide8

West EuropeMoorish (Muslims from West Africa)conquest of Spain 711-1492

Defeated by Charles Martel (Frank) at the Battle of Tours (France) in 732Southern Spain remains connected to Dar Al Islam linked to prosperity and Golden Age in the MediterraneanAl Alhambra - preserved Greek philosophy, mathematics and learning and engineering Slide9

West EuropeMany wars waged between Muslim lands and Christian world (both Byzantine and Feudal Western Europe)

Europe far less tolerant of other non-Christian peoples,Crusades fought against Muslim Seljuk Turks (Arabs not directly involved)Although crusades were fought over Jerusalem, Europe became introduced to goods from the East.Slide10

South Asia/India Beginning Post Classical Period 600 CE

Arab forces entered India as early as the mid 7th century before the establishment of the Umayyad caliphate

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South Asia/India Middle Post Classical Period 1000 CE

Mahmud of Ghazni, leader of the Turks in Afghanistan, led raids of India between 1001 and 1027.

Mahmud demolished Hindu and Buddhist sites

Buddhism declined.

Mosques or Islamic shrines were constructed on the sites where Hindu and Buddhist structures were destroyed.  Slide12

South Asia/India Late Post Classical Period 1450 CE

Mahmud’s successors established an Islamic state known as the

sultanate of Delhi.

By 1500 CE Indian Muslims numbered 25 million, about 1/4 of the subcontinent’s population.

Many Indians converted to Islam to get out of the caste system. The bhakti movement emerged in southern Indian in the 12th century. It was a cult that set out to erase the distinction between Hinduism and Islam.  Slide13

South Asia/India Continuities – Post Classical Period 600-1450 CE

Muslim Arab and Persian mariners dominated trade between India and western lands from the 7th through 15th centuries.

Muslim traders frequently married local women and found places for themselves in Indian society.

Indian Ocean Trade continued to grow, creating demand for silk and porcelain from China, spices from southeast Asia; pepper, gems, pearls, and cotton from India; incense and horses from Arabia and southwest Asia; and gold, ivory, and slaves from east Africa.

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Africa Early Post Classical Period 600 CE

Arabic conquerors established Islam in north Africa during the 7th and 8th centuries.

By the 8

th

century, Muslim merchants flocked to camel caravans traveling across the Sahara to Ghana in search of gold for much needed salt (prevent dehydration). Merchants from Ghana also provided ivory and slaves for traders from north Africa. Slide15

Africa Mid Post Classical Period 1000 CE

10h century—King of Ghana converted to Islam.

The king did not impose Islam on his people. Instead, in many cases, the people practiced both faiths

.(animism and Islam)  After about the 9th century, trans Saharan(W) and Indian Ocean trade networks (E)stimulated increased traffic in African slaves, ivory, and gold. Slide16

Africa Late Post Classical Period 1450 CE

After the Mali Empire conquered Ghana, the rulers of Mali recognized Islam but did not force it on their realm.

Mali ruler Mansa Musa observed Islamic tradition by making his pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) in 1324-1325. He gave out gold all along his journey.

Upon his return to Mali, he built mosques, particularly in the trading cities frequented by Muslim merchants.

He also sent students to study with distinguished Islamic scholars in north Africa. He had 500 slaves on his trip to Mecca.Women were granted higher status in Africa (matrilineal –succession and in heritance was generated through mothers line)Slide17

Africa Continuities Post Classical Period

In east Africa, like in west Africa, the ruling elites and the wealthy merchants converted to the Islamic faith

. Swahili ( blend of Bantu and Arabic) coast in East Africa

Muslim women in sub-Saharan Africa socialized freely with men and they continued to appear and work openly in society in ways not permitted to women in other Islamic lands.

 Between 750 and 1500 CE, the number of African slaves transported to northern destinations may have exceeded ten million. Islam supplemented traditional religions of Africa.Slide18

Comp Islam QuestionsWhich of the following accurate statement

compares Islamic contacts with Europe to Islamic contacts with Sub-Saharan Africa during the post-Classical era?(A) Since the Islamic world had limited medical knowledge, it gained more from its contact with both places than it gave to either.

(B) In both areas contact was initiated by the missionary efforts of the Sufis.

(C) Contact was more likely to result in conversion to Islam in sub-Saharan Africa than it was in Europe.

(D) In neither area did contact lead to significant change

The type of wall decoration illustrated above would most commonly be found in a (A) Stupa(B) Mosque(C) Cathedral(D) Temple(E) MarketplaceSlide19
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Comp: Dar Al IslamFrom 600-1450

in the Middle East and South Asia Islam developed along trade routes

coming in both through the

sword

and through

Sufi Mystics. Islam in the Middle East was the native faith to the Arabs whilst the Abbasid Caliphate had to contend with Hinduism. The transition to Islam would be much smoother as it was a matter of sound economic decision-making to convert while the Delhi Sultanate would have to rely on granted Dhimmi status to ethnic HindusIn West Europe and Africa, trade would help to introduce Islam in the Post-Classical era 600-1450. European fought against Muslim conquerors while many merchants in Ghana would convert to gain greater access to global markets. Deep divisions between Christendom and Islam in Western Europe would foment the Crusades while Africa’s state-sponsorship under Malian king Mansa Musa would strengthen an age of Islamic

scholarship in Timbuktu. Both Western Europe and Africa would gain the economic and scholarly influence of Dar al Islam although Africa would gain it directly and only after the crusades would Europe feel its influence.Slide22

From 600-1450 in West Africa and South Asia Islam would spread along lucrative trade routes where Muslim diasporic communities would give rise to state-Sponsored Islam, the Islamic scholarship would adopt and adapt Greek works of the classical world to facilitate learning throughout the region , however, the appeal of Islam would elevate the status of Women in India ending Sati in areas while Africa's status was already elevated through matrilineal

bride wealth.

The Trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean trade would connect Muslim diasporic communities and increase leading to the rise of Kingdoms like Mali in Africa and the Delhi Sultanate in India providing justice through Sharia and regulating trade.

The adopting of Indian medicine and mathematics advanced knowledge of the world and Mansa Musa's pilgrimage bringing back engineers and doctors made learning more connected through Islamic scholarship

Women's status would be unchanged in Sub-Saharan Africa already elevated through brideweath ( dowry's opposite) and matrilineal societies where inheritance was determined by the mother's bloodline while the rejection of Sati and child brides found a great appeal in India seeing millions converting.

Islam served to provide judges and jurists to fairly dole out the regulation of governance in regions which were formerly decentralized and now connected through Islam and trade

Muslim scholars would study in schools (Madrassas) great works from Greece, Rome and India on philosophy and math and science to grow closer to Allah to unlock the mysteries of the universe.Women in Africa were great earners prior to the advent of Islam in cattle raising when Ibn Battuta ( a Muslim judge) was aghast at how women spent time alone with men who were not their husbands while the restrictive code of Manu led many to find the right for women to own businesses and divorce in the Sharia a breathe of fresh air.