The first three caliphates to rule after the death of Muhammad shaped the foundation for the growth and development of the early Islamic community. The goal of the caliphates was to unify the Islamic people and spread the word of Islam as far as they could. Although their main goal was the same, the Rashidun Caliphate, the Umayyad Caliphate, and the Abbasid caliphate went about this goal in separate ways. The different techniques used by each caliphate was dependent on the individual caliphs. The treatment of groups of peoples inside the empires also differed between the caliphates. The Rashidun Caliphate, the Umayyad Caliphate, and the Abbasid Caliphate each employed styles of rule unique to their empires.
The Rashidun Caliphate was the first of the Islamic caliphates established after Muhammad’s death. After his death, the early Islamic community was almost torn apart due to a crisis of control. The Rashidun caliphate had the important job of keeping the community together and growing without the Prophet. Because of the Arab-Islamic conquests, the Muslims gained large amounts of territory; however, the Arab-Muslim leaders did not have the experience that was needed to rule an empire. In The Rise of Islam, Matthew Gordon writes, “a fundamental challenge for the caliphs, their governors, and the Arab military elite was to understand how large-scale agrarian economies functioned” (28). In order to rule an empire, the authority of the Rashidun caliphs had to be legitimized.
In Document 1, it states, “The four ‘rightly guided’ caliphs made great progress in their quest to spread Islam… Muslims of the day saw their victories as a sign of Allah’s support and drew energy and inspiration from their faith.” The Quran guided the leadership of the empire and unified the empire. They fought to spread Islam and were willing to struggle to extend its word. Their inspiration of faith led a strong unified empire. The four caliphs used the Quran’s teachings as well and Muhammad’s (pbuh) to spread Islam successfully.
When Muhammad died a caliph, or successor, assumed leadership. The two caliphs succeeding Muhammad furthered the Islamic cause by conquering vast territory. Their culture infiltrated lands "from the Pyrenees and Atlantic coast in Spain to the Indus Valley of India and China's far western borders (Andrea 88)." Their world community called Dar al-Islam spread across land and included non-Muslim peoples. Muslims allowed the Christians living in this realm to continue practicing Christianity. However, the Pact of 'Umar, a political document, succinctly laid out the requirements of Christian observance within the presence of Muslims. Although it was a restricted existence for the Christians, the Muslims did practice and offer tolerance towards this disparate religion.
The Islamic empire expanded in many different ways. One of the ways the Islamic Empire expanded is conquering land. In document A Islam killed the Greeks and conquered some of their land. This means that that the Greeks were taken over by Islam so Islam had more land than before. Another way the Islamic Empire expanded was they made a treaty with Tudmir. In document B “The slaves will not be killed or forced in any way but will be slaves.” This means that Islam had a truce with Tudmir. Islam will have a bigger civilization from getting more slaves/warriors from getting slaves from conquered
Military conquest also played a big role in Islam’s growth. “In the year 636 the Byzantine Emperor… gathered an army… to resist the expansion of Islam. The people… are the… Syrians…
When Muhammad died, Muslims faced the challenge of creating institutions to preserve the community. This is the Middle period of Islam. Muslims believe that the revelation was completed with the work of Muhammad, who is described as the seal of the prophets. The leaders after Muhammad were described only as caliphs, or successors to the Prophet, and not as prophets themselves. The first four caliphs were companions of the Prophet and their period of rule (632-661) is described by the majority of Muslims as the age of the Rightly Guided Caliphate. This was an era of expansion during which Muslims conquered the Sasanid (Persian) Empire and took control of the North African and Syrian territories of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. The Muslim community was transformed from a small city-state controlling much of the Arabian Peninsula into a major world empire, in this case the Umayyad empire, extending from northwest Africa to central Asia. The emphasis
Islam: Empire of Faith is a pretty general documentary about a large history of Islam in such a short viewing time. Sometimes the moving picture media can have a different effect than the static reading media. I think this is a great counter to the normal textbook learning that occurs during class. While reading about the beginning Islam, I felt more of an oppression of Muhammad as he was trying to get his word of God out to the people around him. When he left Mecca it was not pleasant but it didn’t seem like he was going to die before he left. When he returned to Mecca with his followers it just seemed like he was a returning son, back with good news. When presented with the video evidence of the process, it seemed that his desire to let
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?
