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Unit 3 builds a foundation about who Mongols were and how their expansion affected not only Nizari Muslims but various  dynasties around them. The unit talks about the contribution by Mongols and how we still see few things in our tariqa. A connection with Sufism gives us an idea about how our practices and beliefs are similar. Even though the unit talks about wars, destruction and decline of certain powers, rise and evolution was also a key facet.

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unit 3.1-
- Chingiz Khan's expansion lead to the decline in trade, innocent lives were massacred, cities were destroyed along with farms, irrigations and damns.
-Heavy taxation was levied which resulted in further decline of economy.
- Impressed by muslim advances mongols invited scholars to china. They also adopted muslim culture in the fields of learning, arts and food.
- Good administrative system impacted on local systems that emerged in ethnic diversity.
- Cultural diversity via trade contributed to exchange of skills, tools and techniques. Chinese theatre, styles, works on medicines and techniques also saw a rise.

Unit 3.2-
- Political downfall of Nizari Muslims and rise of Mongols.
- Abbasids political power can to an end which lasted more than 500 years.
-The Il-Khanid dynasty established by Hulegu started to flourish after mongols were defeated during his reign persian language, commercial activities evolved.

Unit 3.3-
-Connection were built between Sufi and Shia tariqas.
- Emergence of Sufi spaces of worship.
- Contribution of various Sufi masters which led to an understanding of oneness with god.
- Formation of Ethical Conduct.

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Unit 3.1
-Mongols and their expansion in different regions.
-Inequalities made between people based on their social status.
- The successors of Chingiz Khan  adapted inter-marriage for economic benefits which   increased muslim population.
- Administration was developed.

Unit 3.2
- Nizari muslims initiated envoy with mongols, however mongols rejected it this resulted in many crucial events like fall of Alamut, destruction of essential works, killing of Imam, massacre of Ismailis and downfall of Nizari Muslims.
-End of Abbasid caliphate.
- Mamluks challenged the Mongols that led to decline of mongols.

Unit 3.3-

Tasawwuf or sufism is one of the major interpretations of islam. Sufis has great emphasis on spritual dimension of Islam. From 11th century to 13th century sufis became gradually organised into tariqas (brotherhood). These tariqas expanded into various lands and played an important role in spreading the spritual traditions of Islam.
Understanding the pratices of sufis one of which is DHIKR which focuses on the remembrance of Allah.
Zahir and Batin were the vital concepts in sufism.
Understanding the concept of Baya,  the master and the disciple.
There was a  rise in Sufi tariqa.

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The students can understand the spread of Da’wa in the east under Imam’s guidance and the importance of Da’i in the Ismaili history

The impact of encounters of diverse people on their cultural aspects like Art, Architecture, poetries, trade, exchange of knowledge, literature etc.

The unit teaches about the Turkic dynasty and their encounters with the Byzantines and the Abbasid caliphs through expansion, trade, Art, architecture etc.

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1.     Diverse expressions and ideas of Islam have been created as Muslims inhabited in different regions and alongside other religious communities like the Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians etc.

2.     The Arabic language was adopted in many different Muslim lands. Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik made Arabic as the language of governance. This made the educated class to adapt the language and they became Arabic speakers. Some provinces which didn’t change their native language, adopted some Arabic words and phrases. Also, languages like Persian after the Arab conquest were changed into a simpler form which is used even today.

3.     Literature from prophet’s time such as qasida’s, ghazals continued to be used after the advent of Islam. In Andalusia, poetic styles had Arabic characters. Literary stories like Layla and Majnun became very famous and was adapts in many regions in different forms like a ghazal in Umayyad times.

4.     Art and Architecture was developed by architects in Muslim lands as they encountered the heritage of other civilizations.

5.     The translation of texts from different languages like Greek, Syriac and Sanskrit into Arabic gave paths to the Muslim scholars to learn about different ideas, perspectives, knowledge and explore the previous human societies and civilization. These generated a sense of curiosity to learn more and challenge the past ideas with the present.

