Spread Of Islam Summary

I. A Prophet and His World
A. Muhammad and His Message
1. The Arabian peninsula
a. Nomadic Bedouin lived in the desert-covered peninsula for millennia
1. Kept herds of sheep, goats, and camels
2. Organized in family and clan groups
3. Importance of kinship and loyalty to the clan
b. Post-classical Arabia, active in long-distance trade
c. An important link between India/China and Persia/Byzantium
2. Muhammad's early life
a. Muhammad ibn Abdullah born in a Mecca merchant family, 570 C.E.
b. Difficult early life, married a wealthy widow, Khadija, in 595
c. Became a merchant at age 30, exposed to various faiths
3. Muhammad's spiritual transformation
a. At age 40, he experienced visions
1. There was only one true god,
The Five Pillars bound the umma into a cohesive community of faith
4. Islamic law: the sharia
a. Emerged during the centuries after Muhammad
b. Detailed guidance on proper behavior in almost every aspect of life
c. Drew inspiration especially from the Quran
d. Through the sharia, Islam became more than a religion, but also a way of life
II. The Expansion of Islam
A. The Early Caliphs and the Umayyad Dynasty
1. The caliph
a. Upon Muhammad's death, Abu Bakr served as caliph ("deputy")
b. Became head of the state, chief judge, religious leader, military commander
2. The expansion of Islam
a. Between 633-637, seized Byzantine Syria, Palestine, and most of Mesopotamia
b. By 640's, conquered Egypt and north Africa
c. In 651, toppled Sasanid dynasty
d. In 711, conquered the Hindu kingdom of Sind
e. Between 711-718, conquered northwest Africa, most of Iberian peninsula
3. The Shia and Sunnis
a. The Shia sect, originally supported Ali, served as a refuge
b. The Sunnis ("traditionalists"), accepted legitimacy of early caliphs
c. Two sects struggled over succession
4. The Umayyad dynasty (661-750 C.E.)
a. The dynasty temporarily solved problem of succession
b. Established capital city at Damascus in
The spread of food and industrial crops
a. Indian plants traveled to other lands of the empire
b. Staple crops: sugarcane, rice, new varieties of sorghum and wheat
c. Vegetables: spinach, artichokes, eggplants
d. Fruits: oranges, lemons, limes, bananas, coconuts, watermelons, mangoes
e. Industrial crops: cotton, indigo, henna
2. Effects of new crops
a. Increased varieties and quantities of food
b. Industrial crops became the basis for a thriving textile industry
3. Agricultural experimentation
a. Numerous agricultural manuals
b. Agricultural methods and techniques improved
4. Urban Growth
a. Increasing agricultural production contributed to the rapid growth of cities
b. A new industry: paper manufacture
B. The Formation of a Hemispheric Trading Zone
1. Camels and caravans
a. Overland trade traveled mostly by camel caravan
b. Caravanserais in Islamic cities
2. Maritime trade
a. Arab and Persian mariners borrowed the compass from the Chinese
b. Borrowed the lateen sail from southeast Asian and Indian mariners
c. Borrowed astrolabe from the Hellenistic mariners
d. The story of Ramisht, a wealthy Persian merchant of the 12th century
3. Banks
a. Operated on large scale and provided extensive