In the early 13th century spanning the Bay of Bangal to the Mediterranean Sea there were three Muslim dynasties’ that came into power at this time. The Ottoman’s, Safavid’s and the Mughal empires came into power “left by the breakup of the Mongol empire and the devastation wrought by Timur’s assault on the Islamic heartland of the Middle East and Muslim-ruled northern India.”
Like their Ottoman counterparts the Safavid dynasty were acting champions of Islam, but unlike the Ottomans who preferred the Sunni religion of Islam the Safavid’s supported the Shi’a. There were several things that caused a rift between the Sunni and Shi’a religions, the foremost being that they could not agree on a successor along with their difference in doctrine, ritual and law added to the conflict. “The long rivalry between the Sunni Ottomans and the Shi’a Safavids proved to be one of the most pivotal episodes in the history of the sectarian struggles.” Like today the rift in religious beliefs kept the two dynasty’s from forming an
…show more content…
The Sufi mystic who gave the Safavid dynasty its name was Sail al-Din. He wanted to gain support in the spread of Muslim teachings and did so with a number of followers called Red Heads, which was because of the head gear that they wore. By the beginning of the mid-15th century as the Shi’a grew in popularity so did their enemies. During this decade the Shi’a led by commander Isma’il led them to many successful victories. With these victories he was named shah or emperor of Talrig in 1501. In 1514 at the city of Chalderan the armies of the two most powerful dynasties of the time came together in a fight between two religions. This battle showed the importance of having artillery power which Isma’ils army did not have and were then defeated by the Ottoman army. This was a hard blow to Isma’il and the Safavid leaving the dynasty contained in the Persian area, today known as
The occurance of the dynastic cycle in these two dynastys was similar and differnet in many ways. Both empires were
Like several dynasties throughout history, power and the art of war have always been prominent. Both empires started off with unifying their government and military structure in order to be source of power. Their next step was to invade their surrounding areas in order to spread their own power and to have a greater influence. The conquest of Constantinople was the big accomplishment for the Ottomans, since Constantinople was Christian-based and it had proven to be difficult to conquer in the past. This not only was a conquest for power, but also for religion since they transformed the Orthodox cathedral into a Muslim mosque. The big conquest for the Mughals was north India, “Babur conquered India simply because he had lost the hope of establishing an empire in Mawarannahr or anywhere else, and so he turn his mulkgirlq, his “kingdom-seizing” ambitions, to India…” (Dale 73). Babur was more power driven since he had “kingdom-seizing” ambitions and the religious elements came in second for
Walton, Mark.W., George. F. Nafziger, and Laurent. W. Mbanda, Islam at War: A History, Praeger/Greenwood, 2003
The Abbasids tried to manipulate Islamic law by trying to either avoid it or find a way around it to get what they want. The Abbasids called themselves the rightful rulers of the Muslim world because they were descendants of Ali, whom had transferred the right to rule, to them. This gave them more power than anyone else, because they thought of themselves as the chosen ones. Therefore, they did anything they wanted, which included avoiding some laws or finding solutions to get what they want quickly. We know that the caliph wanted/desired a particular girl but he could not have her because she was still owned by Jafar, so the qadi who is Abu Yusuf found a way to marry the girl to a slave man who then would divorce her and give her to the caliphate.
Have you ever wondered about other religions that are out there and why they are out there? I have and that is why I chose to write my paper on the Sunnis and Shiites. Read on to learn more about a brief history and then I will break each of them into separate religions.
There are few events that have affected world history as profoundly as the battles and expeditions between 632 and 720, and everyone lives with those consequences to the present day. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the death of Islam was very possible. The Arab conquests were remembered merely as one of the history’s more improbable “might-have-beens”. It may easily have been the end, if not for the decisive action taken by the early Muslim leadership, notably by the first two caliphs (or successors of the Prophet). Like Muhammad himself, they were from urban commercial backgrounds, but they saw clearly that the Muslim community had to expand or break up.
Together but separate they started an economy centered on some form of money. While very different from each other both Empires saw it important to have some form of art and to show their people the glory they earned. Although they created Empires with a decent economy they were just as bad as previous Empires before them and did not last past the 1600s. It seems that in order to keep things straight and keep a country lasting without down fall wars and fighting need to end and instead people should join freely with each other or leave each other alone to do as they wish. All Empires, kingdoms, etc… must fail at some point it seems this conclusion is based on the falling of the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman and Habsburg Empires and all other Empires that lasted several thousand years before they reached their
Hilāl, ʻAlī Al-Dīn. Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World. New York, NY: Praeger, 1982. Print.
Library." Shi'a Islam Origins, Shi'a Islam History, Shi'a Islam Beliefs. Patheos, 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .
Throughout his life, the Prophet Muhammad proved to be exceptionally adept at uniting diverse groups, negotiating a series of alliances and loyalty arrangements that spanned religious, tribal, ethnic, and familial lines (Berggren 2009). Among other things, this ability enabled Muhammad to forge a shared identity and found a nascent Islamic state from a diverse and even heterogeneous community (Rahman 1982; Ernst 2003, pp. 87-93). This diversity proved to be both a source of strength and conflict for Islam, and following the death of Muhammad early Islamic communities engaged in extensive debates not only about the nature of his teachings or how to carry his legacy forward, but also about the terms that should be used to define his authority. Although this debate produced a colorful array of movements within the tapestry of early Islamic civilization, this essay offers a critical examination of two particularly distinct perspectives on the nature of prophetic authority: namely, those articulated
The Han dynasty and the Roman Civilization were the superpowers of the world at that time. They influenced the world and left an indelible mark in the ancient world. Traces of their contributions are ubiquitous, ranging from the invention of paper to the Latin language. Both shared similarities and grew due to a strong government and profitable trade. Yet due to numerous factors, both Empires pulverized under intense pressure and never returned to their former glory.
In his text, Foran explores the decline of the Safavid empire and presents changes in the Empire’s structural- economic conditions as being responsible for decline. (Foran, 1992; 281) Following the death of Abbas, his successor Safi further instituted the policy of converting state provinces which were managed by the local Qizilbash tribes, into crown provinces managed by representatives of the Shah. This was under the guidance of his grand vizier Saru Taqi; the objective being to centralize the Empire’s wealth and weaken tribal opposition. (Foran, 289)
“Islam: A Worldwide Religion and its Impact in Southeast Asia.” N.p., n.d. Web. 29 March 2014.
The Fatimid Caliphates were a 10th century Ismacili Shici dynasty that conquered the Ikhshidid dynasty in Egypt. The Fatimids claimed lineage rights from the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Fatima; and, existed during the Golden Age of Islam. “Unlike the cAbbasids or Umayyads, who were led by a caliph approved by the community, the Shica espoused the concept of designation, in which the Prophet Muhammad chose Ali as his successor and in which each subsequent religious leader was a divinely ordained, supreme, infallible Imam who had the final authority in both religious and social affairs.” In 909, the Fatimid was established by the self-proclaimed Imam, Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi, who migrated his missionary work through the Palestine and Egypt before he finally came to settle in North Africa in the city of Raqqada. Throughout history, there have been differing views towards the establishment and core objectives of the Fatimid dynasty being established for economic or for Islamic progression during the Golden Age of Islam; and further, many claimed there was no separation of religion and government within the Fatimid.
In this book , Esposito provides a succinct, up-to-date survey of the Islamic experience, an introduction to the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its origins to its contemporary resurgence. He traces the emergence and development of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and politics. He discusses the formation of Islamic belief and practice (law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism), chronicling the struggle of Muslims to define and adhere to their Islamic way of life. Equally important is the essential information Esposito provides on the contemporary world of Islam, from Muslim responses to the challenges of colonialism and modernization to the reassertion of Islam in politics and society.