Strayer 9, Birth of Islam

15/10/2016

Pay special attention. This stuff is all over the exam, and your understanding this will certainly be a critical factor in the possibility of peace in your lifetime.

40 Comments

Bingham

16/10/2016 11:16:46

Oh, nobody is working this weekend? Going with the tried and not true study-at-the-last-minute technique? Right, that goes with the declaration, "Gosh Mr. Bingham, I don't know what I'm doing wrong! Can you help with a better study technique?"

Bingham

16/10/2016 11:23:56

Okay, fine, I'll kick start you with MQ1.
In what ways did the early history of Islam reflect its Arabian origins?

Islam drew on an older Arab identification of Allah with Yahweh, the Jewish High God, and Arab self-identification as children of Abraham.

The Quran denounced the old social practices of an increasingly prosperous Mecca and sought a return to the older values of Arab tribal life.

The message of the Quran also rejected the Arab tribal and clan structure (and this is really key), which was prone to war, feuding, and violence. Instead, the Quran sought to replace this structure with the umma, the community of all believers. This proved to be a powerful idea. (That’s my analysis.)

Taylor Scott

16/10/2016 13:28:27

MQ8: How did the rise of Islam change the lives of women?

- spiritually equal to men
- socially subordinate to men
- female infanticide is forbidden
- given control over own property (particularly dowries)
- granted rights of inheritance (but at half the rate of men)
- marriage had to be consensual
- divorce, though possible, was more readily available for men
- having multiple husbands was prohibited, but polygyny wasn't (however limit was four wives)
- men could have sexual relations with female slaves
- Muslim women in early class had growing restrictions during the Abbasid era
- 2nd caliph, Umar, asked women to pray at home
- veiling and seclusion of women was standard practice among upper and ruling classes
-women had separate quarters within wealthy homes
- caliph Mansur made separate bridge for women over the Euphrates River
- honor killing performed by male relatives for violating sexual taboos
- clitorectomy (derived from local culture- not sanctioned in Quran or Islamic law
- hadiths viewed women as weak, deficient, and a sexually charged threat to men and social stability
- Safi Islam had parallel groups for women and groups where women were treated as equals among men
- women teachers of the faith were also called mullahs
- women interacted with other women by visiting tombs of major Islamic figures and by the ritual of the public bath

This list is somewhat long. Is there a way to compact it into a shorter, more concise list? Suggestions welcome.

Yasmeen Gaber

16/10/2016 20:38:43

What did the Quran expect from those who followed its teachings?

-Submission--people were expected to submit to Allah as the one true God, rejecting all other religious practices
-Five Pillars of Islam: Embracing Allah as the one true God, praying five times every day, charity and giving back to the community, fasting and abstaining from sex during the holy month of Ramadan and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
-rejection of greed and selfishness in order to bring back older values of Arab tribal life--equality, concern for the poor, and overall less corruption than that provided by the Quraysh monopoly on the Meccan economy and social structure
-social equality--all those who followed the teaching of Muhammad and Allah could become part of the larger Muslim umma, even women could join if they believed

Thoughts?

Taylor Scott

17/10/2016 00:01:42

MQ3: How was Arabia transformed by the rise of Islam?

- membership in Medina was based on belief, not birth
- usury was outlawed, tax-free marketplaces were established, mandatory payment to support the poor was imposed
- Muhammad separated Islam from Judaism
- Muhammad's followers prayed towards Jerusalem until some Jewish groups allied with Muhammad's enemies (followers then faced Mecca)
- Muhammad declared Kaaba as a shrine to Allah
- there was no distinction between religious law and political law
- brought peace to warring tribes

Am I on target with my answers to this margin question? Am I missing anything?

Taylor Scott

17/10/2016 00:07:02

MQ5: What accounts for the widespread conversion to Islam?

- major elements of Islam were familiar to Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians
- associated with sponsorship of a powerful state
- those conquered began to question the power of old gods
- converts could avoid jizya
- merchants liked that it was a commerce-friendly religion
- conversion was aid to social mobility for those aspiring to official positions

I also think that Persian influence is a factor in this margin question, but I'm not sure how to word it. Any suggestions?

