Since Islam originated and has developed in an Arab culture, other cultures which have adopted Islam have tended to be influenced by Arab customs. Thus Arab Muslim societies and other Muslims have cultural affinities, though every society has preserved its distinguishing characteristics. Islamic culture inherited an Arab culture born in the desert, simple but by no means simplistic. It has an oral tradition based on the transmission of culture through poetry and narrative. However, it has been the written record that has had the greatest impact on civilization. Islam civilization is based on the value of education, which both the Qur'an and the Prophet stressed.
One of the distinctive features of the Islamic tradition is its rapid expansion into a large and diverse civilization, soon becoming divided into several centers of political authority. Although the Prophet’s activities were mostly limited to the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant, after his death the first four “Rightly Guided” caliphs sent armies to conquer Syria, Egypt, Iraq and parts of Persia, which were then within the declining Byzantine and Persian empires.
2. INTRODUCTION
The Islamic civilization: One of the most
prominent civilizations that have followed
humanity throughout history compared to
other civilizations.
The Islamic civilization: Emerged at the dawn
of Islam, the last of the heavenly religions.
It is based on the principle of the Islamic
religion in the application of the law of God-
And the noble Sunnah, as well as justice,
It has evolved through several stages of time.
5. The concept of Islamic civilization
Islamic civilization: All the message of Islam has given to the
whole world of values and principles that have led to the
renaissance and development of the world.
This is manifested through the law of tolerant Islam, which
has added moral values to human behavior and granted
humanity man a new opportunity to honor himself from all
other creatures and prevent him from all what is
inappropriate and leads the human soul to loss and
destruction.
Under the concept of Islamic civilization, the various
achievements achieved by Islamic civilization in various
stages of Muslim life, from the time of the Prophet (Peace
and Blessings of Allaah be Upon Him) to the era of the
Companions and the subsequent Islamic Fath, reach the
message of Islam to all parts of the world.
6. Who were the Arabs?
Arabs: Decendents of Sam (Noah’s son),
They first settled in Mesopotamia,
Then they travelled and migrated to the West of
Mesopotamia (Nowadays Arabian desert),
Arabs
Mortal Arabs Originated Arabs Arabized Arabs
8. THE ARABS:
During ancient times, the Arabs inhabited much of the area from the Arabian
peninsula to the Euphrates River.
THE ARABS
9.
10. POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS FEATURES:
The Arab world in the early 7th century had no stable,
large-scale political entities.
People belonged to close-knit clans, or extended families,
that formed tribes. Most Arabs were pagans, but small
minorities were Jewish and Christian.
12. BEDOUINS:
Nomadic pastoralists
provided for their own
needs with:
Herds of sheep, goats &
camels
Small-scale trading in
towns
Regular raids on one
another and on
caravans.
BEDOUINS
14. FARMERS:
Some farmers
worked the land,
In many areas soils
were too poor and
rain was too
infrequent to support
agriculture.
FARMERS:
15. TRADERS:
Cities supported traders who
carried luxury goods (spices,
incense, perfumes) from the
Indian Ocean region and
southern Arabia along caravan
routes to the cities of the
eastern Mediterranean.
These traders formed the
economic and political elite of
Arabia, and they led the tribes.
TRADERS:
17. MECCA was the
most important
trade center in
Arabia.
It was dominated
by the powerful
tribe of the Quraish.
MECCA
18. THE KA’BA: Mecca was
also the location of the
shrine known as the Ka'ba,
founded according to Arab
tradition by Abraham.
For centuries people from all
over Arabia had made
pilgrimages to Mecca to visit
the Ka'ba, site of the black
THE KA’BA:
19. EARLY LIFE: Muhammad
was born in 570 to a
respectable though not
wealthy or powerful clan of
the Quraish tribe.
His father died before he
was born, his mother a few
years later, leaving
Muhammad under the care
of his grandparents and
uncle.
Muhammad (570-632)
20. CARAVAN TRADE: Like
many young Meccans,
he entered the caravan
trade. By the time he was
30, he had a reputation
for competence and
honesty, and so became
financial adviser to a
wealthy Quraish widow,
Khadijah (KAH-dee-jah).
CARAVAN TRADE:
21. MARRIAGE: Although older
than Muhammad, Khadijah
became his wife in 596, and
they had a loving marriage until
her death.
