Until 610 - Period of Jahiliya – (a time of ignorance before Islam). Until then the social structure was tribes and was not based on religion but on mans relationship one with another. People believed in gods and saw hospitality as the superior value. Other valuies that people cherished were courage honour and faithfulness to the tribe.
? – Murva’a genrousity, hospitality, faithfulness, keeping of ones word, speaking truth, restraint, courage and revenge
570 Mohammed born. According to tradition it was the year pf the elephant and when the Ethipians conquered Yemen on hoprseback and eventually arrived to Mecca the elephants went wild because of Mohammeds birth and the Ethipians were ofrced to retreat.
610 – First revelation of Angel Gabriel to Mohammed
622 – Mohammed forced to flee from Mecca to Medina because of pressure from the residents there. He flees with 70 believers.
630 – Mohammed arrives in Mecca
632 – Mohammed dies and the 4 caliphs chalfa’a el rashidun take over
632 – 634 – Abu Bakker (Aisha’s Father) I appointed as the first caliph HaNavi HaRishon
634-644 – Caliph Omar
644 - 656 – Caliph Othman Ben Aaffan
656-661 – Caliph Ali Ben Abu Talb – murdered by the Hawag (political dispute)
661-750 – Umayyad Dynasty
750 – 1258 – Abbasid Dynasty
Why did Mohammed succeed?
i) The religious answer is because he was the true prophet.
ii) Plagues that wrecked the area before his birth left people bleeding and desperate. Epidemics damaged mostly the large towns where hygiene was poor. He was very successful in these areas.
iii) He came from an affluent political and religious family
iv) Mohammed bridged between the rich and poor, a gap that was getting bigger.
v) He succeeded in Medina where he was probably not known it was because he offered something familiar. Allah was already known as the head of the gods of the Jahilya and Mohammed took him and made him into one god, i.e. his approach was simple comfortable and easily grasped.
570 - According to tradition he was born and died on the same day.
His greatest enemies were from his own tribe - Mawaya (Mohammed’s Granddad’s cousin) and Abu Suffian (Ummaya’s grandson).
610 Gabriel reveals himself and asks the illiterate Mohammed to read 5 verses
622 – Mohammed forced to flee from Mecca to Medina because of pressure from the residents there. He flees with 70 believers.
632 – Mohammed dies after he had finished conquering Arabia.
Choodiebiya
The agreement that Mohammed signed with the believers and infidels of Mecca. This agreement looked one sided as if Mohammed was giving in to them. He did this to quieten the front on the Mecca side so that he could attack the Jewish tribes in the north without fear of reprise from Mecca in the south. After Madayin was conquered Mohammed attacks Mecca. Some say that the Choodiebiya was signed between the 3 Jewish tribes even though no Jewish names are of course mentioned. Others say that he attacked the Jews for economic reasons, the Jewish trade was more successful than Arab trade and therefore a livelihood was being plundered from his own people
Islamic sources
Suna – the biography of Mohammed
Koran – Holy book of the Moslems that contains all the revelations of Allah to Mohammed
Hadith – Sayings of Mohammed or sayings attributed to him
Tafsir – Commentary of the Koran
Ma’azi (?) – Battle stories of M that describe his meetings with army people
HaAnsab – Genealogy of the different tribes and their stories
Documents – Choodiebiya Ahal El Dima and others
An anti-Jewish Greek text dating from 634 claims that Mohammed is the one proclaim the imminent Messiah and he has the keys to paradise. He appears with a sword and chariots. Patricia Kroner claims this text is more reliable than Arab texts that were written 150 years later. An Armenian text dated 638 says that Mohammed was a merchant who presented himself as God’s apostle, preacher, the way of truth who taught the Arabs to know the God of Abraham our father and was knowledgeable about the story of Moses. He forbade the Arabs to drink alcohol and eat meat from a corpse. In this text it says that Mohammed told his followers that Allah worked according to his word and helped Israel until they sinned too much and now the Muslims are the ons of Abraham and through them Allah fulfils his promises!
Al Chalaffa El Rashdun
The Ones Who Walk On Straight Paths – HaHolech Bederech Yashir
A caliph is someone who fills in the place of Mohammed. After Mohammed’s death the Muslim society was divided into two.
