Wednesday, January 16, 2019

A History Of The Arab Peoples: Albert Hourani, c. 1991 -- A Bit Of Early Genealogy

A History of the Arab Peoples: Albert Hourani, c. 1991.

A bit of early genealogy.

  • Muhammed (his early life is quite obscure)
    • born in Mecca, western Arabia, ~ 570 AD
    • tribe of Quraysh, but not to the powerful part of that tribe
    • Quraysh tribe: traders: Mecca, southwest Arabia, and Syria
    • sanctuary of the town: Ka ayn ba, where images of local gods kept
    • marries Khadija, a widow engaged in trade; looked after her business
    • becomes a solitary wanderer
  • age 40: supernatural experience
    • Allah: his name for God; was already the name of one of the local gods (it is now also used by Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians as the name of God)
    • as Muhammad's support grew, the powerful members of his tribe moved away from him
    • his uncle: Abu Talib
    • his uncle Abu Talib and his wife die the same year; things become very, very bad for Muhammed
    • he attacked the idols and ceremonies
    • placed himself more explicitly in the line of prophets of hte Jewish and Christian tradition
  • 622: untenable position in Mecca
    • departs for an oasis 200 miles to the north, Yathrib, known in the future as Madina (sic)
    • the move was expedited by two "warring" trading tribes in Yathrib; they needed an arbiter; found it in Muhammed
    • the concept of haram solved the problem: each group in a region was independent; keep their own laws and customs, but the entire region was to be one of peace; the alliance would keep the peace
  • Madina: becomes Muhammed's center of gravity
  • fighting with Quraysh becomes worse
    • about this time, the Quran is developed
    • Quran may have evolved along with changes in his relations with the Jews in Madina
    • the relationship between the Jews and Muhammed became worse; probably due to trading conflicts
    • tipping point: the direction in which the community faced when praying
    • changed from Jerusalem to Mecca (qibla)
  • new emphasis on Muhammed's descent from Abraham
    • Abraham seen as neither Jew nor Christian, but common ancestor of both, as well as the Muslims
    • a reconciliation of sorts with Quraysh began about the same time
    • since the haram at Meccas was thought to have been founded by Abraham, it could be accepted as a place to which pilgrimage was allowed, although with a changed meaning 
  • 629: first pilgrimage to Mecca by Quraysh tribe with their leaders' support
  • Madina: still the capital
  • 632: Muhammed's last visit to Mecca; the "we have a dream" speech; dies that year

  • After his death, elders meet to determine Muhammed's successor (khalifa) or caliph
    • Abu Bakr selected; his daughter 'A'isha was wife to the prophet; 'A'isha was one of Muhammed's wives
    • 'A'isha seems to have taken a place like Mary has taken among the Catholics
    • 'A'isha, unlike Mary, was a writer
    • so, Muhammed's father-in-law (one of them) becomes the first caliph

  • Abu Bakr solved his problems, his challenges with his army
    • by the end of the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab (634-644), the whole of Arabis, part of the Sasanian Empire,and the Syrian and Egyptian provinces of the Byzantine Empire had been conquered; the rest of the Sasanian lands were occupied soon afterwards
  • the Muslims had invaded and conquered two empires, "overnight"
  • Umar ibn al-Khattab assassinated for private vengeance
  • his assassination opened the door to the first period of civil war in the community

  • the claimant to be the third caliph:
    • Ali ibn Abi Talib (656 - 661)
    • Quraysh; an early convert
    • a cousin of Muhammed; married to Muhammed's daughter Fatima
  • Ali had two adversaries
    • the struggle for Madina occurred in camp-cities
    • Ali established himself as caliphin Kufa (100 miles south of Baghdad; Najaf, today)
    • the dissidents established themselves in Basfa
    • a third group in Syria; supported ibn Uthman
  • that third group and Ali meet head-to-head
  • Ali, the last caliph so weakened, his end was foreshadowed
  • Ali assassinated in his own city of Kufa
  • the Syrian leader Mu ibn awiya ibn Abi Sufyan takes control (661 - 680)

  • So, Ali ibn Abi Talib is the fourth of the four caliphs:
    • Abu Baker, 623 - 624
    • 'Umar ibn al-Khattah, 634 - 644
    • 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, 644 - 656
    • Ali ibn Abi talib, 656 - 661
  • Then with the Syrians in control, the Umayyads 
    • about fourteen leaders, 661 - 750
    • beginning with Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan



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