Islam : A Civilization

Chapter # 06: Topics

 What is Islam, Exactly?
 The Spread of Islam
 The life of Muhammad
 Prosperity of Islamic World
 The Role of Cities
 Islamic Society
 The Role of Woman
 Culture of Islam
 Islamic Advancements
 What is Islam, Exactly?
 Islam: Submission to the will of
Allah
 Allah: The one true God
 Muslims: The followers of the
Islamic belief
 Muhammad (sm): Prophet who
preached the teaching of Allah
 Qur’an: Holy Book containing
Allah’s revelations to
Muhammad (sm)
 Arabic: Language of the Qur’an
and soon became the
international language of the
educated and informed
The Spread of Islam
First Global Civilization
 No single civilization had
bound together large portions
of the Ancient World.
 At its peak, the Islamic
Civilization extended into
Central Asia, Northern Africa,
the Middle East and Southern
Spain.
 Civilization was spread by
merchants, mystics and
warriors.
 Established key links for trade
between the Mediterranean
Region and Southeastern Asia.
 The Life of Muhammad (sm)
 He was born in 570 CE into the Quraysh tribe.
 He lost both his mother and father early his life and was
raised by his paternal Uncle.
 He worked as a merchant for Khadijah, who he soon
married.
 He traveled across Arabia and became aware of the clan
rivalries that dominate Arabia.
 He became increasingly aware of the monotheistic
tendencies surrounding Arabia.
 He began spending more time meditating and in 610
CE received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel
and began preaching it.
Maps of Muslim Civilization
 Prosperity of the Islamic World
• The Muslim empires carried on extensive trade with
China, the Byzantine Empire, India and SE Asia.
• Trade was done by ship and by camel caravans which
traveled from Morocco in to West to the countries
beyond the Caspian Sea in Central Asia.
• Goods
• Sub Saharan Africa: Gold and Slaves
• China: Silk and Porcelain
• E. Africa: Gold and Ivory
• SE Asia and India: Sandalwood Spices
• Egypt: Grain
• Iraq: Linen, Dates, and Precious Stones
• W. India: Textiles
 The Role of Cities
 Flourishing trade led to wealthy and successful
cities.
 Bagdad-Was known as the city of peace and
was highly successful under the Abbasids.
 Cordoba: Capital of Umayyad Spain
 Cities had Palaces for the Caliphs and mosques
for worship.
• There were also public building with fountains,
courtyards, public baths and a bazaar.
 The Bazaar
 The covered market was
a central part of each
Muslim city.
 There were high
standards for business
and sanitation.
 It was a place where
people could acquire
both goods and services.
 Agriculture
 While cities were expanding a vast
majority of the people still lived in the
country and made their living in agriculture.

