the rise of islam. terms to know muhammad (c. 571 – 632) the qur’an umayyad dynasty, 661 – 750...
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Terms to Know• Muhammad (c. 571 – 632)• The Qur’an• Umayyad Dynasty, 661 – 750• Abbasid Dynasty, 750 – 1258
Muhammad (c. 571 – 632)• Born into a commercial family in Mecca• 610: visited by Gabriel; becomes prophet of
Islam • 622, Hegira: Forced to leave Mecca for Medina• By 627, Muhammad united Medina under
Islam with protection for other faiths, peace & prosperity; Islam spread rapidly amongst Arabs
• 630: returned to Mecca in triumph and worked for unification of Arabia
The Practice of Early Islam• Five Pillars: Recitation;
Prayer; Alms; Ramadan; Pilgrimage (Hajj)
• The Qur’an: 114 surahs (chapters) lay out creation, life & laws
• Sunni: recognized authority of Caliphs
• Shi’ite: followed lineage of Muhammad
Decorations in the Great Mosque of Aleppo demonstrate the sophistication of Islamic decorative art and architecture
Creating an Empire• Four Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali – incorporated Persia, Syria, Egypt & North Africa into Islamic Empire• Ali’s assassination in 661 ended the direct line of Muhammad’s household in leading Islam
The Dome of the Rock, one of the most sacred sites in Islam, was begun in 684 after the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem
Umayyad Dynasty, 661 – 750
• Mu'awiyah, governor of Damascus, rebelled against Ali and, after Ali’s asssassination, seized control
• Umayyad Caliphs focused on expansion in the East (against Byzantium) and the West (against Vandals, Visigoths and Franks)
This example of Islamic architecture comes from eighth century Cordoba in Spain
Abbasid Dynasty, 750 – 1258
• Caliphs of Baghdad, rebelled against Umayyad caliphs, 747-750
• Islam quickly fragmented– Umayyad dynasty re-emerges in Spain– Africa soon declared its independence– Critics complained of persecution against Shi’a– Harun al-Rashid (763-809) was a scholar, poet
and military leader who bested the Byzantines– Al-Mu'tasim (833-842) began practice of
passing power to Turkish household slaves