Ashton Haq

18/10/2016 22:47:31

Adding onto this:
- People were attracted to the religion because of the Arab Empire's prestige
- Arab migration spread the faith to places like Egypt, North Africa, Iraq
- Aside from the religion just being commerce friendly, merchants appreciated that it provided a large/secure area for trading

And I'm not sure if Persian influence was an agent for widespread conversion to Islam. It definitely affected the cultural expression of the religion (architecture, music, art, etc.) but it doesn't seem like an initial cause for people to convert. Thoughts?

Taylor Scott

19/10/2016 22:18:32

I think that your 1st and 3rd statements are in more detail to what I was trying to say; however, thank you for reminding me about Arab migration.

Strayer mentions that Islam was accompanied by pervasive Persian influence when it spread to Iran, Central Asia, India, and the Ottoman Empire. Its presence didn't lead to conversion, but its presence led to the Islamic culture in the lands. What do you think?

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 23:03:35

I think that because Islam had already absorbed some aspects of Persian culture, Persian culture along with Islam. I don't necessarily think it was a reason for people to convert more so than a side effect of conversion.

Taylor Scott

17/10/2016 00:11:06

MQ7: In what ways were Sufi Muslims critical of mainstream Islam?

- believed that establishments teaching about the law and correct behavior did little to bring believer into the presence of God
- reading of the Quran (because they believed that being in the presence of God was better)
- ulama being compromised by association with worldly and corrupt governments

Anything missing?

Audrey Deigaard

19/10/2016 22:58:02

This goes with 'believed that establishments teaching about the law and correct behavior did little to bring believe into the presence of God,' but I also put that Sufi Muslims opposed the legalistic and scholarly practitioners of the sharia in general.

Cassie Barham

17/10/2016 19:09:39

There are a few rhetorical questions that Strayer poses in this chapter, so this is one I pulled from the text and attempted to answer:

Why did the Turkic intrusion into Anatolia generate a much more thorough Islamization than in India?

Demographic Balance:
Anatolia's population of 8 million people was significantly smaller than India's 48 million, making the the groups of Turkic peoples who settled in Anatolia more culturally influential--they had a more thorough reach in Anatolia, whereas in India they only served as a small, largely culturally inconsequential colonizing force.

Extensive Political Fragmentation:
A sharp drop in the native population in Anatolia was caused by massacres, famine, enslavement, and emigration; the state structure had been irreparably damaged; and there was upheaval in the religious world as church properties were confiscated and monasteries were destroyed-->
the previously church and state centered Byzantine civilization was left leaderless and disjointed. By comparison, India's decentralized society, which lacked a uniform political of religious institution was more equipped to adapt to the external invasion.

Fewer Cultural Barriers:
In Anatolia, there was already a familiarity with monotheism in its Christian traditions. Muslim respect for Jesus and Christian scripture made religious conversion in Anatolia much more digestible. In India, the starkly contrasting Hindu tradition created a cultural barrier that prevented a more thorough diffusion of Islamic tradition.

Taylor Scott

18/10/2016 22:01:15

This rhetorical question answers connect are also beneficial in MQ9 because they compare the spread of Islam to India and Anatolia. This is what I have so far for MQ9: What similarities and differences can you identify in the spread of Islam to India, Anatolia, West Africa, and Spain?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BP0p-2nSZ8xEoNpLTv3F6NdooHKElPAAYpibqezTQ-4/edit?usp=sharing

I'm having trouble organizing this into a more efficient way? In you have suggestion could you comment to the side of the charts. Also I couldn't find a similarity for all four except the obvious (Islam spread to this region). Is there another similarity that I am missing?

Taylor Scott

18/10/2016 22:35:27

MQ10: In what ways was Anatolia changed by its incorporation into the Islamic world?

- Turkish-speaking people had greater weight
- massacres, enslavement, famine, and flight led to sharp drop in population
- Christians suffered discriminations (church properties were confiscated, monasteries were destroyed or deserted, and priests and bishops were sometimes unable to serve their congregations)
- Safis replaces institutions of Christian Anatolia

I posted this MQ under this rhetorical question because I found that the answers were similar. The difference is that the rhetorical question is comparing Anatolia to India, whereas MQ10 is comparing Anatolia before conquest and Anatolia after conquest. Do you think that there is anything I am missing?

