A History of the Muslim World to 1405 : The Making of a Civilization

Muslims first appeared in the early seventh century as members of a persecuted religious movement in a sun-baked town in Arabia. Within a century, their descendants were ruling a vast territory that extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indus River valley in modern Pakistan. This region became the arena for a new cultural experiment in which Muslim scholars and creative artists synthesized and reworked the legacy of Rome, Greece, Iran, and India into a new civilization. A History of the Muslim World to 1405 traces the development of this civilization from the career of the Prophet Muhammad to the death of the Mongol emperor Timur Lang. Coverage includes the unification of the Dar a1-Islam (the territory ruled by Muslims), the fragmentation into various religious and political groups including the Shi'ite and Sunni, and the series of catastrophes in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries that threatened to destroy the civilization. Features: Balanced coverage of the Muslim world encompassing the region from the Iberian Peninsula to South Asia. Detailed accounts of all cultures including major Shi'ite groups and the Sunni community. Primary sources. Numerous maps and photographs featuring a special four-color art insert. Glossary, charts, and timelines. Title Page......Page 2 Copyright Page......Page 3 Table of Contents......Page 4 Preface......Page 14 Acknowledgements......Page 17 Note on Transliteration and Dating......Page 18 Part One The Formative Period, 610–950......Page 20 1. Origins......Page 24 The Byzantine Empire......Page 25 The Sasanian Empire......Page 32 The Arabian Peninsula......Page 38 The Meccan Environment......Page 45 Muhammad......Page 47 A Framework for a New Community......Page 54 Conclusion......Page 58 Notes......Page 60 Further Reading......Page 61 2. Arab Imperialism......Page 63 Arabia and the Fertile Crescent......Page 64 Iran......Page 69 North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula......Page 72 Central Asia and the Indus River Valley......Page 75 The Caliphate......Page 78 The Administration of Non-Muslims......Page 81 Arab Warriors......Page 83 Non-Arab Converts......Page 84 Regulating Women’s Roles......Page 86 The Rationalization of Society......Page 88 Dissolution of the Arab Empire......Page 91 Conclusion......Page 98 Notes......Page 99 Further Reading......Page 100 3. The Development of Sectarianism......Page 101 Political Dissension......Page 102 ‘Ali’s Caliphate: Shi‘ites and Kharijites......Page 104 Karbala......Page 106 The Abbasid Revolution......Page 111 Shi’ite Identities......Page 115 The Ghulat and the Zaydis......Page 116 The Centrality of Muhammad al-Baqir and Ja‘far al-Sadiq......Page 117 The Imamis......Page 120 The Isma‘ilis......Page 122 The Shi‘ite Movement......Page 123 The Sunni Consensus......Page 125 Conclusion......Page 129 Further Reading......Page 131 4. The Center Cannot Hold: Three Caliphates......Page 132 The Early Period......Page 134 Military and Economic Problems......Page 137 The Assertion of Regional Autonomy......Page 140 Isma‘ili Activism......Page 144 A Second Caliphate in the Umma......Page 146 The Consolidation of Umayyad Power......Page 151 A Third Caliphate in the Umma......Page 155 A Single Economy......Page 158 Overland Trade......Page 160 Maritime Commerce......Page 164 Conclusion......Page 167 Notes......Page 168 Further Reading......Page 169 5. Synthesis and Creativity......Page 171 Assimilation and Adaptation......Page 173 Groping Toward an Islamic Jurisprudence......Page 174 The Development of the Shari‘a......Page 176 The Synthesis of al-Shafi‘i......Page 177 Consolidation of the Madhhabs......Page 178 The Impact of the Shari‘a......Page 179 The Contemplative Life......Page 183 Testing the Limits of Transcendence......Page 186 The Accommodation of Sufism......Page 188 Science (“Natural Philosophy”)......Page 190 Philosophy......Page 192 The Reception of Rationalism......Page 197 The Critique of Rationalism......Page 200 Conclusion......Page 203 Notes......Page 205 Further Reading......Page 206 Part Two A Civilization Under Siege, 950–1260......Page 207 6. Filling the Vacuum of Power, 950–1100......Page 211 The Buyid Sultanate......Page 212 Origins......Page 215 The Saljuq Invasion......Page 219 The Great Saljuqs and the Saljuqs of Rum......Page 222 The Conquest of Egypt and Palestine......Page 227 Religious Policies......Page 228 The New Egyptian Economy......Page 231 Ominous Developments......Page 232 The Nizaris (“Assassins”)......Page 235 Norman Invasions of Muslim Territory......Page 238 The “Hilali Invasion” of Ifriqiya......Page 239 A Berber Empire......Page 241 The Collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Andalus......Page 243 The Incorporation of Andalus into the Maghrib......Page 246 Conclusion......Page 248 Further Reading......Page 249 7. Barbarians at the Gates, 1100–1260......Page 251 The First Crusade......Page 252 The Franks on the Defensive......Page 258 Provisional