The Islamic civilization grew to become such a large empire by making smart decisions and being peaceful and not violet. The civilization thrived and gained more land to expand their empire.
The Islamic empire had the Rashidun army which maintained a high level of discipline, strategies prowess, and organization. The Rashidun army was the most prominent and effective military force in the world since both of these empires were so strong it helped develop major empires in the postclassical world. Islam dominated one third of the old world and at its height it reached from the Atlantic Ocean on the West, across North Africa and the Middle East, to central Asia on the East. Emperor Justinian used Christianity's desire to reclaim Rome he used religious thoughts to justify and execute military assaults on lost land. Comprised of brilliant generals and thousands of motivated men striving for eternal after life the Islamic army was immensely dynamic, effective, and cardinal to power of the Islamic kingdom. The location of the Byzantine Empire aided in military conquest and defense because of the Mediterranean sea.
Have you ever wondered how early empires grew so big and were successful? The Muslims expanded their civilization in many ways, which is important because they wanted to spread their religion and expand the empire. The early Islamic Empire expanded by conquering other lands, making people feel comfortable in the territory, as well as keeping their army strong and their citizens loyal.
Ever since 636 CE, the Muslims have been expanding the Islamic Empire. How exactly did the Muslims expand their Islamic Empire? In Document A, the Muslims expanded the Islamic Empire by leaving Mecca to Yarmuk to have a battle. When the Muslims won the battle, they cut off the non- Muslims arms and took over the city. This battle was one way that the Early Islamic Empire expanded. In document B, The Treaty of Tudmir also lead to the expansion of the Early Islamic Empire. The Treaty of Tudmir was a treaty that did not force religion, nor burn down their churches. It also stated that they would not take away their sacred objects or give shelter to fugitives and their enemies. This was another way that the Early Islamic Empire expanded because
It grew from a local, oppressed faith that was pioneered by Muhammad and his close family and friends, to a force that united nations under one of the largest empires that the world had ever seen. It would have never become what it was without the incorporation of whole populations into the faith, the unified network of trade it provided, and the scholarly developments it pioneered and renewed. Without the deliberate conquests of different nations, Islam would not have grown so rapidly. If Islam had not grown so large, so quickly, the entirety of Afro-Eurasian trade would not have been so standard and unified. Likewise, if there was no such established network of trade, the ideas and innovations of Muslim education would not have become so widespread. Therefore, it is evident that each of these effects of the Islamic faith and its empire needed the others. Without all of them, Islam would not have been so influential to the history of Afro-Eurasia and would have produced a very different outcome that would have affected the history of Islam up until
The role of Prophet Muhammad, as both a temporal and religious leader was undeniably an important factor in the success of the Arab conquests. These events took place between 622 and 750, first involving the establishment of a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula, then leading to a Muslim Empire which stretched from central Asia to North Africa and was one of the largest the world has ever seen. This overwhelming success merits explanation, yet this is difficult to establish with certainty, due to the small number and poor quality of surviving sources. Muhammad’s main role was to provide a unifying influence, both during his lifetime when he united a
The rise and expansion of Islam has had a significant impact on the role and rights of women throughout history. Since its origin in the seventh century until modern times, the Muslim faith has somewhat broadened, but has mostly restricted women’s rights in numerous Islamic communities. The history of Muslim women is complex, as it involves many advances and declines in numerous locations, such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and Iran, concerning several subjects, including both civil and social rights. Thus, in general, the rights of Islamic women did not improve significantly over time, instead, conditions remained the same or became worse for women as Islam evolved and spread as a world religion.
caliphs and it is acknowledge to be an influential period in Islamic history. The founder of