I) Al- Muhajirun (?) – Those that emigrated with Mohammed from Mecca to Medina
ii) Anatzar (?) – Residents of Medina who received Mohammed in Medina
The first caliph was Abu Bakker in 631 - the last was in 1924.
i) 623-634 - Abu Bakker – also called the Tzadik. He was one of Mohammed’s first believers (the first was his wife Aiysha). He was Mohammed’s Father-in-Law, the father of his second wife. Before his death he appointed Omar as the next caliph. During his reign the Rida (?) ward broke out against the tribes that believed that the agreements signed by Mohammed had expired. Abu Bakker wanted to rule over all Arabia and some of the tribes were against this.
ii) 634 – 644 - Omar Ben Al Chat’ab – also called Al Faruk (one who can discern between good and evil). During his reign the Sassanim were annihilated. Military Muslim attacks were also carried out in Iraq, Persia, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and even Egypt. All of these attacks were carried out before 661. After his murder Othman ruled.
iii) 644 – 656 - Othman Ben Affan – nicknamed Du Nurin because he married 2 of Mohammed’s daughters (nur = light). He was responsible for the printing of the Koran. He was murdered
iv) 656 –661 - Ali Ben Abu Tal’b appointed but was not recognised by the Muslim brotherhood HaOoma. Someone from the Hawarj sect murdered him while in prayer. The group that did recognise him today are known as the Shi’ites.
The Hierarchy
AnaTzar and Muhajirun – the elite and eldest of the Muslims
Small tribal groups that recognised constantly the authority of the Muslim community
Tribes that were conquered by Abu Bakker in the Rida Wars
Borders of Arabia
634 – Arabian Peninsula
661 – From Caucasia (Kavkaz) mountains, North Africa until Iraq. During the Umayyad period they crossed mountains from the east and rovers on the northeast. The transoceanic (Uzbekistan today) was conquered. In the beginning of the 8th century the race to China was declared
751 the Battle of Talas saw the capture of central Asia and the defeat of China. Islamic territory reached Talas.
732 Battle of Poiters – Muslims against the French in an attempt to cross the Straits of Gibralatar to get to Paris. The Europeans won because of the use of saddles on horseback which gave them speed and stability in difficult terrain. Muslims were stopped in the Pyrenees and their activities were limited to the Iberian Peninsula.
Why did Islam succeeded in controlling huge territories in a short period of time without an organised army? I) This is because Byzantium that ruled Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt were exhausted from years of fighting the Sassanim who ruled the Persian Empire. When the Moslems finally arrived they found the Byzantines easy to conquer.
ii) The bickering between Rome and Byzantine was so s bad that they both helped the Sassanim to defeat the other.
iii) The Sassanim had no idea how far and popular Islam was spreading, by the time they understood it was too late.
iv) The Arab army was mobile and ‘hands on’ as opposed to running a war from ‘above’ in an office.
Battles
624 – Badar – Mohammed fights the people from Mecca at Badar (Between Mecca and Medina)
632 – Rida Wars
634 – Ajdin – Battle for Palestine
636 – Yarmuk – Battle for Syria
637 – Kadsiya – Iraq falls
638 – Jerusalem
640 – Perisa falls
642 – Alenxandria
650 – Chursan - North East Perisa
656 – Krav HaGamal – Ali against the Moslem elite that are headed up by Aisha who is riding a camal
657 – Tzipin – Ali against Mawaya. Ends without winner as Ali is forced to recognise Mawaya as an additional caliph. As a result of this battle the Chawarij movement started, Ali’s murderer was from there.
658 – Narwan – Ali fights those who oppose his policies
680 – Karballa – Husein Ibn Ali revolts
751 – Talas – Moslems beat Chinese who are forced to retreat
Piran Thesis
A thesis that investigates the influence of Islam on Europe: Its source is coinage, i.e where coins were minted, what type of metals were used and where the metal was from, and how and where the coins were traded. It focuses on Mediterranean and claims that Islam is a violent religion. The change caused people in Europe to cease trade and turn to working the land. As trading ships ceased to set sail from fear of being attacked by Moslems this social change ushered in the Middle Ages in Europe. Piran also points out that befoe the Moslem conquest gold coins were used and since then only silver coins were used and therefore the Europeans became poorer.
This problem with the thesis
Mohammed was a merchant and would have wanted to trade with them. Following the loss of Northern Africa the Europeans simply gained more land in other places. Although initially Europe was traumatised with the arrival of Islam nevertheless after a while they fell on their feet and found alternative trade. Gold was in existence in Europe but it churches changed the gold into religious items. Evidence of Moslems trading with Europeans is that Moslem coins have been found in Scandinavia.