She bore him three sons (all
died in childhood) and four girls
(all survived).
Only one daughter, Fatima,
MARRIAGE:
22. THE REVELATIONS:
A man of spiritual insight,
Muhammad received in 610
the first of many revelations
that commanded him to teach
all people a new faith that
called for:
An unquestioned belief in
one God, Allah
A deep commitment to
THE REVELATIONS
23. TEACHING IN MECCA:
Muhammad began teaching in
Mecca, but he converted few
people outside his own circle.
Meccans feared that his new
faith might call into question
the legitimacy of the shrines in
Mecca and jeopardize the
traditional pilgrimages to the
Ka'ba with their accompanying
trade.
TEACHING IN MECCA:
24. HIJRAH TO MEDINA:
At this point, citizens from Medina,
a smaller trading community
troubled by dissension, asked
Muhammad to become their
leader.
The journey from Mecca to
Medina is called the Hijrah and
the event was seen as so
important that 622 is the year in
which the Islamic calendar begins.
HIJRAH TO MEDINA
25. UNITY:
In Medina, Muhammad
gathered around him a large
community of believers.
This group was to become
the foundation of the Islamic
state.
The substitution of faith for
blood ties was able to unite
rival Arab tribes and bring
about political unity.
UNITY
26. Therefore, Prophet’s
followers began
attacking Meccan
caravans and battled
with the Meccans several
times in the 620s.
In 630, Muhammad and
many of his followers
returned to Mecca in
triumph.
Fighting the Non- belivers
27. Although Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) was
fully in control in Medina,
Mecca remained the
focus of his attention.
Its political and economic
importance were critical
to his desire to convert all
of Arabia.
FATH OF MECCA
28. UNITED ARAB WORLD:
After making local
arrangements, he returned to
Medina and set about winning
over the Bedouins of the
Arabian desert.
When Muhammad died in
632, he had converted most of
the Arab world.
UNITED ARAB WORLD:
30. SPREAD OF ISLAM:
Among the reasons for
the rapid and peaceful
spread of Islam was the
simplicity of its doctrine.
Islam calls for faith in
only one God worthy of
worship.
SPREAD OF ISLAM:
31. MUHAMMAD’S TEACHING
People were asked to
surrender completely to
Allah, the one true God. The
surrender is known as al-
Islam.)
Those who surrendered
became Muslims and joined
the umma muslima – a new
MUHAMMAD’S TEACHING
32. The Five Pillars of Islam: Sunni
FAITH
PRAYER
ALMSGIVING
FASTING
PILGRIMAGE
33. 1. PROFESSION OF FAITH
(SHAHADAH): Muslims bear
witness to the oneness of God
by reciting the creed "There is
no deity but God and
Muhammad is the Messenger
of God." This statement
expresses a Muslim's
complete acceptance of and
total commitment to Islam.
SHAHADAH
34. 2. PRAYER (SALAH): The
world's Muslims turn
individually and collectively
to Mecca to offer five daily
prayers at dawn, noon,
mid-afternoon, sunset and
evening. In addition, Friday
congregational service is
also required.
SALAH
35. 3. ALMSGIVING (ZAKAH):
Social responsibility is
considered part of one's
service to God; so almsgiving
is obligatory. 2.5 percent of an
individual’s net worth,
excluding obligations and
family expenses, is reserved
for the welfare of the entire
community, especially its
neediest members.
ZAKAH
36. 4. FASTING DURING RAMADHAN
(SAWM) : The fast is an act of personal
worship in which Muslims seek a richer
perception of God. It is also an exercise
in self control.
During Ramadhan, abstention from
eating, drinking and other sensual
pleasures is obligatory from dawn to
sunset.
The end of Ramadhan is observed
by three days of celebration – a time
for
family reunion and gift-giving.
SAWM
37. 5. PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA (HAJ):
The pilgrimage is an expression of
Islamic faith and unity.
For those Muslims who are physically
and financially able to make the
journey to Mecca, the pilgrimage is a
once in a lifetime duty that is the
peak of their religious
life.
HADJ
38. THE QURAN:
When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
communicated God’s teaching to his
followers, he always insisted that he
was transmitting a direct, verbal
revelation and not offering his own
interpretation.