6.     The woven silk tapestry on page 18 shows the cultural blend of Sassanian, byzantine art, and Islamic styles

7.     Trade led to people travelling and engaging in cultures of different regions. This led to cultural and intellectual exchange.

8.     Wars can be an example of the encounters between different civilizations. For instance, The encounter of Ghaznavids with the Muslims in Multan.

9.     The alliance of the Turks with the Sassanids and the Byzantines can also be a mode of encounter which shaped their dynasty and rule.

10.  Encounters of people from different faith and religion while the Turks were forming empires and expanding

11.  Encounter of the Turkic people with the Muslims led to the conversion of Turkic people into Islam over time

12.  The Wheels and Columns tiles on page 47 shows the influence of both Indian and Abbasid culture on Ghaznavid art.

13.  The Turkic’s nomadic culture took a shift when they started expanding and conquering. They started living a more settled ways of life and this could show an influence of the encounters they had.

14.  The Saljuq rule brought together people from different regions like Arabic, Persian and Turkic which intermingled to create new forms of art, architecture.

15.   People encountered cultures of different dynasties when one ruled the other. For instance, Ayran a Turkic drink spread westwards along with their expansion and took different names and forms.

16.  Manti, a form of Chinese dumpling travelled from central Asia to Anatolia and became a popular food.

17.   Spread of Ice cream (which originated in China) westwards was due to the Turks.

18.  Encounters of different languages in the region like Arabic, Turkish and Persian during the Saljuqs led to Arabic containing words of Persian and Turkish like jawhar. Similarly, Persian containing words of Arabic and Turkish like lotfan.

19.  Caravansaries became a mode of encounters where different merchants, traders and people from different backgrounds came and met and spoke to each other.

20.   The game of chess kept changing and evolving as it was adapted by different groups of people.

21.  The names of citrus fruit, lemon and orange comes from a wide word-history of Spanish, Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit. This shows the spread of the fruit in the European lands from other regions.

22.  The encounters of the Muslim and European lands led to poets writing poetry in mixed languages.

23.  In Abbasid period, many works were translated from different languages to Arabic. This gave a platform for Muslim scholar to learn, challenge and add to the existing knowledge.

24.  In Al-Andalus, people studied Arabic translation of works of scholars from different lands. Here the Europeans encountered the Muslim learning.

25.  The manners and customs of the people of the eastern lands influenced the crusaders like the usage of spices in food from the east like cinnamon, black pepper, saffron, ginger etc.

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1.     It recaps what the students studied in the MSC modules, all the 6 units in the start to build a foundation for the EMH module

2.     The idea of how encounters impact human societies and what change do they bring about.

3.     It highlights the diversity of engaging with the Islamic rituals and faith. It shows how people from different context have their own way of following Islam and that constitutes their own way of engaging in spiritual and intellectual search.

4.     The rise of regional dynasties under Muslim civilizations gave rise to diversity and creativity in the Muslim lands as they developed cities and centers of learning.

5.     The spread of the fatimid Da’wa in the Persia, Yemen, central Asia and as far away in Sind and Gujarat in India during the reign of Imam al-Mustansir Bi’llah

6.     Ismaili Dai Ali al-sulayhi found the sulayhid dynasty based in Sana’a. They ruled parts of Yemen remaining close to the Imam. These opened a new phase of Ismaili community in Yemen

7.     Sayyida Arwa was the first female leader appointed by Imam Mustansir Billah as head of the Yemeni Da’wa and she headed the Da’wa in Gujarat.

8.     The Ismaili da’wa arrived in Sind in 883 during the time for Imam al-Mu’izz and Sind becomes the place where Nizari Ismaili Pirs would carry out their da’wa.

9.     Dai Nasir al-Khusraw was a prominent dai to spread the da’wa in Central Asia extending to Khurasan and Badakhshan.

10.  The expansion of Da’wa in central Asia came to an end in the eleventh century when the Ghaznavid and other Turkic dynasties conquered the lands. The da’wa was relocated to the Pamir mountains in Badakhshan and it was based on the mission of Da’i Nasir al-Khusraw.

11.  Da’I Nasir al-Khusraw composed major poetic and philosophical works in Badakhshan and is known to lay the foundation of Ismaili community there.