Solutions: The Great Berber Empires......Page 264 The Disintegration of the Almohads and of Andalus......Page 269 Realignment in the East......Page 273 The Collapse of the Great Saljuqs......Page 275 Sunni–Nizari Rapprochement......Page 277 The Mongol Campaigns......Page 279 Conclusion......Page 285 Further Reading......Page 286 8. The Consolidation of Traditions......Page 288 Mathematics and the Natural Sciences......Page 289 Philosophy......Page 291 The Sunni Resolution to the Tension between Reason and Revelation......Page 294 Consolidating Institutions: Sufism......Page 296 The Emergence of Lodges and Tariqas......Page 297 Speculative Mysticism......Page 301 Twelver Shi‘ites......Page 308 The Isma‘ilis......Page 310 The Impact of “The Foreign Sciences” and Jurisprudence......Page 312 Schools......Page 315 The Legacy to Europe......Page 320 English Words Derived from Arabic......Page 322 Conclusion......Page 325 Notes......Page 327 Further Reading......Page 328 9. The Muslim Commonwealth......Page 330 Frontiers Defining the Dar al-Islam......Page 332 Frontiers within the Dar al-Islam......Page 339 Identities......Page 341 The City......Page 346 The Countryside......Page 352 A Muslim Minority......Page 355 The Pace of Conversion Quickens......Page 357 The Issue of Authority in the Muslim World......Page 360 Conclusion......Page 364 Notes......Page 365 Further Reading......Page 366 Part Three Mongol Hegemony, 1260–1405......Page 368 10. The Great Transformation......Page 371 The Qipchaq Khanate......Page 373 The Il-khanate......Page 377 The Chaghatay Khanate......Page 381 The Mamluke Empire......Page 384 The Delhi Sultanate......Page 389 The Ottoman Sultanate......Page 394 Plague......Page 401 Timur Lang......Page 402 Conclusion......Page 408 Further Reading......Page 410 11. Unity and Diversity in Islamic Traditions......Page 411 The End of the “Golden Age”?......Page 413 Ibn Taymiya......Page 416 Ibn al-Shatir......Page 418 Ibn Khaldun......Page 421 Hafez......Page 423 Ibn Battuta......Page 425 The Queen of the Sciences......Page 428 The “Closing of the Gate of Ijtihad”?......Page 429 “Orthodoxy” and “Heterodoxy”......Page 433 The Proliferation of Sufi Groups......Page 436 Sufism Triumphant......Page 437 Sufism as Social Critique......Page 441 Sufism, Syncretism, and Shi‘ism......Page 443 Conclusion......Page 447 Further Reading......Page 448 Glossary......Page 449 Index......Page 460 Plates......Page 477 This Book Is An Introduction To The History Of The Muslim World For Readers With Little Or No Knowledge Of The Subject. It Points Out The Unifying Elements That Bind Together The Muslim World, But Stresses The Religious And Political Differences That Prevent Them From Acting As A Unit. This Book Features Economic, Political, Intellectual, And Social Developments Over The Wide Area Of The Muslim World And Across Many Centuries. For Readers Interested In Learning The History Of The Muslim World; Also, For Employees Of Corporations And Businesses That Trade With Regions Ruled By Muslim-dominated Governments. Pt. 1. The Formative Period, 610-950 -- Origins -- Southwestern Asia In The Seventh Century -- The Rise Of Islam -- Arab Imperialism -- Arab Conquest -- Umayyad Administration -- Dissolution Of The Arab Empire -- The Development Of Sectarianism -- ʹali And The Politics Of Division -- The Abbasid Revolution -- Shiʹite Identities -- The Sunni Consensus -- The Center Cannot Hold: Three Caliphates -- The Abbasid Caliphate -- The Fatimid Caliphate -- The Umayyad Caliphate Of Cordoba -- Econmic Networks -- Synthesis And Creativity -- The Origins Of Islamic Law -- Early Sufism -- The Reception Of Science And Philosophy -- The Development Of An Islamic Theology -- Pt. 2. A Civilization Under Siege, 950-1260 -- Filling The Vacuum Of Power, 950-1100 -- The Buyid Sultanate -- The Advent Of The Turks -- The Fatimid Empire -- The Nizaris (assassins) -- The Muslim West -- Barbarians At The Gates, 1100-1260 -- The Period Of The Crusades -- The Loss Of Andalus -- Realignment In The East -- The Consolidation Of Traditions -- Science And Philosophy -- Consolidating Institutions: Sufism -- Consolidating Institutions: Shiʹism -- The Transmission Of Knowledge -- English Words Derived From Arabic -- The Muslim Commonwealth -- Frontiers And Identities -- The City And The Countryside -- Conversion To Islam -- The Issue Of Authority In The Muslim World -- Pt. 3. Mongol Hegemony, 1260-1405 -- The Great Transformation -- The Mongol Khanates -- New Centers Of Islamic Culture -- Scourges -- Unity And Diversity In Islamic Traditions -- Intellectual Life In The Fourteenth Century -- Law -- The Varieties Of Religious Expression. Vernon O. Egger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Points out the unifying elements that bind together the Muslim world, and stresses the religious and political differences that inhibit unity. This text is appropriate for undergraduate courses in Muslim history, Islamic Civilization, and religious studies courses on Islam. Tradition and adaptation are the central themes of the text.