That revelation came in the form of
“recitations” that make up the Quran,
the scriptures of Islam.
They are arranged into 114 Surahs,
or chapters.
THE QURAN:
39. CONTENTS OF THE QURAN:
The Quran contains legal
principles and wise statements
like the Hebrew Scriptures and
moral teaching like the Christian
New Testament.
It also prescribes regulations for
diet and for personal conduct
(e.g., the Quran forbids alcohol
and gambling, censures luxury
and ostentation, and imposes
strict sexual restraints on both
men and women).
CONTENTS OF THE QURAN
40. THE SUNNA:
After the prophet’s death, his followers
compiled collections called the Sunna,
the “good practice” (i.e., the words and
customs of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
himself.)
Included are the sayings of the
prophet and the comments he made
about how Allah’s revelation was to be
understood and applied.
Dating from the 8th century, scholars
are not sure what portion of the
Sunna derives authentically from the
age of the prophet.
THE SUNNA
41. JIHAD:
Muslim warriors believed
they were engaged in a
holy war (jihad) to spread
Islam to nonbelievers and
that those who died in the
jihad were assured a
place in paradise.
JIHAD:
42. The Rashidun Caliphs:
Muslim leaders who reigned after the
death of prophet Muhammed (PBUH) and
were guided by strict Islamic rules,
They followed his path.
Defender of Faith:
After Muhammad’s death in 632, his
friend and father-in-law, Abu Bakr,
became his successor, or Caliph (11- 3
Hijri),
Regarded as the defender of faith, the
Caliph governed in accordance with
Muslim law as defined by the Quran.
The Rashidun Caliphs
43. Principal Events of the Caliphate of
Abu Bakr
The First Civil War in Islam
As soon as the news of the death of prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) spread beyond the environs of
Medina, false Prophets appeared in many parts of
the Arabian peninsula,
Musailama in Yamama, Tulaiha Asadi in Nejd, Laqait
bin Malik in Oman; Sajah, and Aswad Ansi in Yemen,
Some of them wanted the government of Medina to
share its authority with them, and some others
wanted “autonomy” in their territories.
Abu Bakr A Seddiq sent his troops to suppress them.
44.
45. Collection of the Holy Quran in the era
of Abu Bakr Al Seddiq
After the accession of Abu Bakr, the Emirate of
Muslims faced with serious events, especially
what was by the people of apostasy, and what
followed after the fierce wars and fierce battles,
especially what was in the Battle of Al Yamama,
where a large number of prophet Muhammed’s
(PBUH) companions died,
Omar Ibn Al Khattab suggested to Abu Bakr to
collect the Holy Quran; fearing that it would be
lost because of the death of many companions,
Total responsibility of Zayd Ibn Thabet.
47. The Levant:
Abu Bakr held the leadership of this army to Khalid bin Said
bin Al-Aas, and defined Damas as a target,
Abu Bakr Sharhabil bin Hassan was appointed commander
of the second army, and its goal is Bosra, the capital of
Houran, and the number of between three and four thousand
fighters to take the road Ma'an- Karak (east of Jordan)-
Madaba- Balqa– Bosra,
Abu Obeida bin Jarrah’s army and its target Homs, and the
number of between three and four thousand fighters, to
follow the path of Wadi Al-Qura - Al-Hajar - Al Manar - Ziza -
Maab - Aljabia – Homs,
The fourth army was led by Amr ibn al-Aas, with a goal of
Palestine, ranging between six and seven thousand fighters,
to take the road to the Red Sea coast to Aqaba, the Valley of
the villages and the Dead Sea to Jerusalem,
Led by Akrama Ibn Abi Jahl, this army was kept in the city as
a reserve, with a number of about six thousand fighters.
48. Iraq:
The first beginnings of the conquest of Iraq are
linked to the end of the Wars of Apostasy,
The Muslims found themselves on the borders of
Iraq,
Muthanna Ibn Haritha Al- Shaibani repelled the
remnants of the apostates until he entered southern
Iraq,
He asked Abu Bakr Al Seddiq for this invasion in to
order to fight the Persians,
The beginning of the seventh century: Relations
between the Persians and the Iraqi Arabs were
deteriorated,
It made Iraq a threatened land: It paved the way for
military operations that would take place in Iraq.
49. Abu Bakr Al Seddiq realized the faltering situation in
which the Persian state was undergoing, and it was
time to invade its territory and annex it to the Islamic
state,
Military plan: To open all the towns, from Aubula in
the south to the Massikh, and to clear the western
area of the river of Persian troops and Arab forces
loyal to the Persians,
The implementation required dispatching two armies:
One crossing the river network to Al Madaen, and the
other would help and protect, entering the region in
two different ways, and meet in Al Heera,
Khalid Ibn Al Walid was ordered to march to Iraq to
fight the Persians: He had to start with Aubula,
Ayyadh Ibn Ghannam was ordered to invade Iraq from
above.
53. Abu Bakr's sickness and death
In 13 Hijri (AD 634) Abu Bakr fell ill, and
when he sensed that he was going to die,
he bethought of appointing his own
successor,
Abu Bakr called his secretary, Uthman bin
Affane, to write his will. When the latter
came, he sat up in his bed, and began to
dictate to him as follows:
“In the name of God Who is Most Merciful
and Beneficent. I, Abu Bakr, successor of
the Apostle of God... appoint Umar as my
55. When Umar took charge of the caliphate, the Muslim
armies were fighting against the Persians in Iraq and the
Romans in Syria,
The army in Syria was under the command of Khalid bin
al-Walid, the favorite commander of Abu Bakr,
Umar's first act as Caliph was to dismiss him from all his
commands, and to appoint Abu Obaida bin al-Jarrah as
the supreme commander of the Muslim forces in Syria,
Umar's caliphate is notable for its many foutouhat:
His commanders reached Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kirman,
Seistan, Khurassan, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt,
and incorporated them into the Muslim empire,
The Romans lost Syria, Palestine, and Egypt for ever; and
in Persia, the Sassanid empire ceased to exist,
Among other events of the caliphate of Umar, were the
first outbreak of plague in Syria in 18 Hijri, and a famine in
Hijaz in the same year, killing more than 25,000 people.
56.
57. Islamic Foutouhat
Persian empire: Completely destroyed by
the Muslim troops;
Muslim army: More than 40,000,00 soldiers
led by four generals: Abu Obeida Ibn Al
Jarah, Khalid Ibn Al Walid, Muthana Ibn
Haritha, and Al Qaaqaa Ibn Amr Al Tamimi
Saad Ibn Abi Waqas: Commander of the
Army;
Battles fought: Namariq, Al Jissr, Al
Qadissiya, Al Madaen, Takrit, Musal,
Nahawand, and Al Ahwaz
58. When the Romans heard of the strength of the
Muslim armies, they sent to Hercules asking
him to reconcile with the Muslims, but he waged
large armies to confront the Muslims.
The Battle of Yarmouk
The Muslims were able to achieve a glorious
victory, after they confronted the armies of
Hercules, and that was at the Yarmouk River,
The Muslim Army was led by Abu Ubaida bin
Jarrah,
He assigned to Khalid ibn al-Walid to arrange
the army,
In this battle, the Romans withdrew,
59. When the Muslim fath of the Levant ended, and
Amr ibn Al Aas opened Palestine, Amr ibn al- Aas
sought permission from Omar ibn al-Khattab to
open Egypt,
The army was led by Amr ibn Al Aas,
The Byzantines were defeated and a large number
of them were killed, including the Arbuthon,
He forced the people of Egypt to resist, and Ain
Shams was besieged,
Amr sent an army to Alexandria, where the
Muqawis lived,
The army besieged the city: The Muqawqis was
forced to reconcile the Muslims to perform the
tribute,
The city of Fustat was established.
60. Founding offices
Diwan Al Kharaj
Diwan of the gifts
Diwan of the soldiers
Founding the Money office
Adopting the Hjri calendar:
In the era of Omar ibn al-Khattab on the twentieth of Jumada al-
Akhirah in the year 17 after the death of Prophet Muhammed
(PBUH),
The beginning of Islamic history as the first year of Hijra, starting from
the month Muharram,
The beginning of the first Hijri year was on Thursday, July 15, 622
AD,
The Hijri calendar consists of 12 lunar months; ie, the Hijri year is
equal to almost 354 days,
61. Principal Events of the Caliphate of
Othmane Ibn Affane
Uthman was a rich merchant who used his wealth to support
Islam yet at no time before his caliphate had he displayed any
qualities of leadership or actually led an army.