12.  In 945, the buyid leaders took over Baghdad and the Abbasid caliphs were forced to recognize him as Amir al-umara (commander of commanders)

13.  The split between Nizari and Musta’li ismailis added to the difficulties the fatimid empire was facing.

14.  In 1171, the fatimid rule was ended by sallah al-din who established the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt.

15.  The Turks made alliance with the Sassanians and the Byzantines to conquer and move westwards to form new empires.

16.  The encounters of Muslims and Turks in part of inner Asia led to conversion of Turkic people to Islam over time.

17.  The samanid Turkic governors’ son, Sabuktegin is regarded as the founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty which came to rule Transoxiana, Khurasan and Northern India

18.  Sultan Muhmad of Ghazna, a Sunni ruler was known for his military campaigns and expansion of Islam in South Asia. He was hostile to the Shia’s.

19.  The Ghaznavid continued the patronage of Persian art and literature, and their greatest works were the 6000 verses Shahnama (‘Books of kings’) by poet Firdausi.

20.   Saljuqs were Turkic origin but adopted the Persian Language and culture.

21.  In 1037, Tughril Beg, Saljuq leader took on the title of sultan and minted coins in his own names. They adopted the Sunni Islam and Followed the Hanafi Madhhab. They considered Muslims outside the Hanafi belief as ‘heretics.

22.  The Abbasid caliphs took the help of the Saljuqs to defeat the Buyids in Baghdad and in return gave Tughril Beg the title of Sultan and minted coins in his name.

23.  The victory of Manzikert by the Saljuq forces lead by Arslan opened ways for the Turks to settle in the Byzantine territories of Anatolia.

24.  The Turks in Anatolia came to be known as the Suljuqs of Rum which was ruled by the sultan of Isfahan.

25.  The saljuqs were great patrons of art and religious institutions like mosques and Madrasas. This gained them support of the ulamas which in turn legitimized their rule.

26.  The Saljuq Masjid-I Jami of Isfahan was ordered to be built due to the damage caused to the Buyid Jami masjid during saljuq capture of the city. The mosque was a way of displaying the patronage, authority, and power of the ruling dynasty.

27.  In 732, Charles Martel defeated the Umayyads in Al-Andalus which limited the expansion of the Muslim rule in Europe

28.  Martel’s grandson, Charles the great was crowned as the ‘emperor of Romans’ in 800. His empire was centered not near the Mediterranean but on western European lands.

29.  The battles between Umayyad amirs and Charles and his successors continued but there were also times of exchange of gifts, embassies were established and a period of peace.

30.  Jerusalem was an important holy place for the Muslim, Jews and the Christians.

31.  The first crusades happened in 1096 where the crusaders captured Jerusalem and killed the Muslim and Jew inhabitants of the city as they saw them as ‘Saracens’.

32.  The division of the Muslims was the weak point which led the capture of Jerusalem by Crusades. The first crusades were not seen as a religious war, but they were known as Frank. The meaning of crusades changed over time according to the purpose of the wars.

33.  The Ports of the crusaders states of Antioch, Tripoli and Jerusalem became important centers of trade for Europeans. Goods from Muslim lands were exported to Europe.

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·      In our opinion, this module will help us as teachers in identity formation of our Ismaili youth, especially in Indian context which is unique as compared to other civilizations. This is because it talks about how Islam as religion reached to Southern Asia and how and through whom it was established in this region.

·      Different traditions within Ismailis are also talked about like Iranian and Syrian through taking into consideration the prominent figures like Hassan-I Sabbah and Sinan. Their stories can be used as an entry point for various discussions on pursuit of knowledge and idea of services in Ismaili faith

·      Pupils will learn about the concept of shari’a, madhhab, Fiqh, Qiyas, Ijma, Qa’im and importance of it, which has become the common vocabulary in contemporary Muslim world. This notion is presented through Qur'anic verses in the module, which will provide pupils an idea of how and when these concepts are stated in the Qur'an.

