BIRTH AND CONSOLIDATION

OF ISLAM
AND ITS SPREAD TO INDIA

Aneeqa M. Karu
IX A
1
 INTRODUCTION
 The founder of Islam -  Though considering
Prophet Mohammed was Abraham & Jesus as
born in Mecca (Arabia) in Prophets of God, did not
570 A.D. adopt either of the
religion
 His father died before his
birth so was brought up  It is a place inhabited
by his uncle. by many tribes which
was mostly a desert -
 Occupation of tradesman no forest, very little
brought him in contact vegetation.
with both Christians &
Jews.
ARABIA: THE LAND, ITS PEOPLE
AND THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
 Jawaharlal Nehru says
 Sparsely populated &
thinly cultivated. “mountains and deserts
breed hard people who
love their freedom and
 People led a life of are not easily subdued.”
constant struggle with
nature.
 They had no central
government; each tribe
 They had never has its own rules &
bowed to a foreign system of government.
conqueror.
 People living in clans  People were filled
and families often with many
quarreled with other superstitions &
clans and tribes. believed in magic &
ghosts.
 Justtwo important
 Mecca - tribes used to
towns - Mecca and
assemble during
Medina. certain months &
worshipped a huge
 Before the rise of black cube - Kaaba
Islam people used to which was supposed
follow the faiths - to have been given by
Jewish, Christians, the angel Gabriel to
Abraham.
nature worship, star
worship, etc.
People praying at Mecca during Hajj
 BIRTH OF ISLAM

 Prophet Mohammed  He announced that

used to spend a lot of his new religion called
time in prayer and Islam had been
meditation. revealed to him by
God & this God had
 He proclaimed a new chosen him to be the
religion when he was last & the greatest of
40 years old. all his prophet.
The King standing inside the cube
 He called upon people  Since he preached
to give up their idols against the idols there
& accept that “there was a loud protest
is but one God Allah.” against him.

 The first to accept his  People became

teachings were his enraged, so he left
wife, his cousins, his Mecca & went to
uncle & a few of Medina to expound
others who knew him his religion.
very well.  His journey from
Mecca to Medina is
 Heconverted some called Hijira which
14 people in 3 years. took place in the year
622 AD.
 TheMuslim  Before the death of
Calendar begins the Prophet in 632
from here. AD. , Islam had
taken firm root in
Arabia.
 Prophet  Later
the people of
Mohammed won Mecca also
thousands of embraced Islam.
converts at
Medina.
The dome of Medina
 TEACHINGS OF ISLAM
 According to the
Arabic language Islam
 So,Quran is the holy
means “submission to
the will of Allah (the book of Muslims in
God)” which Allah by
sending Gabriel had
made Prophet to
 The Quran is the book write.
in which are found
the teachings of
Islam.
Kaaba
 SOME OF THE CHIEF BELIEFS OF
ISLAM ARE AS FOLLOWS :
 1. There is but one God  3.The followers of Islam
& Mohammed is his should give alms to poor
Prophet. esp. during Ramazan.

 4.They should make the

 2. A true Mohammedan pilgrimage to Mecca, at
is expected to pray five least once in their
times a day - just before lifetime.
sunrise, just after noon,
before sunset, just after  5.They should fast from
sunset, & when the day sunrise to sunset.
has closed.
The
king &
Musharr
af
exiting
the
Kaaba
 6.AMuslim is required
to abstain from strong
drink altogether,
should respect his  7.Islam speaks of the
parents & do justice Day of Last
to all. Judgement, when all
persons shall receive
 He/She should also the reward of
follow rules laid down their earthly deeds.
regarding marriage,
divorce & sharing-out
the family property.
The Holy Kaaba
 CONSOLIDATION OF ISLAM
 Prophet Mohammed’s  The Arabs became
successors were united into a nation
known as Caliphs or for the first time
Khalifas. under his leadership.

