Early history of Islam is marked by a remarkable political will to consolidate the fragmented tribes of the Arabian Peninsula. Accordingly, it emerged a unified polity and administration, first under Prophet Muhammad and then the first Caliph Abu Bakr that set the stage for the early Arab conquests. The conquests continued unabated during the reigns of Caliphs Omar and Othman, and then by the Umayyads and the Abbasids and other Muslim dynasties that established strong centers of power in the world. By the 11th century AD, the Islamic society could boast of a number of cultural and technical centers of leaning with eminent scholars of all the known disciplines of the time. Thus, when the Arab-Islamic armies invaded distant lands, they carried the rich cultural, political and economic heritage of their expanding civilization and created such conditions as to establish deep roots and to bring about enduring geopolitical changes. Western Europe of the medieval period was no exception to this phenomenon.
The Middle Ages fall between the time when the Roman Empire disintegrated (476 AD) and the emergence of the renaissance movement (1400 AD). With the downfall of the Roman Empire, civilization in Europe suffered a fatal blow under barbarian rule. The period between 500-1000 AD saw chaotic conditions in most of the Western Europe. The division of the continent into small principalities resulted in constant internecine conflict and the economic condition of the common man continued to worsen.
The Dark ages was an era known for wars, famine, plague, and political Instability. The circumstances were not at all conducive for intellectual pursuits or scholarly activity. Society in Western Europe, generally, remained an agriculture base...
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...ure. The system of dispensing justice and law also improved because of good administration. Economic development was also encouraged through widening and upkeep of roads and building of markets. Irrigation and works were built to develop agriculture. The commercial traditions inculcated by the Arabs are reflected in the Italian nobility’s preference to live in throbbing urban centers while in the rest of Europe the nobles preferred rural manor houses.
Works Cited
1) Stoddard, L. 1922. The New World of Islam, New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons, pp. 5-6. http://www.consciouslivingfoundation.org/ebooks/13/CLF-TheNewWorldOfIslam-LothropStoddard.pdf
2) Barnard, Bryn 2011. The Genius of Islam: How Muslims Made the Modern World, Knopf Books for Young Readers, p. 8.
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquests
4) Course Articles, The Arabic Invasions 1, and II.
Hinson, Kathy. "Book Review: 'Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes'" The Oregonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.
The European middle ages lasted from the 5th century to the 15th century, which started the fall of the Western Roman Empire and moved to the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period were the divisions to the early, high, and late middle ages. The gothic awakening was in England during the 1750s, caused by the medieval forms. Medieval Europe was awakening from a feudal war and ignorance. The new way of learning was spread in the western society. In the gothic awakening age, towns and kingdoms flourished and built churches across Europe.
There were two men that wanted to be the first caliph (successor) of Muhammad. The first man, named Abu Bakr, many people believed he was a good candidate because he was an old friend and was one of the first ones to convert to Islam. Yet others believed that Ali Talib was the best choice because he was a cousin and a son in law to the prophet. The disputes between the two groups of people would lead to a split; the followers of Abu Bark became the Sunnis and the followers of Ali became the Shia. At the end, the majority of people decided to choose Abu Bark and he became Islam’s first caliph. Abu Bark was Muhammad’s caliph for only two years until he died; even though it was a short period of time, he accomplished big things. For example, the spread of Islam to Byzantines and the Persians. The other caliphs (Umar, Uthman and Ali) expanded the Islamic empire rapidly and grew faster than any other religion. The Muslims conquered a massive amount of land from Indus River, across North Africa and into Spain. There were many factors that help Islam succeed; for example, people would rather fight for God and their salvation instead of fighting for a king, the use of military force by the Muslims and how easy it was to convert to
Print. Doak, Robin. Empire of the Islamic World. Rev. ed.
The Medieval Times for Europe, from the 400 AD till 1400 AD, are often labeled as “The Dark Ages”. This time period has begun after a turning point known as Fall of Rome. It caused Rome to divide into two well-known civilizations: Medieval Europe, Islam, and The Byzantine Empire. Also, Medieval Europe led to a well known utopian period of “rebirth” identified as the Renaissance. The time period between 400 CE and 1400 CE wasn’t a “Dark Age” for Europe because of progress in academic success, blossom in architecture, and religious unity along with government. It wasn’t a cultural decay or decline because of the legendary time period it led to.
Hilāl, ʻAlī Al-Dīn. Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World. New York, NY: Praeger, 1982. Print.
Within popular discourse, the historical period of the Middle Ages is synonymous with the term “Dark Ages”: how did this particular equation come about? The immediate connotations of the Dark Ages are clearly negative: they suggest oppression, ignorance and a period of motionless in human development. The reason behind this description of the Middle Ages is arguably the result of a contrast to the subsequent periods of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment: the Renaissance itself signals a “new birth”, whereas the Enlightenment clearly evokes images of a new insight and vision wielded by humanity. Accordingly, the negative values ascribed to the Middle Ages are the result of this historical period’s difference to the Renaissance. Such an account, namely, judges the Middle Ages from an entirely different world-view.
Rahman, Fazlur. Islam & Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1982. Print.
In his piece, Manchester feels that the term ‘Dark Ages’ is a more suitable title than ‘Middle Ages’ or ‘Medieval Period’. Fred C. Robinson basically rebuts William Manchester’s standpoint on the argument of the term ‘Dark Ages’ vs.
Rippin A. 1990, Muslims, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices Volume 1: The Formative Period, Routledge, London and New York.
Islamic civilization began in Arabia, but it spread to many areas in the proximity of the peninsula. It spread as far as Spain, as well as many areas between the two locations. The civilization reached the Eastern Roman Empire, Persia, Egypt, and Africa. The Muslim warriors were extremely courageous, and their religious zeal aided in the conquests of many empires surrounding Arabia. However, the weakn...
The Renaissance (1300-1700) began in Italy and eventually spread to Germany, France, England, and Spain. The Renaissance is also known as the Middle Ages. To understand what the Renaissance exactly is would be to say that it was the cultural rebirth that occurred in Europe through a term called humanism. In other words, the people wanted a Christian worldview through a classical learning style. While many things helped the Renaissance become well known, the political and economic aspects of the Renaissance is what played a huge developing role in which helped it flourish into creating its environment. The economic aspects were just as important as the political aspects of the Renaissance, but it was the political aspects that had the most
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.
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.