Term
What kind of social and economic environment did Muhammad arise, and what did he teach?
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Definition
Muhammad's roots are in Mecca, the cultural and economic center of west Arabia. Arabia's social structure was built upon tribes who depended on agricultural communities to trade with, and caravans to either escort through the dessert for money, or extort for money in the desert. Some tribal confederations were led by the warrior elite, while in the southern parts of the peninsula, holy families served the towns deity, and guardians of the temples settled disputes among the warrior tribes. According to oral traditions, Muhammad was orphaned at the age of six, and brought up by his paternal uncle. As a young man he became a merchant in the caravan trade that crisscrossed Arabia, before entering the service, and eventually marrying a wealthy widow named Khadija. Muhhammad was extremely pious, and devoted to contemplation. At age forty-five, while in a cave in the hills near method, he had a vision of an angel, that commanded him to preach the revelations of God to the people of Mecca. His teachings were focused on surrendering one's self to the oneness of God, and to give up idols.The deeds and sayings of Muhammad are known as the Sunna, and many years after his death, a book of his revelations were recorded into what we call the Qur'an. The following of Muhammad's teachings became known as Islam. The basic tenets of Islam became known as the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars of Islam are to recite a profession of faith in God and in Muhammad as God's prophet, praying five times a day, fasting and praying during the month of Ramadan, making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one's lifetime, and contributing alms to the poor.
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Term
What made possible the spread of Islam, and what forms of government were established to rule Muslim lands?
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Definition
Islam originally wasn't popular with the people of Mecca, as it went against the social structure of deity shrines and shrine guardians. Muhammad was forced to leave Mecca, so he traveled to Medina, where the warrior elite were more open to the ideas of Islam. The greater idea that helped to unite the warrior confederations and the other tribes, was Umma. Umma is the idea that a community of people can be tied together through religion, rather than by being part of a tribe.Muslim communities generated by expanding to new territories during conflicts with other civilizations aided in the spread of Islam.
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Term
How were Muslim Lands governed from 900 to 1400, and what new challenges did rulers face?
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Definition
The Caliph and his central administration governed the empire by allowing parts of the empire to be more or less independent as long as public order was maintained,and taxes were paid. Some states of the empire began to battle with others in order to expand their territory, and stopped paying taxes to Baghdad, becoming their own dynasty. Invasions by the Turks and the Mongols into Muslim lands posed challenges to Muslim authority.
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Term
What social distinctions were important to Muslim society?
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Definition
Before Islam, tribes held together based on the idea that each tribe descended from a common ancestor. Heads of families elected a sheik or tribe leader, who was usually chosen by the warrior elite, who felt themselves superior to other bloodlines. The Qu'ran however promoted the idea of social equality, as it is a basic Muslim doctrine. Even though doctrine pushed the idea that everyone was equal socially, this idea didn't really take hold. Many people born into Islam, rather than converted, still considered themselves superior to those who were converted into Islam.
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Dhimmis: Those who believe in one God, but who were not Muslim. They paid a small tax, and were forced to acknowledge the superiority of Muslim politics. During the times of the crusade, the Dhimmis were rightfully suspected to betray the Muslims during conflicts with the Mongols, due to strong religious loyalties during the period.
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Women
Were veiled and isolated, even though the Qu'ran more or less described them as being politically prominent and social equals to men. They were not considered the head of the household.
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Slaves
Any free person could have a slave, but only rulers could have military slaves, and the race of slaves didn't matter.
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Family
The wife took care of the children, and the husband was head of the household. Marriages were arranged by the parents when the woman was old enough to menstruate, marriages were contract based and involved a feast in which the men and women dined separately before the giving of gifts took place. Brides had to be virgins, sex was considered to be necessary to keep social order, and as long as you treated your wives well, you could have four of them.
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Term
Why did trade thrive in Muslim lands?
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Definition
Muslims developed written orders, bills of exchange, and joint stock companies. Islam promoted the practices of business and allowed for Muslims to conduct business with those outside of their faith.
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