Compilation of the Quran:
In about AD 650, Uthman began noticing slight differences in
pronunciation of the Quran as Islam expanded beyond
the Arabian Peninsula into Persia, the Levant, and North Africa.
In order to preserve the sanctity of the text, he ordered
a committee headed by Zayd Ibn Thabit to use Caliph Abu
Bakr's copy and prepare a standard copy of the Qur’an.
Thus, the Quran was committed to written form,
That text became the model from which copies were made and
promulgated throughout the urban centers of the Muslim world,
and other versions are believed to have been destroyed.
62. Economic and social administration:
Uthman was a shrewd businessman and a successful trader
from his youth, which contributed greatly to the Rashidun
Empire,
Umar had fixed the allowance of the people and on assuming
office, Uthman increased it by about 25%,
Umar had placed a ban on the sale of lands and the purchase of
agricultural lands in conquered territories,
Uthman withdrew these restrictions, in view of the fact that trade
could not flourish: Uthman also permitted people to draw
loans from the public treasury,
Under Umar, it had been laid down as a policy that the lands in
conquered territories were not to be distributed among the
soldiers, but were to remain the property of the previous owners,
Uthman followed the policy devised by Umar and there were
more foutouhat, and the revenues from lands increased
considerably,
The economic reforms had far reaching effects: Muslims as well
as non- Muslims enjoyed an economically prosperous life.
63. Military expansion:
Uthman's military style was more autonomic as he delegated so
much military authority to his trusted kinsmen like Abdullah ibn
Aamir, Muawiyah I and Abdullāh ibn Sa'ad ibn Abī as-Sarâḥ,
Consequently, this more independent expansion enabled more
overarching expansion until Sindh, Pakistan,
Muawiyah I was appointed the governor of Syria by Umar to stop
the Byzantine harassment from the sea during the Arab-Byzantine
Wars,
Muawiyah I was allowed to set up a navy, manned by
Monophysitic Christians, Copts, and Jacobite Syrian Christian
sailors and Muslim troops,
This resulted in the defeat of the Byzantine navy at the Battle of
the Masts, opening up the Mediterranean.
In 31 Hijri, Caliph Uthman sent Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Abdullah
ibn Saad to lead reconquest expedition towards Maghreb where
he met the army of Gregory the Patrician, Exarch of Africa and
relative of Heraclius which is recorded numbers between 120,000
and 200,000 soldiers.
64. The creation of the Islamic War Fleet (24 Hijri):
One of the greatest achievements of Othman Ibn Affane,
After the Islamic conquests in Egypt and the Levant,
Muslims found themselves dominating the eastern and
southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea,
The Muslims were in need of a naval force to keep their
shores against the attacks of the Byzantine fleet,
The opening of Cyprus (28 Hijri):
The first successful naval operation by the Islamic fleet
was the opening of Cyprus, which was constantly
threatening the Muslim shores of its proximity, on one
hand, and as an important station of the Byzantine
attacks, on the other,
Mu'awiya I (28 Hijri),
Troops of the Levant and Egypt led by Abdullah bin
Saad, and seized Cyprus.
65. Principal Events of the Caliphate of Ali
Ibn Abi Taleb (35 Hijri- 40 Hijri)
Ali Ibn Abi Taleb was caliph between 35 Hijri and 40 Hijri,
during one of the most turbulent periods in Islamic history,
which also coincided with the First Fitnah,
Ali Ibn Abi Taleb was a profoundly religious man, devoted
to the cause of Islam and the rule of justice in accordance
with the Qur'an and the Sunnah;
He engaged in war against erring Muslims as a matter of
religious duty,
Civil War (Fitna)
Battle of the Camel
Battle of Saffin (Ali Vs, Muawiya I)
Battle of Al Nahrawan (Against the Kharijites)
Assassination in Kufa (Ramadan, 19, 40 Hijri).
67. The Umayyads: The first Muslim
Dynasty,
The first rulers of the Islamic Empire to pass
down power within their family,
Under their rule, which lasted from 41 to 132
Hijri (91 years), the early Islamic community
was transformed into the most powerful
empire of the day,
A controversial dynasty: Their lack of
descent from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),
their controversial practice of handing down
power from father to son, their mistreatment
of non- Arab Muslims made them.
68. Muawiya I: Governor of the Levant,
When his uncle Uthman Ibn Affane was assassinated and the Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Taleb did
not hand over the assassinators, he refused to recognize Ali Ib Abi Taleb as a Caliph,
When Ibn Abi Taleb was later killed, Muawiya I took over as Caliph,
Under his rule, the capital and administrative center of the empire was moved from
Medina to his powerbase in Damascus, Syria,
Christian Byzantines were appointed to government positions, and Byzantine financial
and administrative systems were adopted,
Failure to take control Constantinople from the Byzantines,
Muawiya I was succeeded by his son Yazid: Yazid had the family of Ali killed, but still
could not gain popular support,
Umayyad authority collapsed and Ibn al-Zubayr challenged them from Mecca,
Under Abd al-Malik, Ibn al-Zubayr was defeated and Umayyad power reasserted,
Abd al-Malik developed the Islamic Empire from a Byzantine and Persian successor state
to its own unique state, with Islam as its central ideology and Arabic as its language,
In 92 Hijri, the Umayyads reached Spain: The Umayyad Empire was the largest in
history, but its military expansion was halted after the failed second siege of
Constantinople in 717 AD and the defeat of Muslim forces in France at the Battle of
Tours in 732 AD,
While Umayyad caliph Umar Ibn Abd Al Aziz treated the mawali—the non-Arab Muslims
of the empire, well, under most caliphs only Muslim Arabs were first-class citizens: This
caused widespread discontent under the Umayyads,
In 132 Hijri, at the Battle of the Zab, the Umayyads were overthrown by a new dynasty,
the Abbasids, who had support from the Arabs living in the East, mawali, and the Shiites,
Spain remained in the hands of the Umayyads, but the rest of the empire came under the
control of the Abbasids, who moved the capital to Baghdad.
69.
70.
71. The Abbasid Dynasty: The Golden
Age of Islamic Civilization
The Abbasid Caliphate: The golden age
of Islamic culture,
(750 AD to 1258 AD): The longest and
most influential Islamic dynasties,
The largest empire in the world: Contact
with distant neighbors; such as, the
Chinese and Indians in the East, and the
Byzantines in the West, allowing it to
adopt and synthesize ideas from these
cultures.
72. The Abbasids came to power in a rebellion against the Umayyads,
Though they built a coalition of various forces unhappy with the Umayyads, once the
Abbasids were in power they continued many Umayyad policies,
One thing that distinguished the Abbasids from the Umayyads was their embrace of
Persian culture,
They moved the capital to a new city, Baghdad,
Under the Abbasids, Baghdad became the largest and most cultured city in the world,
Caliph Harun al-Rashid sponsored art, literature, and science there, and his son al-
Ma’mun created the House of Wisdom, where knowledge from around the world was
translated into Arabic,
Thanks to these policies, the Abbasids oversaw an Islamic golden age in which the
learning of many civilizations was preserved and expanded,
Slowly, Abbasid power weakened in the face of independent governors, called emirs,
and a military that controlled the caliphs.
By the time of Caliph Al- Radi (r. 934–940), Abbasid power was mostly limited to
Baghdad: Al-Radi created the title of Emir of Emirs to check the power of the various
independent emirs, but this only diminished the authority of the caliph and allowed the
Emir of Emirs to become the true ruler of the caliphate,
The Abbasids became little more than figureheads, until the reign of caliph al- Nasir (r.
1180–1225), who reasserted power,
His successors were not as successful, and the Abbasid Empire was wiped out by the
Mongols, who sacked Baghdad.
After this, the Abbasid caliphs continued to rule from Cairo as religious figureheads.
The Abbasid line of caliphs ended when Egypt was conquered by the Ottomans, and
the caliphate was claimed by the Ottoman sultan.
73.
74. Muslim Rule in Spain: The Golden
Epoch in Andalus
Al Andalus: The Iberian Peninsula that comprises of Spain and
Portugal: Approximately 600,000 Km²,
The Peninsula is separated from Morocco by the Strait of
Gibraltar,
The Iberian Peninsula is located in the southwest of Europe
and is connected in the North by France through The Pyrenees,
Surrounded by waters from all sides: The Arabs call it the
"Island of Andalusia“,
The Pyrenees are the only land link connecting the peninsula
with Europe,
The Pyrenees separating France and Spain makes the island
mostly isolated from Europe and heading towards Morocco,
Muslim geographers believed that it is an extension of Africa,
The peninsula is similar to Morocco in many landmarks,
particularly in Ceuta and Tangier.
