Islam in the Early Modern Period
ISLAM IN THE MODERN ERA
OBJECTIVES:
1. Be able to trace the career of Mohammed, beginning with the
revelation on Mt. Hira in 610 a.d.
2. Be able to trace the origin and evolution of Islam from the
career of Mohammed through the Caliphates.
3. Be able to explain and discuss the main tenets of the Islamic
faith.
4. Be able to define the vocabulary terms in the outline and
film guide and to discuss their historical significance.
5. Be able to discuss the structure of Ottoman government and
their main achievements in the modern era.
6. Be able to discuss the achievements of Akbar.
7. Be able to discuss the spread of Islam in Africa and the
pilgrimage of Mansa Musa.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Why was Muhammad so controversial for the Jews? Why did he not
succeed in converting them?
Are there any positive aspects of the concept of jihad?
Over 50% of the world's population is muslim. Islam was
founded by the prophet Muhammad, who believed himself to be the
last and greatest in a chain of prophets going back to Abraham.
Historians have often been baffled as to the reason for the great
success of Islam, for it contains nothing not spoken of in the
Judeo-Christian tradition. Perhaps it was the combination of
Muhammad's military genius with his religious charisma which
inflamed the Arabs in the sixth and seventh century a.d., but at
any rate, many historians would place him within the top ten most
influential historical figures. Many consider him the single
most influential figure to ever have lived. Given the extreme
level of tension in the mid-east today, an understanding of
muslim tradition in essential if the world is to progress beyond
violence to peaceful coexistence.
From the Qur'an:
Turn, therefore, thy face towards the Holy Temple of Mecca;
and wherever ye be, turn your faces towards that place.
Your God is one God; there is no God but He, the most
merciful.
Fight for the religion of God.
O unbelievers, I will not worship that which ye worship; nor
will ye worship that which I worship .... Ye have your
religion, and I my religion.
OUTLINE
I. The life and career of Muhammad (570-632 a.d.)
A. His birth in Mecca:
i) stories and legends
B. his marriage and life until age 40
ii) life in Mecca in the sixth century
C. His conversion:
i. Mt. Hira 610 a.d.
ii. The Archangel Gabriel
iii. The Qur'an (Koran): (recitation)
iv. The Five Pillars of the Islam:
a. There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is his
messenger.
b. prayer five times per day facing Mecca
c. fasting -- one month (Ramadan) per year,
commemorating Mohammad's sojourn on Mt. Hira
d. almsgiving
e. the hajj -- pilgrimage to Mecca
v. Islam -- to submit
a) muslim -- one who submits
b) complete monotheism
c) prohibition against idol worship
D. His flight from Mecca in 622 a.d.
i. Medina -- city of the prophet
ii. The Hegira -- 622 A.D. to Medina:
a) first year of the Islamic calendar.
iii. the gathering of the forces
iv. conflict with the Jews
a) common ground of muslims and Jews
b) Arab origins
E. Return to Mecca in 630 a.d.
i. reconquest of the Ka'ba:
a) where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Ishmael
F. His death in 632 a.d.
G. ascent into heaven:
i) The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
II. After Muhammad
A. The Umma -- community of the faithful followers of
Mohammad and the Five Pillars
i) The Abode of Submission (Dar al-Islam)
B. The Caliphs -- successors
i) word origins:
a) imam (leader)
b) amir (commander)
i. the Umayyads; 661-750 a.d.; Damascus
ii. The Abbasids:
a) Abbas=uncle; 750 a.d.
b) Baghdad
iii. The Fatimids:
a) North Africa
iv. Spanish Umayyads
a) Cordoba
C. Dissent in the Umma:
i. the Shi'ites (partisans of Ali)
a) Mohammad's son-in-law and cousin Ali
b) the murder of Ali and his son Husein
c) Shi'ite beliefs:
i) definition of muslim
ii) the mahdi and the lost successor
ii. Sunnis (followers of tradition)
a) Sunni beliefs
D. the jihad during Mohammad's lifetime and after
i) definition of juhad
ii) evolution of the term
III. The Spread of Islam
A. The Conquest of Damscus and Jerusalem
B. Defeat at Tours (Poitiers) 732 a.d.
C.
Africa:
i. Mali:
a) Timbuktu
b) The Pilgrimage of Mansa Musa
c) The Spread of Islam in Africa and native
culture
ii. Songhay
iii. Ghana
iv. The Arab accounts of Ibn Battuta and
al-Bakri
D. WWW India:
i) The Mughals:
a) Akbar
i) toleration
b) Shah Jahan and the Taj Mahal
E. The Ottomans:
i. the gazzis: the sword of God
ii. Mehmed the Conqueror and the conquest of
Constantinople in 1453
iii. Selim and his ascent to power
a) the conquest of Mecca and Medina
iv. Sulieman the Magnificent
a) Topkapa and Ottoman architecture
b) The Janissaries
c) The devshirme
d) His wars of conquest:
i) Europe and the muslims
e) Roxelana and the succession
v. collapse of the Ottomans in 1913
F. The Safavids
i. Shi'ite rule
ii. their overthrow in 1722
Return to Dr. Vess's World Civilization Virtual Library