Cassie Barham

20/10/2016 19:01:37

I think you covered the main conditions of the transition into the Islam-dominated Anatolia, but I think it's important to include the conditions of the incorporated Islam rule after this transition period. I would add:

--Turkish rulers built a new inclusive and culturally accommodating society
--Turkic influence led to a more egalitarian life for women
--All the things listed contributed to the religious transformation of Anatolia towards Islam and laid the foundation for the Ottoman Empire

Cassie Barham

17/10/2016 19:41:40

MQ: What makes it possible to speak of the Islamic world as a distinct and coherent
civilization?

Despite the extensive diversity and political disjointedness of the Islamic state, there were key elements of Islamic society that connected most people who followed its culture:

--Bound by a common commitment to the Islamic faith

--The development of a system of education bound together the immense and diverse civilization

--Sufi way of emphasis on the Divine rather than the law created space for the accommodation of local beliefs and practices-->encouraged the growth of a "popular" and blended Islam

--The hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) served as an inclusive and unifying tradition that emphasized the universal elements and values that were central to the Islamic faith

In addition, the development Islam's network of exchange of goods, technologies, food products, and ideas reached through Afro-Eurasia and served to fortify Islamic civilization:

--Economy
**Various forms of banking, partnerships, contracts, and instruments for granting credit established a flourishing economy in Islamic civilization.

--Ecological Influence
**participated in the spread of agricultural products and practices--exposure to new crops and the diffusion of irrigation systems contributed to the Islamic Green Revolution, which increased food production and led to a rise in population

--Technological Innovations
**The spread of and improvements on technology, such as rockets and paper-making, served to strengthen bureaucratic governments

--Spread of Ideas
**Islamic culture was one of mixing and blending, absorbing and drawing from cultures that it interacted with, making it an adaptive and inclusive tradition

Taylor Scott

20/10/2016 19:19:51

You may want to add that the system of education was created by the ulama.

Amy Vaughan

17/10/2016 21:54:08

MQ1: Description: In what ways did the early history of Islam reflect its Arabian origins?

-Located on the edge of both the Byzantine (Roman successors) and Sassanid (Persian successors) and on a major trade route (Indian Ocean), therefore had knowledge of/contact with the wider world.
-Such contact meant influence from other religions (namely Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism), as illustrated through the spreading of monotheistic belief and identification of Arabs as "children of Abraham," an extremely prominent figure in Judaism.
-the chaos of warring Arabian clans/tribes would have made the peaceful message of Islam very attractive
-similarly, the corruption of religion in Mecca (Quraysh control of the Kaaba) would have evoked unrest and questioning of the current religious tradition, setting the stage for the birth of Islam

Amy Vaughan

17/10/2016 22:24:14

Oh whoops- I didn't see that Bingham already answered this question. Sorry for the repeat!

Bingham

18/10/2016 08:56:08

Sheesh! Read before you post guys!

Cassie Barham

18/10/2016 18:30:55

So I may be making a bit of a leap with this, but I wanted to comment on the fact that as I was reading, I noticed that Strayer makes comparisons of Islam to other religious traditions (mainly Judaism, Christianity, and a bit of Buddhism) throughout the entirety of the chapter. I know the focus of the chapter is specifically on Islam, but since this section of the book also has a big emphasis on worldly connections and networks, I thought this pattern within the chapter could be significant. I decided to compile the comparisons he makes and generate a question that fulfills that list:

How do the early histories of other major religious traditions compare to that of Islam's, and what about these distinctions and similarities shaped Islam's religious perspectives?

--Most major religious and cultural traditions emerged from a core region of a civilization, but Islam--like Christianity--grew out of the periphery of civilizations.

--Islam's conception was headed by not only a religious figurehead, but also a political and military leader, which lead to the establishment of an Islam centered state. This is in sharp contrast to the other major religious traditions, whose leaders were solely religious/spiritual figures--> other religious traditions (especially Christianity) maintained a separate state and church hierarchy, but Islam's manifestation in a state prevented this distinction.

--A combination of factors, including:
**Jews and Christians living among Arabs (and their monotheistic ideas becoming widely known)
**the identification of Allah with Yahweh
**The rapid growth of Christianity in western Asia,
made it seem that Islam might be moving towards or become encompassed by Judaism or Christianity religiously-->

--However:
**despite drawing on Judeo-Christian monotheism, Islam alienated itself from these religions through criticism of their evolved traditions, and through the unique entity of the Quran, Islam sought to purify these faiths.

