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  • Essay / Transformation of Islam: Islam in the societies of...

    The Arab conquest led to the spread of Arabic culture in Central Asia, including the spread of the Arabic language as a language of State and literary language. However, beginning in the 700s, the authority of Arab governors and military leaders declined, and the flourishing of literature in non-Arabic languages ​​began under the rule of the Samanids and Karakhanids. Non-Arab peoples adapted the Islamic religion to their way of life. This decline in Arab prestige in politics therefore did not symbolize a failure of Islam, but represented a transformation of Islam in Central Asia. This article will assess how gradual changes in the social status of Arabs and non-Arabs between the 600s and 700s affected the development of Islam. In order to characterize the transformation of Islam, this essay will first focus on the biographical notes of Ibn Sina. Next, Ferdowsi’s “Shahname” will be discussed. Finally, Islam during the period of Turkish domination will be analyzed. As a result of the process of Islamization, the Arabic language became an important element in the spiritual, political and social life of the conquered nations (Soucek, page 69). Islamization was accompanied by a transformation of Arabic language and literature into popular and prestigious means of communication. Since the Quran was written in Arabic and translation of the sacred texts was prohibited (Soucek, page 71), to understand Islam the conquered tribes had to learn Arabic. Thus, they eventually became bearers of the Arabic language and culture. Mastery of Arabic was an important condition of well-being, particularly as a guarantee of political success (course 2, week 4) and prosperity. Moreover, Arabic also became the language through which scholars studied and wrote...... middle of paper ... is not limited to Arabic only. In general, being Muslim in the 600s was not the same as in the 700s. If, in the 600s, spreading Islam meant being of Arab origin, and otherwise, strictly obeying Sharia law, compared , since the 700s, new elements in Islam began to emerge. The core concepts of Islam combined with ancestor worship, belief in omens, and firepower formed a new liberal Islam in Central Asia. This transformation is evident in the works of ibn Sina, who promoted Islam as a religion hospitable to science, in Ferdowsi's "Shahname", which offered an example of a new form of Islam containing local elements, and in the conversion of Turks to Islam. Overall, it can be assumed that the main principles of Islam remain the same; However, people adapt the religion to their way of life by introducing local characteristics and, apparently, these transformations positively affect the reality of Islam..