The Caliph Harun Al Rashid

“If a man violate the wife of another man, who has never known a man, and still lives in her father’s house, and sleep with her and be surprised, this man shall be put to death, but the wife is blameless” (Hammurabi).

Since the dawn of man, Hammurabi’s Code has been considered to be the most intrusive and strictest laws, especially against women. However, nowadays, there is another law called “Sharia” about which many people have questioned if there is a similarity between this law and the Hammurabi’s Code. This essay will examine how Hammurabi’s Code connects to modern-day Sharia Law in terms of geographical, cultural, and legislative similarities and differences. And throughout the comparison between the Hammurabi’s Code and the Sharia Law, we could come up with a clearer view about evolution of these laws in each period of time, in the past, at present and in the future and how Hammurabi’s Code and Sharia Law have affected the people who follow these

Aisha bint Abu Bakr was a leader, a woman, a wife, a theologian, a scholar and a political activist. She was precocious, loyal, brave and remarkably intelligent. These aspects of her humble life have allowed her to make a powerful impact on the development and expression of Islam that “no woman [has] reached”[1]. Not only did she influence the position of women in Islamic society, Islamic ethics, and the understanding and interpretation of the Qur’an, but she also modelled these qualities for the men, women and children of Islam.

Document B is by Ibn Al-Athir and talks about the First Crusade. It is a short document that describes a lot of the First Crusade.

The Abbasid caliphate was the empire of the golden age in the Islamic culture. This dynasty ruled the Islamic caliphate for a very long time, which made it one of the most influential dynasties. Since it ruled the Islamic empire for a very long time it became the largest empire in the world which helped it have contact with neighboring places like China, India, and the Byzantine empire which helped majorly with cultural diffusion. But, in what ways would the Abbasid caliphate be considered a golden age throughout the dynasties in Islam?

Yet as I continued reading there was still something about the book that I didn’t like and I couldn’t understand. Then I read this paragraph from the book, “And he taught us that a wife’s ideal age was half the man’s age plus seven. He taught that women are physiologically ahead of men. Mr. Muhammad taught that no marriage could succeed where the women did not look up with respect to the man. And the man had to have something above and beyond the wife in order for her to be able to look to him for psychological security” (X 263-4). This quote explains that woman should meet a certain physical requirement before the man can accept her in a marriage. The white people would only let a black man into the same

In Ancient Mesopotamia, one of the earliest civilizations in history, the status of women was much lower than that of men. They did not have as many rights and privileges as men did. They were expected to be submissive to their male guardian, whether it be a father or husband, and carry out their specific duties. According to the textbook, “A woman’s place was in the home, and failure to fulfill her expected duties was grounds for divorce…” (Duiker and Spielvogel 14). During this time, Hammurabi, who came into power and ruled most of Mesopotamia in 1792 B.C.E., developed a code of law known as the “The Code of Hammurabi” that described Hammurabi’s strict system of justice. Under the code, men had the ultimate authority over their families and society in general. The punishments for women who neglected their household duties and the law were severe compared to those for men who broke the law. “The Code of Hammurabi” states, “If she is not innocent, but leaves her husband, and ruins her house, neglecting her husband, this woman shall be cast into the water” (143). This law is one of the several laws of the code regarding family, especially the relationship between a man and his wife. In the law, it says, “If a man’s wife be surprised…with another man, both shall be tied and thrown into water…” (129). Women were expected to stay faithful to their husbands since they were under their authority. This is also because the family unit was a key element to the development and growth

In Document B it is claimed “That the strong might not injure the weak, in order to protect the widows and orphans…Let no destruction befall my monument… let my name ever repeated;let the oppressed, who has a case at law, come and stand before this my image as king of righteousness;...” Hammurabi is explaining that the laws were set up so that the weak were not hurt by the strong, but he contradicts himself because he is the strong one who is hurting the weak. The punishments that are executed do not match properly to the wrong deed that has been done. For example in Document C in Law 129: “If a married lady is caught ⦗in adultery⦘ with another man, they shall bind them and cast them into the water.” If a married lady cheats on her husband she is tied up and thrown in the water to drown. However in Law 148, “If a man has married a wife and a disease has seized her, if he is determined to marry a second wife, he shall marry her. He shall not divorce the wife whom the disease has seized. She shall dwell in the house they have built together and he shall maintain her as long as she lives.” A woman will be helplessly thrown in the river to drown if caught in adultery, but if a married man has decided that his first wife is not considered a deemable spouse anymore, he can move on to a second wife and still keep the first wife under his possession. This does not fit the criteria of making

Abbas, and Mehmed II (re)built their capitals to strategically place themselves in a position of power. Abbas changed the the capital of the Safavid Empire from Qavin to Isfahans due to the lurking threat of the Uzebek invasion. Isfahan was a more centralized and secure location Safavid Empire since territories and boundaries were consistently changing in the early early pre-modern era. As for Mehmed II, his lands spread form lower eastern Europe to Anatolia to the borders of the Safavid Empire. Thus, it was necessary for him to place himself in position where he could manage his newly claimed territories, and establish a stronghold to launch future Ottoman wars into Europe. In contrast to the Abbas the Great and  Mehmed II Akbar the Great,

Another aspect I found interesting in this chapter was how under Islamic law men and women are still treated very differently. In the chapter it stated that in court a testimony provided by a man can be heard, but if a woman wanted to testify she would have to have another woman who could testify the same thing in order to be heard. I find it

A few thousand years ago, three sets of laws were composed that show remarkable similarities in their instructions on how to live a moral and righteous life. Although they were written hundreds of miles apart from each other, and in totally different cultures and civilizations, the Edicts of Ashoka, the Bible, and Hammurabi’s Code all elucidate the moral principles of self-control, justice, and abstention from harming living beings.

Brooks uses the sources to bring the thesis together and to help get her point across about the oppression of Islamic women and the pride and power of their male figures. An Islamic law states that women are not to commit adultery, but their husband can have more than one wife. When Brooks learned the story of Rehab and Mohamed and how Mohamed left Rehab for Fatima, it really opened her eyes on how different the treatment of married women of the Islamic world.

Malcolm X often referred to as “ The Prince of Islam” was as a blunt, straight forward, and a respected Civil rights activist that coin the saying “By any means necessary”. Many people wanted to get into the mind of this influential leader. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley would allow people to have a crucial perception into the mind of an important figure during a time of racism and oppression to see the lasting impact it has on oneself. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley came to be as a collaboration between Malcolm X and Alex haley to merely tell the life story of Malcolm Little, but in it really shed light on an important issue that was going on in America at the time, the problem is still going on now.

Jihad – a dispute or war between followers of Islam faith and those who do not follow the Islam faith; a struggle within a Muslim between good and evil (Dictionary)

The Umayyad dynasty began in the year (661 CE) after the period of the rightly guided