--The evolution of Islam also seems to have been impacted by Judeo-Christian traditions-->The hadiths drew from the Judeo-Christian versions of the story of Adam and Eve as elements of Islam began to lead to tightening restrictions on women. However, also like Buddhism and Christianity, Islam offered new outlets for women in religious life and so had some appeal.

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 22:13:59

This is really great! I have a feeling these comparisons will especially come in handy once we read Ch. 10 (over Christianity).

Cindy Xia

18/10/2016 19:05:51

MQ2: What did the Quran expect from those who followed its teachings?

The Pillars of Islam:
1) no God but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of God
2) ritual prayer to be performed 5x a day which expressed submission to Allah, living in the presence of God
3) almsgiving; give generously to support the poor and needy of the community (reflected Quran's demands for social justice)
4) month of fasting during Ramadan; provided occassion for self-purification + a reminder of the needs of the hungry
5) pilgrimage to Mecca, aka the hajj
6) jihad ("struggle"); "greater jihad" reflected an internal personal effort against greed and selfishness, striving for a God-concious life; "jihad of the sword" was the armed struggle against the forces of unbelief and evil to establish Muslim rule and defending the umma from threats of infidel aggressors

Hopefully that was it.

Yasmeen Gaber

18/10/2016 21:32:01

I posted this a little higher up on the forum, and we had all the same answers. One thing--"Allah" is just Arabic for "God", and it might be better to think about it that way, rather than saying that in place of God there was Allah, because it helps you conceive of Islam as very close to the Judeo-Christian tradition that came before it (which fostered religious tolerance, they were all "people of the book" etc). Hope that was helpful!

Yasmeen Gaber

18/10/2016 21:38:01

Boy howdy did I misread that! Please disregard my previous comment.

Taylor Scott

18/10/2016 22:16:38

MQ6: What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam.

Sunni Islam wanted the entire community to be involved in deciding leadership, whereas Shia Islam chose a specific group to lead and make decisions.

These following bullet points support the statement above:
Sunni
- caliphs were political and military leaders chosen by the Islamic community
- religious authority emerged from larger community (particularly from ulama)
Shia
-leadership should derive from line of Ali and his son Husayn (blood relatives of Muhammad)
- imams had religious authority

Sunni Muslims also advocated for established order, whereas Shia Muslims were defender of oppressed and critics of privilege and power. Shia Muslims were also the minority and had a messianic element enter their form of Islam because their defeated leaders were thought to be in hiding (not dead).

I was going to just do bullets; however, the margin question asks for one difference. Therefore, is the last statement made above needed?

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 18:57:37

I think you should definitely have multiple differences listed! I'm pretty sure question is asking for the general difference, which can be made up of several factors.

Taylor Scott

19/10/2016 22:21:09

In that case, would the general difference be my first statement? Or is there another general difference that includes the third section I have?

Taylor Scott

18/10/2016 22:25:43

MQ4: Why were Arabs able to construct such a huge empire so quickly?

- conquest of other empires (acquired land that those empires had control of)
- umma had common task of external expansion
- people incorporated were mostly monotheistic (new rules were tolerant of Jewish and Christian faiths)
- merchant leaders wanted to capture profitable trade routes and wealthy agricultural regions
- Arabs saw expansion as route to wealth and social promotion
- viewed as jihad.

Any suggestions? Also do you think that the answers to this MQ also account for the widespread conversion mentioned in MQ5?

Niara Pelton

20/10/2016 19:30:12

I think that another important factor was that the surrounding empires were weak and therefore easily overtaken. It kind of goes with the first one you mentioned.

Taylor Scott

18/10/2016 22:41:44

Is it just me or is MQ12 (In what ways was the world of Islam a "cosmopolitan civilization"?) posing the same question as BPQ2 (In what ways might Islamic civilization be described as cosmopolitan, international, or global?) If so, it must be important enough that Strayer emphasizes this question within 5 pages.

