ISLAM (II). THE EXPANSION

6.1 The beginning of Islam

Muhammad began to preach his doctrines in the city of Mecca, where he clashed with the rich merchants. In 622 he had to flee from the city and move to Yathrib, which since then has been called Medina, the city of the prophet. That year, called the year of escape, or hegira, is used as the starting point for the Muslim calendar. After becoming the political and religious leader of Medina, he recruited an army and conquered Mecca in 630. At the time of his death, two years later, almost all of Arabia was Muslim.

6.2 The creation of a great empire

After the death of Muhammad in 632, the Muslims, driven by the strength of their faith and a powerful army, formed a great empire during the 7th and 8th centuries. Their expansion grew in three stages:

• The orthodox caliphate (632-661). Muhammad’s successors were chosen by his family and friends, with the title of caliph (successor to God’s messenger), and they lived in Medina. Islam expanded to Syria, Palestine, Egypt, part of North Africa, Mesopotamia and Persia.

• The Umayyad caliphate (661-750). The hereditary succession of the Umayyad family was implemented and the capital city of the caliphate was moved to Damascus. This is when the Muslim empire reached its maximum expansion, extending west to Northern Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, and east to Turkestan and the Indus Valley.

• The Abbasid caliphate (750-1055). After the Umayyads were dethroned by the Abbasid dynasty, the capital city was moved to Baghdad, and after the conquest of Crete and Sicily, Muslim expansion stopped. The Turks conquered the caliphate in 1055, although the Abbasid caliphs remained in place under Turkish control until Baghdad was taken by the Mongolians in 1258.

6.3 The organisation of the conquered land

• The government of the empire was in the hands of the caliph. He was considered to be ‘the shadow of God on Earth’, and for this reason he held both religious and political power. As a religious leader, he presided over the communal prayer on Fridays, and as the political leader, he governed, administered justice and directed the army. The caliph had the help of the vizier, or prime minister, who directed the other administration employees.

• The administration of the empire was organised into provinces controlled by a governor, emir or wali. Other positions were the financial superintendent and the judge, or kadi, who administered justice. The inhabitants of the territories paid two types of taxes: one depended on the amount of land they had and the other was personal. The latter ceased when they converted to Islam.

Evolution over time

Conquests at the death of Muhammad (632 CE)

Conquests of the Rashidun Caliphate (632-660)

Conquests of the Umayyads (660-750)

Byzantine Empire (during the second half of the 7th century) around 827

Frankish kingdom (around the year 750) disputed by the Byzantines and the Muslims sieges of Constantinople (674-678 and 717-718)

3 Find the following territories and place them in the correct stage of the conquest: Marrakesh, Damascus, Alexandria, Cordoba, and Baghdad. Indicate which countries they are found in today.