 When he died, he was  They overran Syria &

succeeded by Abu Palestine.
Bekr, who had high
organizing abilities &
a high character.
 Abu Bekr died in 634  In 636 the Arab army
AD. & his work was had won a famous
carried out by his victory over a much
successor , Omar, the larger Persian force.
brother-in-law of
Prophet Mohammed.  Under the successors
of Khalifa Omar the
 Beforehe died in 643 Arabs went on
AD. Jerusalem, advancing both in the
Mesopotamia, East and the West.
Babylon & Assyria
(modern Iraq), Persia  East - Herat & Kabul
(Iran) & Egypt had (Afghanistan) &
been conquered. reached the river
Indus & Sindh.
 West - whole Africa.
A great Coalition was
 Early in the 8
th
formed to fight the
century they crossed Arabs.
into Spain.
 Charles Martel, a
 General Tariq landed German king, was the
near Gibralter, leader of this Coalition
opening the whole & he defeated Arabs
country to Arabs. in the Battle of Tours
in 732 AD.
 This frightened the
people of W. Europe.
 Thus “the Arabs
lost the empire of
the world when
almost in their
grasp.”
 Although they
invaded Italy also,
but were finally
expelled from
there.
REASONS FOR CALIPHS’ VICTORIES
& CONSOLIDATION OF ISLAM
 These notable
successes & the
Consolidation of Islam  In Islam there was
can be attributed to no priesthood, no
many factors. images, no elaborate
rituals. Its simplicity
 1. Islam was a much attracted the simple
simpler religion than desert folk.
the Christians faith of
those times.
 2. Islam had filled the  The empire they had
Arab race with self- build up was tottering.
confidence & energy. The old Roman-Greco
It woke up the Arabs civilization had also
who for long ages had ended.
lived a sleepy
 Thus both the empires
existence.
- Roman Empire in the
 3. The dynasty had West & Persian empire
ruled Persia & the in the East were in the
neighbouring bad shape.
countries was  They could not face
weakened. the fury of the
advancing Arabs.
 THE CALIPHATE
 After the death of  Alithen became a
Khalifa Omar a Khalifa (Caliph) for a
Meccan named short while.
Othman was
 Alitoo was murdered
appointed as his
successor. & some time later his
son Hessian, along
with other persons in
 He was murdered by his family, were
Ali’s supporters in 656 massacred on the
AD. plain of Karbala.
 The Muslims, esp. the  In 749 AD. the Caliph
Shiahs, mourn the belonging to the
killings year after year above mentioned
in the month of dynasty was removed
Moharram. by force & a new
dynasty (belonging to
 TheCaliphate then the Prophet’s uncle
went to Omayyand Abbas) came to
dynasty to which power.
Othman belonged.
 Later the Capital was
 The again shifted from
Capital was Damascus to Baghdad
shifted to Damascus (Iraq).
in Syria.
 The Caliphate of  Buta separate Caliph
Baghdad reached its (Khalifa) & for some
climax under Harul-al- time the Egyptian
Rashid(786-809 AD.) Caliph ruled over
North Africa also.

 Allthese countries  The Turks made

went out of the fold of themselves masters
Arab empire. of the eastern
provinces.
 In Egypt there was  In1058 AD. the
not only an
independent Khalifa of Baghdad
government. surrendered all his
political powers.
 Now he was only the
Religious Head of the
Faithfuls.

 The political power

passed entirely into
the hands of the
rulers of respective
states.
 IMPACT OF ISLAM ON ART,
ARCHITECTURE AND LITERATURE
 The Arabs were “fanatical ARCHITECTURE
warriors,” but the should  The Arabs developed
not be regarded as mere their own architecture
conquerors. which, though simple,
was imposing indeed.
 In the words of H.A.
Davies, “during the 5  The Great Mosque at
centuries following the Cordoba (Spain), the
death of Mohammed his Alhambra at Granada
followers evolved a (Spain) & a few other
civilization much superior mosques & palaces are
to anything which existed remarkable examples of
in Europe at that time.” the skill of Arab
architects.
The Mosque at Cordoba
The Mosque at Cordoba
 Theirarchitecture was  Their caravans of
characterized by camels went to India
bulbous domes, the and China and their
arches and beautiful ships went to the
minars and minarets. Persian Gulf and even
to the countries
TRADE, COMMERCE & around the Baltic Sea.
CRAFTS
 The Arabs carried on LEARNING &
an extensive trade in LITERATURE
cotton, silk and  They were patrons of
woolen fabrics. learning.
 The Mosque in
Kairouan
(N. Africa)
 They founded  It is as collection of
universities at 1001 famous stories
Baghdad (Iraq), Cairo such as Ali Baba & 40
(Egypt), & Cordoba thieves, Sinbad the
(Spain). Sailor and Aladdin’s
Wonderful Lamp.
 Their literature was
made known to us  Many significant
through the Rubaiyat achievements were
composed by Omar made in the fields of
Khayyam and the astronomy, chemistry,
‘Arabian Nights.’ physics, mathematics
& medicine.
 Europe is indebt to
Arabs for the Arabic
numerals.

 Ata time when people

in Europe believed that
the Earth was the
center of Universe, the
Arabs thought it
possible that the Earth
revolves around the
Sun.
 SPREAD OF ISLAM TO INDIA
 The new Islamic  In Gujarat they
culture was received liberal
introduced in India by protection from the
the Arabs, who Hindu rulers and the
entered India as Zamorin of Calicut
traders. patronized the Arab
traders.

 Later made their  Their trade began to

settlements on the flourish & they
western coast of acquired landed
India. property & followed
their religion freely
 Their early conquests
 Inthe beginning of  There was no central
the 8th century AD., authority in India
the Arabs under during those days &
Mohammed-bin- the rulers of frontier
Qasim conquered the town failed to
Indian territories of cooperate with one
Sindh & Multan. another when they
were in danger .
 Sindhwas conquered
in 712 AD. & early in
713 AD. fell the
ancient town of
Multan.
 These victories were
short-lived because of
the death of
Mohammed-bin- MAHMUD OF
Qasim in 716 AD.
GHAZNI’S
EXPEDITION
 Butthe Arabs could  Towards the close of
have a really intimate
knowledge of Indian the 10th century AD.
astronomy, The Turks under
numericals & other Sabuktigin, who was
branches of a slave & now a king
knowledge which, of Ghazni, invaded
according to Havell, the frontier of India.
they carried to
Europe.
 Although he suffered  He raided many temples
severe military reverses, cities : Kangra in 1009,
in the end he was Mathura in 1018, Kanauj
successful in capturing in 1019, Gwalior in 1022
Peshawar. & Somnath in 1025.

 Sabuktigin died in 997  He carried away India’s

AD. & was succeeded by rich treasures to his
his son Mahmud. country.

 Mahmud of Ghazni made  He exposed to the Muslim

17 expeditions &
penetrated into the very
heart of India.
world the political &
military weaknesses of
the Indian kingdoms &
opened the way to
further Muslim conquest.
 Mohammed
Ghazni
 FOUNDATION OF THE MUSLIM
EMPIRE IN INDIA
 In fact, the foundation of  He then went back to
the of the Muslims empire Ghazni, leaving Qutub-
in India was led by ud-din Aibak in charge of
Mohammed Ghori. his territories in India.

 His first invasion was  In 1194 he led an army

direct against Multan in to fight Jai Chand, the
1175 AD. ruler of Kannauj & the
neighbouring regions.
 In 1192 he defeated
Prithviraj Chauhan, the  He returned to Ghazni.
ruler of vast territories
from Ajmer to Delhi.
 During his absence
Qutub-ud-din had to quell
 He thus justified the
many revolts & confidence which his
disturbances in India. master had placed in him.

 He also under took a

 Mohammed Ghori was
number of petty stabbed to death in 1206
expeditions. AD. He had no son.

 He captured Aligarh,
 In India, he was
Badayun, Bundelkhand, & succeeded by Qutub-ud-
Khajuraho & one of his din Aibak, the founder of
generals, Md.-bin the so-called Slave
-Bakhtiyar Khilji, Dynasty.
conquered Bihar & parts
of Bengal.
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