75. Old history of Andalusia: The ancient inhabitants of the island were a mixture of Celts
and Iberians.
10 BC: The Phoenicians founded several colonies on the coast of Andalusia.
5 BC: Andalusia has been subjected to the Carthaginians.
(535 BC- 205 BC): Andalusia received three major influences: The Greek and the
Carthaginian, and then the Latin one with the advent of the Romans in 205 BC.
In 209 BC, the Roman commander Estepion stationed at the port of Amborias: His armies
took control of the region. The Romans founded the city Italica, a name derived from the
word Italy is a reference to the original home of the Romans.
Andalusia became a Roma province.
The Roman regime prevailed and the Spaniards became subject to their authority.
Germanic tribes in successive waves invaded the peninsula until the Visigoths settled in
Andalusia.
Gothic rule of Andalusia: Political and social void that made subjected to invasions.
The Nobility comprised the upper class: The king was appointed by election, not
inheritance, Gothic kingdom was electoral. Despite the virtues of this system, it led to the
constant competition between the nobles to reach the throne.
The clergy: The members of this class had unlimited influence because religion in the
Middle Ages dominated life. The clergy had political influence as well as their spiritual
influence. They had to declare allegiance to the king.
The middle class: This class is usually the majority of society.
The lower class: This class was more numerous, and had less rights. Most of them
worked in the farms of nobles and clerics, and they were linked to the land.
The Jews: Their number was large in Spain, and they held financial and accounting jobs,
but they were hated because of their faith.
Rodrigo: The last King of Andalusia before the Islamic Fath.
76. The history of Al Andalus: (92 Hijri- 897
Hijri)
Three phases:
(92 Hijri- 138 Hijri): The Ummayad Rulers
(138 Hijri- 316 Hijri): The Ummayad
Caliphate
(316 Hijri- 421 Hijri): Muluk Tawaef
(421 Hijri- 478 Hijri): Almoravides
(478 Hijri- 610 Hijri): Almohads &
Almarinids
(610 Hijri- 897 Hijri): The Kingdom of
Grenada
77. The Ummayad Caliphate
Abd Al-Rahman I: The Falcon of Quraich
Only Abd Al-Rahman I escaped the Abbasid massacre of Umayyad
leaders in 750.
He fled to the Iberian Peninsula: He began to build a kingdom that
would match the Abbasid Empire in culture and wealth.
When Abd Al-Rahman I arrived in Spain, he found a divided land:
Various Muslim factions fought for control. However, no single group
held on to power for very long.
Abd Al-Rahman I quickly took action to unite all these groups.
Abd Al-Rahman I already had followers in Spain: The people still
loyal to the Umayyads.
He strengthened his position by making treaties with other Muslim
groups.
When he felt strong enough, he attacked the ruling factions and
defeated them.
In 138 Hijri, he declared himself Emir of Al- Andalus—Muslim Spain.
He made Córdoba his capital.
78.
79.
80. Abd Al-Rahman I faced several internal revolts during his reign,
He had to fight off threats from outside forces. However, none of
these threats seriously challenged his rule,
When Abd Al-Rahman I died in 788, Al- Andalus was strong and
united,
Al-Andalus reached the height of its power some 125 years later
during the reign of the eighth emir, Abd Al-Rahman III,
When he came to power in 912, al- Andalus faced many problems,
Rebel groups throughout the land challenged the government’s
authority,
Christian armies regularly launched attacks on the northern border. In
the south, Muslim opponents threatened to invade from North Africa,
Abd Al-Rahman III was determined to preserve Umayyad power. He
built a huge standing army,
Over the next few years, Abd Al-Rahman III put down all internal
revolts. He pushed the Christians back from his northern borders.
He strengthened the southern border by taking control of the
northwestern tip of North Africa,
929 A. D.: The Caliph of Córdoba,
He challenged the power of the Abbasid and Fatimid Caliphs.
81.
