ISLAMIC CIVILIZATIONS

World History Honors

Ms. Samm
 ISLAM

1. Means “Submission to the

will of Allah.”
2. The followers are called
Muslim. The word “Islamic”
refers to the culture itself.
3. Allah, the name for “G-d”
is the same G-d that is
worshipped by Christianity and
in Judaism (Jewish).
4. Mosque: this is the Islamic
place (house) of worship.
 MUHAMMAD (PBUH)

1. He was born in Mecca in 570. He

had a revelation in which a voice
told him to become an apostle to
Allah.
2. In Islam, he is known as the last
and greatest of the Prophets.
 HIJRAH

1. Merchants and religious

leaders did not like his
preaching, so he was forced
to move from Mecca to
Yathrib (Medina) in 622 AD.
 KABBAH
1. Mecca’s holiest shrine which, at
the onset of Islam, contained many
polytheistic idols.
2. It was destroyed when the
Medinah’s conquered the Meccas
and turned into a place of worship
for Muslims.
 VIDEOS & QUESTIONS

Beautiful Kabbah
(4:01)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpThQ1xdUtk

1. Tell me THREE things you noticed about the first video, Beautiful
Kabbah.

World’s Largest Pilgrimage: Hajj Documentary (14:19)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7q_LcqbvKI

2. Tell me TWO things you noticed, TWO things that were interesting and
TWO things you noticed about the followers of Islam.
 QU’RAN
1. Holy scriptures of Islam;
2. Presents basic moral values of
Islam;
3. Condemns murder, stealing, lying,
and adultery;
4. Forbids gambling, drinking
alcohol, eating pork.
 5 PILLARS OF ISLAM
Essential duties that all Muslims
must fulfill:
1. Faith - confession of Faith that
affirms to submit to G-d’s will;
2. Prayer - 5 times a day towards
Mecca;
3. Alms - charity to the poor;
4. Fasting - during the month
of Ramadan;
5. Pilgrimage - Hajj annual trip
to Mecca for every Muslim.
 CALIPH
1. Muhammad (PBUH) never named his
successor (the one who should take
over upon his death), so the Muslims
elected Abu-Bakr as the first caliph-
leader.
2. “Rightly guided caliphs”- Abu
Bakr and the next 3 caliphs- not all
were accepted; some were murdered.
MUSLIM EMPIRE IN 632 CE – 750 CE
 JIHAD
1. “Striving”; inner struggle against evil.
2. A defensive, armed struggle against
non-believers.
3. Abu Bakr used this to justify his
military expansion into North Africa,
and eventually into Central Asia and the
Iberian Peninsula.
 DHIMMITUDE
1. Relationship between non-
Muslims and Muslims.
2. The Qu’ran forbids forced
conversion, so Muslims allowed
the people to worship whatever
religion they wanted.
3. Had to pay higher taxes.
 DIVISIONS (SECTS) IN ISLAM

1. Sunni- they believed that

the leader doesn’t have to
be a descendent, but should
follow the beliefs of
Muhammad (PBUH).
2. Shi’a- believed that the
Muslim leader should be a
descendent of Muhammad (PBUH).
3. Each believes that the other
has distorted some passages of
the Qu’ran.
 UMAYYADS
661 AD TO 750 AD

1. They were the first rulers of the Islamic

Empire to pass power down within their family.
2. A powerful caliph family that moved the
Muslim capital from Mecca to Damascus, in
order to have more control over the land.
3. Lived in lavish wealth which divided the
Shi'a and Sunni people, and caused the
Umayyad to be overthrown in the end.
DOME OF THE ROCK

1. An Islamic shrine located

on the Temple Mount in the
Old City of Jerusalem.
2. Was initially completed in
691–92 CE at the order of
Umayyad Caliph Abd al-
Malik
3. It was destroyed during
the Roman Siege of
Jerusalem in 70 CE.
 ABBASIDS

1. Third Caliphates to rule after

Muhammad (PBUH). Ruled from
Baghdad, Iraq.
2. Had an unbroken line of Caliphs
that ruled for over 3 centuries.
3. They consolidated Islamic rule.
4. During this their control, the Islamic world
experienced what is known as the Islamic Golden
Age because of the development of intellectual
centers such as the House of Wisdom and
libraries.

5. The House of Wisdom- is a research center

that collected, preserved, and translated scientific
texts from Aristotle and Plato into Arabic.
END OF LECTURE
DAY 1
BEGIN OF LECTURE
DAY 2
 SUFISM (SUFI’S)
1. Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam. It
emphasizes universal love, peace, and acceptance
of various spiritual paths and a mystical union
with the “divine.”
2. Sufism is associated with the dancing
of Whirling Dervishes, a Mevlevian Order who
originated in the 13th century as followers of the
poet and Muslim mystic, Jalaluddin Rumi.
Let’s watch them, shall we? Link (3:01):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkuimX1bh6g
 MATH AND SCIENCE
1. Islamic mathematicians invented
algebra. (you’re welcome)
2. They used Arabic numerals in a
place-value system.
3. They improved the astrolabe,
which helped improve navigation
and measurement.
Astrolabe
 AL-ANDALUS
711 CE UNTIL 11TH CENTURY

1. A.k.a. Muslim Spain.

2. This Muslim Caliphate was located in Spain on the Iberian
Peninsula until the collapse of the Spanish Umayyad dynasty.
3. It was started by an Umayyad Prince who wanted to get
away from the Abbasids.
 AL-HAMBRA (PALACE)

The Al-Hambra, an abbreviation of the Arabic:

Qal’at al-Hamra, or red fort, was built by the
Nasrid Dynasty (1232-1492)—the last Muslims
to rule in Spain. 

The Catholic monarchs who besieged and

ultimately took the city, left this complex largely
intact.
 OTTOMAN EMPIRE
1. Ethnic Turks who started an empire in
1326, after the collapse of the Byzantine
Empire.
2. Had large military successes due to their
use of gunpowder and cannons.
3. Followed the Muslim example of taxing
non-believers.
4. Sultan: title given to the leader.
 OTTOMAN LEADERS

1. Mehmed II- the leader of the

Ottomans that officially conquered
Constantinople in 1453 and
renamed it Istanbul. He opened the
city to all people of all religions
and backgrounds.
2. Suleyman the Magnificent - ruled
the Ottomans during their peak from
1520-1566. He expanded their
empire into North Africa and into
Eastern Europe. He created a law
code, limited taxes, and helped the
arts flourish.
Suleyman the
Magnificent
 ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS

1. A story collection that was compiled over a

period of several centuries.
2. It incorporates material from Arab, Persian,
Turkish, Greek, and Indian sources.
3. Medieval audiences enjoyed a good scare as
much as anybody, so—mixed in with the
Nights’ adventures, pious parables, love stories,
and bawdy jokes—one finds frightening tales,
ranging from the merely spooky to the
absolutely nightmarish.
4. In the West, these stories inspired modern
pioneers of horror fiction such as Edgar Allan
Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.