history for me

-islam differ: founder was religious figure and military and political leader -from the start, the i community found itself constituted as a state. cuz of this, i didn't devpt as clearly defined a separation between church & state as C & B did - i conception of monotheism was stronger then C * all 3 were founded by single historical figures who had powerful religious experiences. *all 3 provide a clear path to salvation *all 3 proclaim the equality of all believer *each religion was shaped in part by cultural traditions in which it emerged

-the pop of many regions converted wholly or partly to the Islamic faith -regions of I world were tied more closely together through trade and exchange of technology, crops and ideas -older religous & political traditions were at times swept away or at lest altered -islam was trans through these encounters, esp when the norms of those societies tht converted had impact on social and cultural implications of the faith -the Islamic world & understanding of i was shaped by contact with intellectual & cultural tradition like Greek philosophy

- all are monotheistic, Allah is the only God, all powerful -as " the messenger of God," Muhammad presented himself in the tradition of earlier prophets like Abraham, Moses and Jesus --like Jewish prophet and Jesus, Muhammad demanded in social justice and laid out prescription for its implementation

-Jews,Christians,Zoroastrians could find familiar elements of their own faiths in i -from start, i was associated with sponsership of powerful state -conquest called into question the power of old gods, while growing prestige of Arab empire attracted many to Allah -living in i-governed state provided a variety of incentices for claiming Muslim identity (better official jobs available -convert=aid to social mobility-, no tax) -in i, merchants found religon friendly to commerce, and in Arab empire they enjoyed a huge secure area for trade

-for 1st time, shared faith in i allowed the newly organized state to mobilize the military potential of entire Arab pop. -the Byzantine and Persian empires were weakened by decades of war with each other and by internal revolts, they also underestimated Arab threat -merchant leaders of the new i community wanted to capture profitable trade routes and wealthy agricultural regions -indiv. Arabs found a route to wealth and social promotion in military expansion -expansion provide common task for Arab community, which enforced fragile unity of umma -Arabs motivated by religious dimension, as many viewed the mission of empire in terms of jihad, bringing rightous gov to people they conquered

-for 1st time, shared faith in i allowed the state to mobilize the military potential of entire Arab pop. -the Byzantine and Persian empires were weakened by decades of war with each other and by internal revolts, they also underestimated Arab threat -merchant leaders of the new i community wanted to capture profitable trade routes and wealthy agriculture regions -indiv. Arabs found a route to wealth and social promotion in military expansion -expansion provide common task for Arab community, which enforced fragile unity of umma -Arabs motivated by religious dimension, as many viewed the mission of empire in terms of jihad, bringing righteous gov to people they conquered - Islam success in attracting converts ( m's religous message was attractive to many, J, C and Zoro coulf find familiar elements -growing prestige of Arab empire attracted many, conquest made them question power of old gods -merchants found i was friendly to commerce and in Arab empire a huge and secure area for trade, people who want official positions find social mobility

- i spread to India, anatolia, Spain in part through conquest, while i arrived in west arfica with Muslim traders -Sufis facilitated conversions by accomodating local traditions, esp in Indian and Anatolia, but played llittle role in W. Africa until atleast 18th C. -In India, W. Africa, Spain, i became one of several faiths within the wider culture, while in Anatolia it became dominant faith

- i drew on an older Arab identification of Allah with Yahweh, the Jewish High God, and Arab self identification as children of Abraham -the quran denounced the prevailing social practices of an increasingly prosperous Mecca and sought a return to older values of Arab tribal life -message of the Quran also rejected the Arab tirbal and clan structure, which was prone to war, feuding, and violence. instead the Q sought to replace this structure with the umma