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 19:04:35

I agree it is very important! I think that Islam's cosmopolitan aspects are what defines it as such a revolutionary religion in that it allowed the religion to spread so far and encompass so many different people. Whoever answers the BPQ can go into greater depth, but I think this cosmopolitan nature is in part due to Islam's birthplace in an extensive and very active trade network, and its geographic positioning on the peripheries of two major empires of the time.

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 19:59:14

BPQ1: How might you account for the immense religious and political/military success of Islam in its early centuries?

I broke this down into two categories: religious success and political/military success, although they go hand in hand

Religious success: (why it attracted so many converts)
-promoted a personal relationship with Allah (more accessible)
-similarities in beliefs to other religions (esp. monotheism) made conversion less drastic
-powerful state reflected a powerful god
-slaves/prisoners of war could convert and be freed
-converting meant evading the jizya (non-Muslim tax)

Political/Military Success: came from religious success/unity
-unified umma (same beliefs)
-unified law (sharia) came from the Quran, legitimizing the state (religious law = political law, therefore the umma was obedient to the state, as it reflected their religious values)

Anything else to add? A different interpretation of the question? Please let me know!

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 20:22:42

Also:

Political/Military Success:
-The weakening of both the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires provided an opportunity for successful Islamic expansion
-Arabs had many motivations for expansion (merchants wanted more trade routes, individuals wanted wealth and status)
-Expansion provided a unifying objective for the loosely unified umma
-(going along with the impact of religious law as political law) some Muslims more likely to support military expansion as a means of upholding the "jihad of the sword"

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 20:48:05

BPQ2: In what ways might Islamic civilization be described as cosmopolitan, international, or global?
-extremely far reaching/encompassing peoples throughout Afro-Eurasia
-intertwined with an extensive network of trade routes that spread agriculture, technology, and ideas throughout the reach of the empire.
-the idea of umma, community by faith rather than race or ethnicity, made Islam more global/kept it from becoming too localized.

I feel like this answer is really short (only 3 key points that I found). Am I missing anything?

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 21:01:12

MQ12: In what ways was the world of Islam a “cosmopolitan civilization”?

-Islam placed value on commerce; its empire encompassed a network of trade routes and Muslim merchants were highly active in the world of long-distance trade
-trade routes spread crops (ex: rice), technology (ex:rockets) and ideas (Persian bureaucracy/elite culture)
-Influences/discoveries from around the world combined to form a distinctive Islamic civ. that, in turn, made many important contributions itself (ex: algebra, medicine, astronomy)

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 21:05:00

Like Taylor was saying, this MQ goes along with BPQ2. I just took these answers from my notes, so there may be some points that show up in one answer and not the other. I would combine these to get my final answer :)

Amy Vaughan

19/10/2016 22:08:44

BPQ3: "Islam was simultaneously a single world of shared meaning and interaction and a series of separate, distinct, and conflicting communities." What evidence could you provide to support both sides of this argument?

Commonalities:
-core beliefs of Islam (ex: 5 pillars)
-madrassas/education system
-common elite = ulama
-idea of umma (community of faith)
-hajj/common pilgrimage location
-shared doctrines: sharia and the Quran
-individual ulama or sufi teachers attracted widespread followings

Differences:
-fragmented into sects- Sunni vs. Shia vs. Sufi
-Islam was influenced by location/location was reflected in differing attitudes or opinions on the same subject (ex: treatment of women in West Africa vs. in Arabia)
-differences in interpretations of the Quran (ex: interpreting jihad- still a cause for fragmentation today)

Taylor Scott

20/10/2016 20:19:17

I think that when you are talking about the sects, it might be best to separate disputes as Sunni vs. Shia and Sufi vs. sharia/ mainstream Islam. What do you think?

Yasmeen Gaber

20/10/2016 21:19:00

I agree with Taylor--after all, the Sunni/Shia split had different causes and effects than that of the Sufi "spin-off" (who were ultimately more integrated with mainstream Islam than Sunni and Shia were with each other).

Bingham

Welcome class of 2019. Some years students collaborate in this space effectively, some years not so much. One thing I know, collaboration significantly enhances learning. If you want access to my thoughts, this is the collaboration space to use. Most people propose an answer to margin questions, big picture question, or anything else related to managing Strayer. Other people can then comment leading to a stronger answer. I'll keep an eye on these pages, and pop in when I think you need me.

Strayer 9, Birth of Islam

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