Summary Of Chapter 10 Patterns Of World History

Chapter 10 of Patterns of World History, Volume One, encompassed an era of the emergence of Islam and the expansion of Muslims empires out of the Middle East. First, the Prophet Muhammad founded Islam after overthrowing resistant pagans. Next, the Muslim faith split into two major sects Sunni and Shiite Islam which has various distinction from one another. The major Arab empires at the time were the Umayyads who were then precede by the Abbasids, both of these empire differed in both their approach to Islam and to conquest. Lastly, Vladimir I’s decision to convert to Orthodox Christianity spawned differing accounts between Russian and Muslim scholars. The first aspect, considered will be the Prophet Muhammad and the religion of Islam he introduced

As von Sivers, Desnoyers and Stow infer, the Quran and Sunna both depict a theology of Mecca and Medina (Yathrib) as the sacred cities where Mohamed would preach the God’s word to pagans (280). Muhammad’s new Religion Islam became an Arab religion that did not recognize the teaching of Judaism and Christianity (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 280). Islam is distinct from all other religions due to five religious duties that identify Muslims, the profession of faith, prayer, fasting, alms-giving, and pilgrimage to Mecca (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 281). Establishing a new religion was not a seamless process as Muhammad had to overcome before a community of Muslims that were mandated to engage in a holy struggle or jihad against those who believe in other Gods (von Sivers Desnoyers and Stow 280). What resulted was the spread of Islam throughout the Middle East as Muhammad’s successors conquered Arabia, Syria, and Iraq and Egypt to establish Islam as the supreme faith (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow

Then in the 800’s scholars, judges, and bureaucrats compiled the Quran (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 279). The Abbasids shaped the theology of Islam in the 800s and 900s dated the origins of Islam before the Umayyads and placing its origins outside of Judaism and Christianity of Syria, into what is known as pagan Arabia (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow The Abbasids approach to conquest was not as successful as the Umayyads due to financial problems and declining crop yields (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 282). The only form of jihad the Abbasids could wage were summer campaign on the Anatolian border with Byzantin, signaling the end of the conquest periods that began with the Umayyads (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow