The Journey Of Ibn Battutah

Islamic civilization was spread using a variety of useful techniques, ranging from extreme violence, to the use of peaceful doctrine. Without these practices and methods, the spread of Islam would not be as profound as it has shown to be, especially from 632 to 750 CE. Islamic civilization spread to encompass such an extensive empire through the “way of the sword”, use pre-existing roads, ruthless fighting techniques, and the way of salvation and religious doctrine. One of the biggest methods that were used to spread Islam was the way of the sword, and other practices of intimidation. When new lands were taken over by Islam, Muslims gave a few options.

As a matter of fact, Mecca was the crossroads of the lucrative caravan trade. Vast camel trains, bearing spices, perfumes, precious metals, ivory and silk, filed through the town, headed north on the way from Yemen to the markets of Syria, etc. (Doc A). In addition, Doc A, also illustrated on a map that these trade routes lead all across the East, from Arabia, all the way to China proving that Islam had the means to travel rapidly. For instance, on trade routes such as the Silk Roads, traders could spread Islam all the way to China and India, making it easy for Islam to spread large distances. However, this information doesn’t explain why it traveled rapidly along these mentioned trade routes. Certainly, this can be explained by the process of cultural diffusion, in which a group’s cultural beliefs are spread from one group to another. In fact, through cultural diffusion, traders could pick up some Islamic influence, and spread it to the other trade

The spread of the Islamic faith throughout the Middle East is through the presence of these Muslim cities. As discussed in Document 4, the establishment of Medina contributed to the spread of Islam. This was where it started. Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina when the ruling class of Mecca started to persecute them. There, Muhammad was able to help the people accept the Islamic faith which helped the overall spread of Islam. Muslim cities are scatted throughout the Middle East (Document 9). The location of these holy cities allowed for a proper diffusion of the faith and is significant because, without these establishments, the spread of Islam would have come to an abrupt halt. Muslim cities are the driving force in the diffusion of Islam, and because of them, the Islamic faith has grown to become a worldwide leader in religious affairs.

Ibn Battuta’s 1331 journey to West Africa provides a contrast of two worlds: Battuta’s pre-modern Islamic culture conflicting with African societies’ interpretation of Muslim beliefs and tribal traditions. He is especially critical of the various roles of women he observes—thus, allowing us insight into his own judgments formed by his culture and society.

Mali: Gold and Salt trade; reached its peak in 14th century; Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca; Islam

To begin with, Islam spread so quickly because of trade routes. This quote is from document A and the author’s source is the World History: Medieval and Early Modern Times textbook. “First it was at the crossroads of the lucrative (profitable) caravan trade.” This quote shows how trading through the trade routes made them able to go to different areas and spread the religion that way. The author’s source is reliable because it comes from a World History: Medieval and Early Modern Times textbook to inform 7th-grade students. This way we know that the text is reliable and is not fake. The map is detailed by showing all the trade routes they could possibly go through and what kind of items they got in different areas they traveled to.

The selection from Usama Ibn Munqidh’s Kitab al-l’tibar otherwise know in English as the Book of Contemplation is a book in which Usama provides a series of short vignettes as a testimony to his experiences in the medieval Middle East and the Crusades. Through his writings the reader is able to get a Muslim account of the Crusades. It is largely a personal account so many details are left out and much background knowledge is assumed. It also is not the most unbiased source as supported by Usama’s frequent utterence that “Allah render them [The crusading Christians] helpless” (Ibn Munqidh 197) Usama also makes no attempt at analysis or understanding and just writes exactly what he observed without asking questions or delving deeper into

This chapter begins with the Muhammad and the message he brings. It all began in the Arabian Peninsula, which was mostly desert. The people who lived there were called Nomadic Bedouin, and they are organized in family and clan groups. The importance of long-distance trade networks became important again between China, India, and Persia, Byzantium. The section starts talking about the early life Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in to a Mecca merchant family in 570 C.E. He had a difficult life growing up, but in 595 C.E, he married a wealthy widow. By the time, he was thirty he became a merchant and exposed too many faiths. He had a spiritual transformation at the age of forty, and declared that there was only one true god, whose name was Allah, “the god.” His believe that Allah would soon bring judgment on the world, and the divine messenger, Gabriel, delivered these revelations to Muhammad. The Quran, also known as the “recitation,” is the holy book of Islam. Muhammad followers complied with his revelations. They had works of poetry and definitive authority on Islam;

This book mainly narrates the adventures and travels of a 14th century Muslim scholar, native of Tangier who studied law but dreamed of traveling and seeing different perspectives of the world. Ibn is described by many as the Marco Polo of the Muslim world. Ibn traveled by all means possible during his time period, horse, camel, boat, foot, and boat for approximately 29 years. The area he covered would now be the equivalent to 40 modern countries and 73,000 miles. Quotes I found most interesting were “A scholar’s education is greatly improved by traveling in quest of knowledge and meeting the authoritative teachers (of his time).” by Ibn Khaldun pg. 27. This was quite inspiring because it shows that with an open mind and many travels you can age with wisdom and share your knowledge with

He was able to construct an atlas of the known world, where he divided continents into regions and listed the longitude and latitude of all their major features. Until the Portuguese and Spanish explorations of the 15th and 16th centuries, this atlas served as the basic description of the European world. Islamic The Islamic geography evolved during the medieval times, due to several factors. The first fundamental factor was their need of geography to accomplish their religious requirements, such as knowing the prayers directions and times, and the ability to complete their pilgrimage at least once in their lifetimes, which is all connected to Mecca.

The book that we have chosen to review is titled “Lost History, the Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers and Artists”. The author of the book is Michael Hamilton Morgan. The book was published in the year 2007 and also holds the same copyright date. The book is a non-fiction. The main subject matter of the book is the history of the Islamic civilization from the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

The source A History of Medieval Islam was written by John Joseph Saunders in 1965. John Joseph (J.J.) Saunders was a British Historian who was especially knowledgeable of Medieval Islamic. J.J. Saunders taught at the

On the issue of the sources, both present their benefits and hindrances. The Ibn Fadlan text, for example, does not originate from Ibn Fadlan himself. It is instead a transcription of an account of his voyages to Russia as a client to the ambassador to the king of the Saqaliba. This fundamental aspect of the text reveals itself through repeated uses of “Ahmad ibn Fadlan says,” which automatically demonstrates that Ibn Fadlan did not write this account since he would have dispensed with such triviality. As such, its reliability is diminished, as it no longer represents a direct, first-hand account from Ibn Fadlan of his travels, but instead a third individual’s transcription of his travels. Additionally, Richard N. Frye translated the work from its historical language, presumably some form of Arabic, to modern day English, further diminishing the integrity of the work.

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very

Ibn Battuta’s remarks of his travels say a great deal about his own culture and norms. Almost every place he travels to he brings up women and how they are treated, as well as what their status is in that society. He is also very amused with the décor of the buildings in terms of gold and silver decorations. It seems as though he does not come from a wealthy society or his family is not on the wealthy status level. Battuta also seems to bring up the cleanliness of each area he travels to.