·      Some of the hurdles that Ismailis faced in Persia and Syria are also covered, giving pupils a glimpse of the difficulties that Ismailis and Ismaili leaders had in establishing their faith.

·      The module also highlights the intellectual tradition practiced by the da’is through establishing strong networks and channels during hostile circumstances. In addition to this, it also highlights the contributions of da’is and Imams, as well as how they dedicated themselves to expanding Ismaili dawa while maintaining morals and ethics.

·      We really appreciate the way how module approaches the assassin lagend story of Alamut period; it is important to give tools to students t analyse and extract exaggerations and facts from the told stories. The fort itself is a symbolic representation of the rich intellectual tradition of Ismaili history.

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·      In early Muslim history, learning institutions such as madrasas (place of study) arose.

·      Rise of madhhabs (schools of law) also emerged from different ways of studying fiqh (law).

·      The emergence of shari'a to address questions that occurred after the Prophet's death.

·      After seeing the plight of the farmers, Hasan-i Sabbah decided to expand dawa in Persia by establishing Alamut as its capital.

·      Under the leadership of Hasan-i Sabbah, Nizari Ismailis captured fortress of Lamasar (largest) to fortress at Girdhkuh (important for trade).

·      After the death of Sultan Malikshah (Saljuq empire), the civil war began between his sons which lasted for over a decade.

·      A split occurred in Ismaili community after the death of Imam Mustansir b’illah. (Nizari and Musta’li Ismailis), this impacted Ismailis in Syria.

·      The Ismailis in Syria captured many castles and gained control of extensive territories and it later became refuge for those who fled persecution in Damascus and Aleppo.

·      Castle of Masyaf was taken by Syrian Nizaris in 1140-41.

·      Anti-Nizari campaigns began by Saljuqs in Persia and were soon mirrored in Syria. Therefore, in 1126, chief da’i Bahram discussed with Saljuq ruler of Damascus and Nizari Ismailis were able to settle in the city. However, once again Nizari Ismailis were persecuted, and it is believed that over 10,000 Nizari Ismailis were killed in Southern Syria at this time.

·      Hasan-i Sabbah's developments in Alamut while spreading Dawa such as Irrigation system, subterranean canals, pulley system, etc. to improve the quality of life for the residents.

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During this period, different dynasties existed simultaneously and were striving to establishing their power and authority and faced encounters with other dynasties which lead to different types of exchanges which are highlighted below.

Abbasids

·      Adopted ruling style from Byzantine emperors and Sasanian kings.

·      Used title caliph and wanted Muslims to see them as political and religious caliph.

·      Believed that they are rightful leaders.

Buyids

·      Buyid amir and wazir took control of almost all aspects of government and military in Abbasid empire.

·      Believed rightful caliph was the Shia Imam.

·      Ultimately took title of amir ul-umara.

Saljuq

·      Originated in the Turkic tribal structures of Central Asia.

·      Adopted the title of sultan (holder of power)

·      Wanted people to believe they are more powerful.

Wazir

·      Concept from Fatimids and Ummayads.

·      Saljuq Turks never ran an empire, they gave this responsibility to Persian wazirs. (For e.g., Nizam al-Mulk)

1.     Farmers were forced to pay higher taxes by Saljuq princes, who eventually established their own dynasties.

2.     People of Quhistan who were dissatisfied with Saljuq's authority and found Shi'a dawa appealing. As a result, the Ismailis gained control of many fortresses and districts in Quhistan.

3.     The founder of the Zengid dynasty, Imad al-Din Zengi, was the first anti-Crusader Muslim to call for jihad against the crusaders. His son eventually followed his footsteps.

4.     Under Ayyubid rule, the Mamluks (slave) gained more prominence and power by founding their own dynasty. They eventually posed themselves as Sunni Islam's protectors.

5.     After the death of Salah al-Din the rule was divided between his sons and family members of which the head of the dynasty ruled in Cairo.

6.     The role of Qa'im, according to Nizari authors, is to transport believers from Zahir to Batin. Recognizing the underlying actuality of the Imam brings the believer closer to haqiqa (reality). Ithna Asharis, Sufis, and Ismailis all understood spiritual search through these concepts.