Islam

The Muslim
religion is
based on
statements, or
revelations,
that Muslims
believe came
from Allah
through
Prophet
Muhammad.

Muhammad was born in Mecca. Muslims believe that the archangel Saint Gabriel
appeared to him and passed on the teachings of Allah. Muhammad began to preach and
attached many followers. Opponents forced him to flee from Mecca in 622. He went to
the city of Medina. His escape is called the Hegira (migration). One hundred years after
Muhammad´s death, Islam had spread from India to the Iberian peninsula.

The word Islam means “submission to God”. Muslims submit to the will of Allah, an all-
powerful, loving God. The teaching and laws of Islam are contained in a holy book called
Koran. The Muslim also has five key duties, called the five pillars of Islam.

1. Shahadah is the profession of faith: Every Muslim believes that there is one
God, and Muhammad is his messenger and prophet.

2. Salat is prayer: Muslims must pray five times a day.

3. Zakat is charity. Muslims must give a fifth part of their income to the poor.

4. Sawm is fasting. No adult Muslim may eat during daylight in the sacred month
of Ramadam.

5. Hajj or pilgrimage. All Muslims who can afford to do so must travel to the holy
city of Mecca at least once during their life.

Islam doesn’t have priests but there are Imams (pray directors), and Ulems (Koran
experts).

Islam has two big currents: The Sunnite, who are followers of Sumna (traditions) and The
Shiite, the followers of the Muhammad´s breed.
The Koran is a code of conduct: the power emerges from God; men are only his delegates.
Property has a religious character. All of things belong to God. Justice isbe administered
by the Cadi, the best believers. Social and familiar organization is controlled by Koran and
has developed into laws: The Shari’a, which forbids killing, stealing, eating pork and
drinking alcohol.

Others teachings are gathered in Hadith a collection of stories about the life and sayings
of Muhammad.

The spread of Islam

In the 644 A.D. the Muslim army controlled Egypt, Syria and Iraq. In the West, they
occupied Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula and went onto the North until the Muslim
army was defeated in Poitiers by the Frank (Southern France), To the North they
stretched up to Constantinople and in the East, they occupied Persia, Afghanistan,
Turkestan and North of India. This territory was controlled by the Ummayah dinasty with
the capital in Damascus (750).

In the 750 A.D. the Abassiddes dinasty occupied the power and the military expasnsion
stopped. From the 9th century, the expansion of Islam happened thanks to navigation
and the caravansaries. However, the unity was broken and many provinces became
independent.

In the 13th Century, the Mongols came and controlled the Eastern Islamic provinces. Fat
the end, the Ottoman Empire dominated the Islamic world until the 19th century.

The conquest was in the name of religion (Jihad). The fundamental objective isn’t the
conversion of people but the control of new territories. The Christians, the Jewish and the
Mazdeis were protected because they believed in the same only God. This group paid a
special tax (Jibya). In the end most of these minorities converted to Islam because
Muslims had economic and social advantages.
 Al Andalus: The Islamic Spain
The conquest of the Iberian Peninsula and the presence of Muslims for 800 years explains
the existence of an important Islamic legacy in the culture and language of our country.

The conquest: In 711 A.D. the last Visigothic king, Don Rodrigo, was defeated by the
Islamic army at Guadalete battle due to the treason of the Witiza family (Visigothic
noblemen). The Muslims occupied the region of Andalusia and the main Visigothic cities,
including its capital city, Toledo. In seven years, the Muslims controlled the entire
peninsula except for the Asturian area. Most of the population did not fight the new
rulers. So, the invasion was predominantly peaceful and quick.

Phase I: The Damascus-dependent Emirate

Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain) became a province of the Caliphate of Damascus, ruled by the
Ummeyah dynasty. The capital city of Al-Andalus was Cordova and the province was ruled
by a governor (wali). The Muslim armies tried to conquer France but they were defeated
by the Franks at the battle of Poitiers (732 AD) and had to go back to Spain. At these
times, conflicts among the Muslims burst out for the control of the best lands.
 Phase II: The Independent Emirate

By the middle of the 8th century the Ummeyah dynasty was deposed by the Abbasid
family in Damascus, but Cordova stayed under the Ummeyah´s control and was
proclaimed an independent Emirate by Abd-al-Rahman I. During the independent
Emirate, the disputes between the Ummeyah´s Emirs and the noblemen of different
peninsular areas was usual. Periodic Mozarabic rebellions happened frequently. However,
during the 10th century an important economic, cultural and administrative development
took place in Al-Andalus.

