The Islamic World

The Great Mosque at Cordoba, Spain (built 785-6, with later additions):

The Islamic World (continued)

 

The Sunni/Shia Split:

Muhammed (c. 571-632 CE) m. (1) Khadijah (d. 619 CE); (m. 12 other wives later)
_____________________|_
|                                      |
(3 daughters)            Fatimah (d. 633 CE) m. Ali (Muhammed’s cousin; 3rd caliph)
_____________________________|____________________________
|                                                    |                                                  |
Hassan (624-670 CE)      Hussein (626-680 CE)        (2 daughters)

 

Following the death of Muhammed:

632-634 CE    Abu Bakr (Muhammed’s friend and father of his youngest wife, Aisha) = 1st caliph (capital remains at Medina)
634-644          Umar (father of one of Muhammed’s later wives; chosen as successor by Abu Bakr; assassinated) = 2nd caliph
644- 656         Uthman (husband, successively, of 2 of Muhammed’s daughters; assassinated) = 3rd caliph
656-661          Ali (Muhammed’s cousin and widower of Fatimah; later wives included a granddaughter of Muhammed; father of Muhammed’s grandsons Hassan and Hussein; assassinated) = 4th caliph

661-750          Umayyad dynasty est. by a cousin of Uthman (capital moves to Damascus, of which he had been governor)

680                  Ali’s surviving son, Hussein, tries to gain the caliphate by force, but is killed at the battle of Karbala, leaving an infant son (Ali) to continue the line. Shia Muslims commemorate this battle annually during ten days of Ashurah. Muhammed’s last-surviving widow (Umm Salama) died in 680.

750-1258        Abbasid dynasty est. by a descendant of an uncle of Muhammed (capital moves to Baghdad)

750-950         “Golden age” of Abbasids; reign of Harun al-Rashid (r. 787-809)

873                  Last Shia imam (descendant of Muhammed through Ali and Hussein) dies at age four, with no brothers.

After centuries of awaiting the Shia imam’s return, spiritual power among Shia Muslims passed to a council of twelve elders, who elected a supreme Imam.

 

Some major differences between Sunni and Shia Islam:

The call to prayer and manner of prayer differ
Sunni Muslims pray 5 times daily; Shia Muslims may combine prayers to pray 3 times daily
Sunni and Shia Muslims prefer some different ahadith (sayings of Muhammed that make up the Hadith)
Shia Islam permits temporary marriages; Sunni Islam does not
Shia Islam has a special focus on the martyrdoms of Ali and Hussein
For Shia Muslims, central spiritual authority rests with the supreme Imam, and there is a clerical hierarchy.  Sunni Muslims do not have a formal clergy or a central spiritual authority.
Sunni Muslims accept Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali as the four “rightly guided” caliphs; Shia Muslims consider Ali to be the first proper successor to Muhammed; all modern descendants of Muhammed are through Ali. 

Countries today with Shia majorities:
Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Azerbaijan

 

Early Capitals of Islamic Culture (series of short videos):

Early Capitals of Islamic Culture: Introduction (3:48 min.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYhy00naz1Q

Mingling Cultures in Early Islamic Art (2:49 min.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPYUiuryfBI

Legacy of Umayyad Damascus (4:19 min.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkchWUwinak&list=PLD-p8yovJgerRjJzHyngT-JafMAMv2ntv&index=4

The Artistic Legacy of Abbasid Baghdad (3:44 min.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OuMkPvBjQk

Early Islamic Coinage (1:42 min.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAZKizFCtdI