Explain how the Middle East changed over time politically, religiously and socially from

600 CE to 1100 CE.

Nusrat Ahmed

January 27, 2010

AP World History Period 2 Mr. Diiulio

The Middle East changed over time politically, religiously and socially from 600

CE to 1100 CE. It changed politically because the Islamic Empire became a theocracy

and was run under caliphs, the head of states and religious order. It changed religiously

because the religion Islam was introduced by a man named Muhammad and later on, two

distinct sects emerged out of Islam based on caliphs. It changed socially because a

Muslim physician Avicenna wrote books which contained the nature of germs and taught

the causes and cures of most diseases. Cultural society changed by the introduction of

geometric shapes as art and the founding of Cordova, Spain which practiced tolerance of

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism and was an academic city. A major continuity was the

religion Islam continued to dominate and influenced people to convert to Islam.

The Middle East changed politically from 600 CE to 1100 CE because

Muhammad attempted to create a theocratic state which is a government based on

religious laws. After his death, Abu Bakr became the first caliph which is a religious

leader and head of state. He tried to subdue and control the Arabian Peninsula during his

reign. After him, Umar became the second caliph and Islam expanded under his control.

The third caliph was Uthman and because he favored his relatives by giving them high

positions, he was murdered. The fourth caliph was Ali, the cousin of Muhammad who

believed the first three caliphs were not legitimate because they were not heirs of

Muhammad. He changed this because he believed leadership in Islam should be passed

on through the blood relatives of Muhammad so his son Hasan, Muhammad’s grandson,
became the next caliph but under pressure he gave it up and Muawaiyah became the next

caliph succeeded by his son.

It changed religiously from 600 CE to 1100 CE because the religion Islam was

introduced by a man named Muhammad. On night as he was praying, the angel Gabriel

appeared to him and told him that he was the “messenger of God,” and told him messages

from God which Muhammad recorded. These Islamic teachings were recorded in the

Quran. He taught that he was the last prophet and began to preach the Islamic faith to the

Arabs and many converted to Islam. He preached the five pillars which were to fast

during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca, pray five times daily, give charity, and believe

that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger. He united all Arabs

under one religion and by the time of his death, almost all of the Arabs were Muslim.

Another change in religion from 600 CE to 1100 CE is that after the dispute of the

caliphs and successors, two sects emerged in Islam. The reason this changed is because

the Sunni did not believe that Ali and his hereditary are the chosen successors because

they think that the leaders of the empire should be drawn from the wisest member of the

strongest tribe. They think the first three caliphs especially Abu Bakr because he ands

Muhammad were best friends. However, the Shia believed that Muhammad’s son-in-law

was the rightful heir to the empire and only accepts the blood relatives as the true heirs.

The Middle East changed politically from 600 CE to 1100 CE because

Muhammad attempted to create a theocratic state which is a government based on

religious laws. After his death, Abu Bakr became the first caliph which is a religious

leader and head of state. He tried to subdue and control the Arabian Peninsula during his

reign. After him, Umar became the second caliph and Islam expanded under his control.
The third caliph was Uthman and because he favored his relatives by giving them high

positions, he was murdered. The fourth caliph was Ali, the cousin of Muhammad who

believed the first three caliphs were not legitimate because they were not heirs of

Muhammad. He changed this because he believed leadership in Islam should be passed

on through the blood relatives of Muhammad so his son Hasan, Muhammad’s grandson,

became the next caliph but under pressure he gave it up and Muawaiyah became the next

caliph succeeded by his son.

The Middle East changed socially from 600 CE to 1100 CE because Muslim

physician Avicenna wrote the books “Canon of Medicine” and “Book of Healing.” These

were standardized medical texts for the next 800 years. He understood accurately the

nature of germs and contagious diseases and taught the causes and cures of most diseases.

He developed a medical system that combined his own personal experience with that of

Islamic medicine and introduced the discovery of the contagious nature of infectious

diseases. Cultural society changed by the introduction of geometric shapes as art because

the use of images was forbidden so the use of geometric shapes and calligraphy was used

in their art and architecture. The reason the use of images was forbidden because the

Muslims believed pictures of Muhammad were too sacred to be shown. Another way

society changed is founding of Cordova, Spain which practiced tolerance of Islam,

Christianity, and Judaism and was an academic city full of libraries, schools, and

intellectual advancements. During the time of Islamic rule, Cordova was the largest city

and embodied the most sophisticated culture and the most developed bureaucracy in

Europe. As in educational advancements, 27 schools were built. Philosophers,

mathematicians, and poets recorded the history of the city while the arrival of prestigious
universities and centers of learning invited both Muslims and non-Muslim scholars to

study there and practiced tolerance of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity by not interfering

with them.

A major continuity in the Middle East from 600 CE to 1100 CE is it continued to

be dominated by Islam. The Sufis, which were Islamic missionaries converted many

people to Islam. The stressed the personal relationship people have with Allah (God) and

tolerated people practicing Islam in their own way. The reason Islam became very fast

growing and influential is because it appealed to woman because they had a fairly equal

status to men before God and appealed to the poor and powerless because it provided a

strong sense of community/brotherhood. So, I slam continued to dominate and convert

mostly everyone in the Middle East.

Overall, the Middle East changed over time religiously, politically and socially

from 600 CE to 1100 CE by it changed politically because the Islamic Empire became a

theocracy and was run under caliphs. It changed religiously because the religion Islam

was introduced and two distinct sects emerged out of Islam. It changed socially because

Avicenna wrote books teaching the causes and cures of most diseases, the introduction of

geometric shapes as art and the founding of Cordova, Spain which practiced tolerance of

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism and was an academic city. A major continuity was the

religion Islam continued to dominate and missionaries spread Islam.