Medicine:

During the time of the prophet Muhammad

(s.a.w) most of the Arabs believed that the
“gods” caused them being ill. But when they
conquered the countries Syria and Persia
they found books with better ideas about
medicine. Ancient Greek Scholars wrote the
books.

((A doctor giving medicine to his customer))

All the Muslim doctors used a variety of drugs. The potions were
made from animal and plant extracts, and chemicals like copper
sulphate. In the main city Baghdad, inspectors were called to check
the quality of the drugs. A chemist caught cheating his customers
would be beaten up or even fined.

By the year 850 Baghdad had it’s own hospital. Soon in the Muslim
world there were 34 hospitals more than in all of Europe. Some
special hospitals had special wards-A division in a hospital for the
care of a particular group of people- for various illnesses. From 931
Muslim doctors had to take an exam to qualify as a doctor.

So its not surprising that the muslim doctors were way ahead of the
English doctors during the same time

Medicine and health care were perhaps the highest scientific

achievement of the Muslims during the Islamic civilisations. The
reason that they achieved such heights was directly related to Islam
itself. The Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)
encouraged the gaining of medical knowledge. The Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Make use of medical treatment, for Allah
has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it." (Hadith)
This motivated Muslim scientists to find cures. Islam encouraged
health in other ways, too. The Third Pillar of Islam was Zaka`h
(Charity) - to help the poor and sick. The wealth of the empire was
often directed to health care, too.
|

Arabia Before Islam:

The cities:

In the early 600s in the Islamic empire, the main cities of

Arabia were called Mecca and Medina These were the
most important
Cities because they were the major trading centres Tribes
usually came from the dessert to trade items like wool and
meat or many items that couldn’t be grown by themselves.
Most of the trading took place at the holy religious shrine
called the Kaabah.

The Religion:

Arabia was already influenced by a number of other religions. The

trade had bought many Christians and Jews to Arabia. Some Arabs
had converted to these religions. But nearly all of them followed
other gods. All of their other gods could be worshipped at the same
place, the Kaabah, which at that time contained hundreds of Idols.
People of Mecca made a lot of money from this -Arab pilgrims
coming to worship idols at the Kaabah-.
The Tribes:

Everyone belonged to a kind of extended family that is called a

clan.A number of clans together made up a tribe. Being loyal to
your tribe was strict and disputes between tribes were often settled
by fighting.

Some tribes such as the Quraysh were city-dwellers and

Merchants. They were beginning to get more and more powerful
than the other tribes, who were desert Nomads - people who travel
around the desert looking for new places for their animals-. The
desert tribes were skilful travellers.
The Impact of Islam

The world’s most important religion is Islam. Followers of Islam are

called Muslim. The way Islam started was by Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w). The Muslims were then “Arabs” and they conquered many
nearby countries example: spreading the religion amongst other
people so they could convert to be Muslims. Large parts of the
world came under Arab and Muslim Control.

As the Arabs spread, taking their religion with them they learned
from the people that they took over from. They wrote down what
they had learned in books, the books were then read all over the
Muslim world. After this they worked to improve that Knowledge.
The Muslims became very advanced in the following topics: Art,
architecture, science, and mathematics. With the knowledge they
built marvellous towns like Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo and
Cordoba.

Many features of modern Muslim countries began then. Also

countries so further away like Britain learned a lot from the
Muslims. The numbering system, which we all use today, came to
Western Europe from the Muslim world.

However later, Arab control weakened. From 1050 the Muslims

around the Mediterranean fell under the control of new rules. The
Turks were also Muslims and spread Islam even further. But from
1700 the Turkish Empire eventually became weak and started to
break. For all of this time Islam was the main religion in that area
Finally in 1918 the Turkish Empire finally broke into new countries
like Saudi Arabia, Iran.
What made the Arabs so successful?
There were many reasons as to why the
Muslim army’s were able to conquer so much
land many people believe that it was because
of the solders being brave, skilful and well
armed fighters but others believe that many of
the Muslims were successful because:

• When the Arabs were divided they weren’t a

threat to anyone but when thay where united
they suddenly became a major new power.
That they were transformed by islam because
the disipline of praying five times a day helped
them take orders and co operating when
fighting .

• The soilders belived that if they died fighting

for islam then they would go to heaven stright away.

• The more lands that the muslims conquered, the more wealth
they got to pay their armies and the more solider wanted to join up .

• the neighbouring Byzantine and Persian empires had been

fighting each other so by the time that the Muslim invaders came
they were to exhausted to defend themselves.

• Many people whose countries had been taken over by the

Byzantine and Persian empires hated their rulers and welcomed
the Muslim invaders as liberators.

The following source is written by a ninth/third century Persian

writer, he describes the Arab tactics and the methods that they
used “ the Persians said to the Arabs, you had only cane lances,
tipped with the ox-horn, and you used to ride your horses bareback
in battle. The Arab lances used a solid shaft, but we know that a
 hollow one is lighter to carry and gives a more powerful thrust. You
used to make war in separate, unorganised bands. You do not fight
at night and you knew nothing of the ambush. Nor did you know
anything of the instruments of war- the battering ram, the catapult
or throwing fire “ this source show that the muslim soilders were
better at fighting then many other people.
This picture shows a catapult
drawn in the eight century but
it was used as early as the
fifth century.

The picture bellows shows the

expansion of Arabia and
below that the Christian year
and the Islamic year are shown along with dates that the Muslims
tried to advance into other countries .

Western Europe 723/113 CENTERAL Europe 637/15

and 718/99
Advance into France but defeated
by charles martel near tours Fail to capture
Constantinople despite a
long siege. No progress into
central Europe.
636/14 624/20

Yarmuk Egypt capture Alexandria

Opponents :Byzantines muslims attack in the and its shipyards . this
middle of a sandstrom , and desroy a mixed allows rapid expansion
force including armeninas and syrians. along north African coast
Byzantine emperor escapes back to and capture of Cyprus
constantinpole and abandons Syria to the arabs ( 648/33)

Qadisiya in iraq 637/15 Nevahead 642/20

Opponents: perisans ( the unpopular rules of Opponent the perisans victory

iraq ) perisan rules escapes , leaving iraq to opens the way for way for final
the muslims victory over the perisans and for
attacks northwards into
azerbaijin and Armenia

China 751/133

Defeat the chinease at the battle

India715/95
of talas but cant advance any
further
Conquer sind, but no more progress