 Originally the land was owned by peasants,

but was eventually bought by aristocrats
and was worked by slave labor.
 Islamic Society
 Islam is considered more than just a religion, it is seen as a
way of life that encompasses polities, economics and social
life.
 According to the Quran, all people were equal in the eyes of
Allah, but in reality, the Muslim Empires did not follow this
ideal. There was a well developed upper and lower class.
 Non-Muslims were not considered equal to Muslims and
slavery was widespread (as in the rest of the Ancient world).
Slaves were usually non-Muslims because Islamic law made
it illegal for one Muslim to enslave another.
• Slaves Served in the military or served as domestic servants.
• Slaves could sometimes purchase their freedom and it was
considered a good act to free ones slaves.
 The Role of Women
 Originally, the Quran granted women spiritual
and social equality with men. Both men and
women were to be friends and protectors of
one another.
 Women could earn a living and own and
inherit property. They played a prominent role
in the rise of Islam.
 Men and Women had assigned social duties,
but most societies in which Islam arose were
male dominated.
 The Role of Women
 Women in these societies had to have a male
guardian and parents arranged marriages for their
children.
 Men could have up to four wives but they had to pay
a dowry (gift of money or property) to their wives
families.
 Women did have the right to divorce and adultery
was forbidden for both men and women.
 After the spread of Islam local traditions began to
assert themselves and many of the rights that were
initially given to women in Islam were replaced by
older traditions which denied women equal rights.
 The Veil
 The veil worn by Muslim women is traditionally called
the Hijab.
 The ideal of women wearing veils was common in many
Middle Eastern cultures before the advent of Islam.
– In Ancient Mesopotamia a veil was a symbol of status,
purity, and moral character.
 There is some controversy over this use of these veils
today. There are different interpretations of this tradition
in different parts of the Muslim world in general,
women and men are supposed to dress modestly, the
degree of that modesty varies from region to region
according to local custom and tradition.
 The Veil
 In the Quran the Hijab has different
meanings it can mean a curtain or
partition dividing rooms-in other
verses it is a sacred divide between
earth and holy, God and human,
light and dark, and men and women.
 The covering that women wear
various from country to country.
– The hijab covers the head and
neck
– The chador covers the full body
with a head scarf underneath.
– The Burka (Burqa) is a veil that
completely covers the face and
body.
– The Niqab covers face showing
only eyes.
Culture of Islam
 Philosophy, Science and History
 The Arab world was
aware of Greek thought
and had been in the
process of translating and
preserving these works
for years. This becomes
very important later on
when this knowledge is
rediscovered by Europe
during The Renaissance.
 The knowledge of the
Muslim world was
preserved in Baghdad in a
library known as the
House of Wisdom.
 Preservation knowledge
 Muslim scholars helped to preserve the
knowledge of Greece and Rome by
translating works and making them
available to other scholars.
– It is because of this that European scholars were
able to rediscover the works of Aristotle and other
Greek philosophers.
– In the twelfth century these works were translated
into Latin.
– The discovery of paper-making technology from
China made this much easier.
Islamic Advancements
 Muslims scholars not
only preserved works
of Greek philosophy,
they also interpreted
the works and wrote
extensive commentary
on them.
• The Muslim
philosopher Ibn-
Rush wrote on
nearly all of
Aristotle’s works.
 Math and Science
 Muslim scholars adopted
and passed on the
numerical system of India
and the use of zero. These
numbers came to be
known in the west as
Arabic numbers.
 A ninth-century Arab
mathematician also
developed algebra.
 Astrolabe
 Muslims also studied
astronomy which led to the
development of the
Astrolabe. This instrument
was used for naval
navigation by observing the
positions of the stars and
other heavenly bodies.
 This invention made it
possible for European
sailors to sail to the
Americas.
 Medicine
 The Muslims
philosopher and
scientist Ibn Sina
wrote a medical
encyclopedia which
explained
contagious diseases.
 This became the
foundation for later
European medical
advancements.
History
 The Muslims
historian Ibn-
Khaldun lived
in the 14th
century.
 This book,
Introduction to
history
proposed a
cyclical view
of history with
the rise and fall
of civilizations.
Literature
 Many Muslims consider the
Quran to be the greatest
work of Muslim literature,
but there was a strong oral
tradition prior to the Quran
which continued to have
influence .
 The poet Omar Khayyam.
He was a twelfth century
Persian poet, mathematician,
and astronomer.
– The wrote about many
different themes and his
poems were recorded by
his friends after his death.
 The 1001 Nights/Arabian Nights
 Probably the most famous piece
of Muslim literatures is the 1001
Nights or Arabic Nights.
 This is a collection of stories
based around a central theme.
• The Sultan king of Baghdad
wishes to kill his wife on
their wedding night. The
princess Scheherazade tells
him stories each night to
prevent her death, eventually
winning him over.
• The tales include the familiar
stories of Aladdin and Ali
Baba and the forty thieves.
 Art and Architecture
 Islamic art is blend of
Arab, Turkish, and
Persian traditions.
 Islamic art and
Architecture is guided
by the Quran which
forbids of
representation of living
beings. So mosques and
palaces are decorated
with floral motifs and
geometric patterns
(known as arabesque)
and Arabic script.
The Great Mosque at Samarra
 In present-day Iraq, it
was the largest mosque
at the time.
 It covered 10 acres.
 Most famous section is
the minaret or tower, it
is from this tower that
the Muezzin, or crier
calls the faithful to
prayer five times a
day.
 Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain
 Ninth-century
mosque in
southern Spain.
Its hundreds of
columns support
horseshoe arches
and make it seem
like a forest of
trees.
Arabesque and Calligraphy
 Since depictions
of living things
are forbidden
many Mosques
are decorated
with Arabesque
and Arabic
Calligraphy.
Thank You…