82. The Glory of Córdoba: The Pearl of Europe,
A City of Wonders: Córdoba was a splendid city,
Its streets were paved and, by night, were lit by lamps,
A water system fed the 900 public baths and the fountains located around the city,
Citizens could wander through dozens of beautiful gardens.
An Economic Center: All this splendor was made possible by Córdoba’s
prosperous economy,
The city had hundreds of workshops that produced silk, leather, carpets, paper,
weapons, and crystal glass,
All of these goods were in great demand throughout Europe,
Merchants traveling overland and by sea carried them all of the way to Central Asia
and India.
A Great Cultural Center:
Córdoba also was a major center for culture and learning,
By the late 900s, the city had 70 libraries,
The largest of these had about 400,000 books: Muslim scholars translated many
books. These books often found their way to Europe, where Christian scholars
eagerly studied them,
The caliphs of Córdoba were anxious to outshine their Abbasid rivals: They actively
encouraged scholars to leave Baghdad for Al- Andalus,
These new arrivals brought fresh ideas and different approaches to learning,
They also added to Córdoba’s reputation.
Mathematics, Astronomy, and Geography
Medicine and Philosophy
A Golden Age for Jews
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88. The Decline of Al- Andalus:
Al- Andalus had begun to fall apart,
Different Muslim factions fought for control,
Other Muslim groups broke away and
formed their own smaller kingdoms,
Christians in the north took advantage of
this disarray and launched attacks,
By the 1240s, they had pushed as far
south as Córdoba and Seville,
Over the next 250 years Christian forces
slowly regained control of the entire Iberian
Peninsula.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93. By the 11th century, the Arabs began losing
their dominance in the Islamic world:
The Seljuk Turks conquered Syria,
Palestine, and much of Persia,
In the 11th and 12th centuries,
the Muslims lost Sicily and most of
Spain to Christian knights,
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the
Mongols, led by Hulagu, devastated
Muslim lands,
In the 15th century, the collapse of the
Mongol empire left the way open for the
Ottoman Turks, who reached their
height in the 16th century.
DECLINE
94. In the 8th and 9th centuries, Muslim
civilization entered its golden age,
Islamic civilization creatively
integrated Arabic, Byzantine,
Persian, and Indian cultural
traditions,
During the Early Middle Ages, when
learning was at a low point in
western Europe, the Muslims
preserved the philosophical and
scientific heritage of the ancient
world.
CULTURAL INTEGRATION
95. ADVANCES IN LEARNING: The synthesis of
Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought
with old, brought about great advances in:
1. medicine,
2. mathematics,
3. physics,
4. astronomy,
5. geography,
6. architecture,
7. art,
8. literature,
9. history.
ADVANCES IN LEARNING
96. Many crucial systems; such as,
algebra, Arabic numerals, and the
concept of the zero, were transmitted
to medieval Europe from Islam,
Sophisticated instruments which were
to make possible the European
voyages of discovery were developed:
The astrolabe,
The quadrant and
Good navigational maps.
TRANSMISSION OF KNOWLEDGE
97. Achievements
Geography
Geographers made more accurate maps than before, mostly due to the
contributions of al-Idrisi.
Math
The Muslim mathematician al-Khwarizmi laid the foundations for modern algebra.
Astronomy
They made improvements to the astrolabe, which the Greeks had invented to
chart the positions of the stars.
Medicine
The Muslims’ greatest scientific achievements may have come in
medicine.
A doctor named Al-Razi discovered how to diagnose and treat the deadly
disease smallpox.
Philosophy
The Muslim philosophy focused on spiritual issues, which led to a
movement called Sufism.
Sufism teaches that people can find God’s love by having a personal
relationship with God.
98. Islam influenced styles of literature
and arts.
Literature
Two forms of literature were popular in the Muslim world—
poetry and short stories.
Architecture
The greatest architectural achievements were mosques:
They often had a dome and minarets.
Patrons, or sponsors, used their wealth to pay for
elaborately decorated mosques.
Art
Because they could not represent people or animals in
paintings due to their religion, Muslim artists turned
calligraphy, or decorative writing, into an art form.
They used this technique to decorate buildings and
mosques.
99. Stretching from Spain
to India, was unified
by:
a common language
(Arabic),
a common faith, and
a common culture.
THE ARAB EMPIRE