Phase III: The Caliphate of Cordova

In 912 A.D., Abd-Al-Rahman III was proclaimed Emir. He defeated the Christian Kingdoms
of the North and ended the Mozarabic rebellions. In 929 A.D. in Cordova, Abd-Al-Rahman
awarded himself the title of Caliph because Al-Andalus had become very powerful and
the Caliphate of Damascus was disintegrating (in Egypt the Fatimid dinasty had
proclaimed another independent Caliphate). Abd-Al-Rahman conquered the Maghreb
(North-west of Africa) because he needed the gold from Guinea and the control over the
Mediterranean trade. The Caliphate age was the time of maximum splendour and
stability in Al- Andalus: big economic growth and a firm opposition to the expansion of
the Christian Kingdoms. During Almansur´s times, successful raids against the North
Christian Kingdoms (razzias) were usual. But this state of continuous struggle made the
soldiers numbers become too big and it was impossible to pay all of them. This weakness
caused the end of the Caliphate and its disintegration in many smaller kingdoms.

Phase IV: The Taif’a Kingdoms

In Arabic language Taif’a means “division”. This age brings the division of the Arabic
peninsular power. From 1008 AD and in less than 30 years, the powerful Caliphate was
fragmented into 25 different kingdoms, sometimes fighting each other. A Taif’a was an
important city with its own territory. It was like state-cities (like the ancient Greek Polis).
The most important ones were Toledo, Seville, Granada, Valence, Badajoz. This age meant
the maximum economic and cultural splendour but it was impossible to restrain the push
of the North Christian Kingdoms. During this age, the Iberian Peninsula suffered two
invasions from North African peoples (The Almoravids and Almohads). In the 13th century
the Christians reconquered nearly the whole of Al-Andalus.
 The Taif’a Kingdom of Granada

The Taif’a of Granada was the only one that survived the Christian conquest. This
kingdom was governed by the Nazari dynasty. The Taif’a of Granada stretched along
Malaga, Granada, Almeria and part of the province of Cadiz. This kingdom had a vast
coastline with important ports for maritime trade and rich irrigation agriculture. This
economic potentiality allowed this kingdom to survive the Castillian civil war and the
enormous gold taxes imposed by the Christian kings (parias).

Economy and Society in Al-Andalus

The economic activity

The centre of the Islamic world was the city. In the city the products were exchanged and
there were craftmen and traders. Most of the population was dedicated to farming and
ranching. The Muslims introduced the irrigation agriculture and new crops such as rice,
citrus fruits, etc.

Craftsmanship was very important (textile, leather, forge, glass-making, etc). These
products were sold in the markets (zocos).

Trade was very active across the Muslim world. Important products were gold, silver,
ointments, etc.
 The social organization

Al- Andalus society was very complex:

The Muslims were divided into:

. Arab people: was the minority leading group

. Berber people (Mauri o Moor) came from Northern Africa and were ranchers.
They had a humble position.

. Muladi people were most of the population in Al-Andalus. These were the
Hispanic-Visigothic people that had converted to Islam.
The non-Muslim

. The Mozarabs were Hispanic-Visigothic Christians.

. The Jews were mainly artisans, doctors and traders.

The Islamic Culture and Art

From the 8th to 12th century, the Islamic civilization knew an age of splendor. All of the
Muslims shared the same language and this allowed ideas to travel easily across the
Caliphate. The knowledge from Greece, Rome, Persia, Egypt and India was the foundation
of the Muslim culture. The Muslim stood out in Poetry, Philosophy, Mathematics,
Medicine, Surgery and Astronomy.

Averroes, philosopher, doctor and poet Zyriab, musician and poet

Islamic Art

The Islam showed a great artistic diversity of styles because of two main causes:

-the influence from other cultures

-the big geographical extension that Islam reached

The most relevant feature of Islamic art is its iconic representations. The representation
of the human figure is forbidden, so the decoration focuses on geometrical forms and
patterns. Sculpture is left out.
Islamic architecture used poor materials (mainly bricks). Its most important constructive
elements were arcs and domes, with extensive decoration using marble, mosaic or
painting with epigraphic, geometric and vegetable (ataurique) patterns. In decorative art,
they inaugurated ceramics and miniature.

The most representative building is the mosque but there were many other important
buildings such as palaces, markets, public baths…

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul