Islam-Change Over Time PreIslam-Umayyad/Muhammad-Abassid
Uploaded by sunzzip102 on Mar 04, 2007
The spread of Islam throughout the world was among the most significant worldwide movements in history. Beginning as the faith of a small community of believers in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam rapidly became one of the major world religions. The core of this faith is the belief that Muhammad (570-632), a respected businessman in Mecca, a commercial and religious center in western Arabia, received revelations from God that have been preserved in the Qur'an. The core of Islam remains the same today after 1396 years. Islam still translates to “submission” and Muslims still live by the Qur’an and follow the 5 Pillars of Islam. However, throughout the Pre-Islamic, Umayyad, and Abbasid eras, the political structure that governed the societies that followed Islam differed over the years with some minor continuity.
The pre-Islamic era lasted from 400 B.C until the revelation of the Prophet Mohammad in 610 C.E. The lack of Islam evidently created a lack of true unity. The basic social unit of the Bedouin was the kin-related clan. The struggle to survive in the unrelenting Arabian environment led to strong dependence in one’s family and clan. Clans could never rest to maintain everyday lives with their necessities met. Clans were also linked to larger tribal groupings, however these tribal units seldom met together. Additionally, clans would often feud over water rights, animals, or even perceived sights to clan members’ honor, all of which often led to violence. The base religion of the pre-Islamic era was polytheistic, which may have led to the segregation and rivalry between cans. Occasionally, clans would meet as tribes during times of war or severe crisis. On a more local level, clan councils were groups legislatures that determined the distribution and use of water resources, maintaining watering places and maintaining grazing lands, all of which was essential to maintaining the herds on which Bedouin life depended. Clan councils traditionally were led by family leaders, or shaykhs. Though normally elected by councils of elder advisors, the shaykhs were almost always men with large herds, several wives, many children, and many retainers. The political structure was very loose and was subject to change instantaneously to reflect the current situations of the area.
In Muslim tradition, the sociopolitical community that was created in Medina during the time of the Muhammad-Umayyad era provides the model...