The gradual establishment of a Moslem state
i) Territorial gain
ii) Institutions built in the conquered areas
iii) Organisation and methodology for its continuation
iv) The establishment of a Moslem army (not of the conquered peoples) while organising the Moslem hierarchy
The administration is the same kind that ran the Byzantine and Sassanim.
Omar II left the same people in office on purpose
During the course of time coinage and postal services were done in Arabic.
Ahel El Dihm’a (Dihimmi – Christians and Jews under the Islamic government)
This is an agreement between Moslem and non-Moslem community, e.g. the contract that Omar signed with Jews and Christians in Jerusalem, named ‘Omar’s conditions.’
I) no conquering beyond Jerusalem
ii) non-Moslems can continue to live as such on the condition that they know that they are dihimmi
iii) they are members of the society but do not have equal rights.
iv) Christians and Jews paid higher taxes
v) Payment of Mas Hazjia to the Moslem government that ensured their protection from theft and murder.
vi) Forbidden to serve in the army unlike tribes who had been conquered by Abu Bakker
First Civil war
Civil war broke out after the murder Othman, the third caliph. He was murdered because people thought he favoured the election of relatives and cronies over the people who could do the best job. From this war the shi’ite movement began.
Umayyad rule
The first Umayyad ruler was Mawaya, son of Abu Suffyan.
They reigned ofr 90 years (661 – 750)
The Ra’asa/Sabka crisis started
Were they a caliphate or a dynasty?
Capital was moved to Damascus
Second civil war breaks out
Second civil war
680 – 692 After Mawaya’s death the second civil war breaks out. Reasons were political, social religious and cultural tension between the different tribes. The rulers in the crisis were Yazid (Mawaya’s son) and then after him Mawaya II
684 – 685 – Caliph Marwan Ibn El Chacham
685 – 705 Caliph Abed El Malik
705 – 715 Caliph El Walid
The Abbasids presented the Umayyad as bad Moslems that drank and went against the spirit of Islam. They claimed that the Umayyad is a monarchy: although the ruler is a king he is not legitimate because the leader is a dictator, i.e. one ruler over everyone. Territory was divided up by north and south and the northerners felt close to the Umayyad rule. People in the south were further away and felt bitterness and control. In order to win the affection and favour of the caliph some tribes used their genealogy as a political tool. These tensions eventually brought in Abbasid rule.
Abdulla Ibn Al Zavir
Hussein Ben Ali revolts against the Umayyad
He sets out with 70 men to Iraq after he hears that he has support in Iraq to topple the Umayyad. The Umayyad hear about it and attack him at Karballa in Iraq killing them all. They beheaded him and took his head around all the towns. Since then the Shi’ites see this day as a day of mourning because they did not help Ali. Modern ceremonies include self-mutilation. Abdulla Ibn Al Zavir Revolt was carried out againt the Kurayish Umayyad nobility because they attacked the Kaba.
Marwan’s reforms
Centralise the government and make it an Islamic government
A permanent instead of a tribal army.
The Arabisation of all the system, Arab coinage, Arabic as the official language, administration in Arabic
Establishment of the Dome of the Rock
The Second civil war took place after Mawaya died. The enemy was the Umayyad. The caliphs after him (his son and grandson) did not have Moslem mothers. The problem was solved when the dynasty was passed to the Marwan branch of the family tree. Marwan I rebuilds Medina and gives his sons the foundation for halting the civil war. During Mawaya’s reign - the first part of the Umayyad dynasty tribes were divided up depending on their favourable relationship with the governing powers the Shiite movement arose because they saw this as unfair. Muhammed Ibn Chanfiya, according to the Shiite myth is the ‘disappearing Imam’ because he mysteriously wnet into a cave and never returned. They are awaiting his return as the Messiah, Mahadi. Although the revolt named after him failed it formed the Shiite ideology, an Imam (leader) alongside a religious leader. Nobilities in Mecca were short-changed because the capital became Damascus and not Mecca. It was this dislocation that caused the Abdulla Ibn Al Zavir revolt. His capital was in Mecca and for a while the empire was divided into two – The Marwans seized Mecca and unintentionally ballista balls damaged the Kaba in an attempt to quieten the revolt.