Essays and Reflections 1
Name
Institution
Part 1- Two Short Essays
Sufism
In Islam religion, there are three dimensions, and these are the law, theology, and spirituality. Therefore, spirituality is used to define Sufism, which is the internal dimension of Islam or Islamic mysticism. Sufis (Sufism practitioners) are associated with certain doctrines, values, institutions, and ritual practices that symbolize the principal manifestation and the essential crystallization of the mystical tradition in Islam (Corbin, 2013). The concept of Sufism is crucial to the era of 1000-1600 CE because it played a significant role in establishing the Muslim religion as this period was typically known for its reference to one religion even though there was widespread use of iron tools too. As illustrated by the photo above, individuals are singing and dancing as a form of praising Allah according to the pledge he has with his people. The widespread of Sufi philosophy in Islam led to the rise of Islamic civilization.
Ottoman Empire
Established by Osman 1, the Ottoman Empire began to grow into a strong empire after Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople (currently known as Istanbul) in 1453. And this also made it expand profoundly into Northern Africa, Europe, and the Middle East and it reached its climax when it covered the entire region from east to west that is from the Persian Gulf to Algeria and south to north, that is from Yemen to Hungary and some parts of Ukraine. The empire became strong and gained the ability to defeat the other empires because of the extensive use of iron that was significant in the era of 1000 – 1600 CE (Hanioğlu, 2010). As illustrated by the photograph above, the empire equipped itself with weapons and tools made from iron, which improved their fighting and ways of life, and this gave the empire a very long dominance of about six hundred years. However, the empire started to lose some of its territories from 1699 onwards due to several reasons such as European colonialism, wars that were costly for their defense, revolution by nationalists, and lack of internal progress.
Part II- Longer Essay
Atlantic Trade.
Fig. 1 The Columbian Exchange during the transatlantic trade
Fig. 2 Transatlantic slave trade
The exchange of goods and services between two parties for mutual benefits is called trade. After receiving destruction wrought, trade began to recover before America started circulating its products in the Atlantic trade. The merchant elites restored traditional trade frameworks but also identified new trade routes and patterns just like politicians revived states by incorporating old and innovative techniques. The Atlantic trade spread like bush fire across the region not only because China Seas and the Indian Ocean served as focal points of Afro-Eurasia, but also because most goods circulated in the area were done by Arab, Chinese, and Indian merchants, who settled and propelled trade. The interaction and trade between the Atlantic states resulted in some crucial impacts, such as the revival of different economies and the expansion of territories. For instance, China produced most of the commodities that were used internally, but due to lack of some products such as silver, it led to their trade with Japan before the Philippines joined the silver trade in the 1570s.
The rise of the Indian Ocean trade was another importance of the Atlantic trade, which was influenced significantly by China’s economic growth. The Red Sea and East Africa ports also benefited with the expansion as they gained links with South Asia, coastal India, and the Malay Peninsula. Moreover, this trade was dominated by the Muslim religion. It also contributed to the significant growth of the population such that China’s population went high as it was situated at the center of the trade routes, both geographical and economical. For instance, big cities in China Lahore, Agra, and Delhi were rapidly expanding as each one sheltered about a half million people. Consequently, the trade contributed to the expansion of Ottoman and overland commerce because first, China, Caspian sea, Baltic sea, Muscovy, and the central Asian oases were linked with one well-trafficked route. Secondly, another way that linked China, as goods were shipped from its port through the Indian ocean, then to the heartland of the Ottoman Empire and further extended to Europe by land.
The Atlantic slave trade was another impact of trade, which facilitated the shipping of enslaved individuals from Africa to America through the triangular trade route together with its Middle Passage. Individuals from West and Central Africa made the highest population of the people who were enslaved and shipped in the trade because most of the West African countries had sold their people, and others were captured by slave traders directly and transported (Whatley, & Gillezeau, 2011). This was because the production of sugarcane and other products in the Caribbean and the South Atlantic relied on intense labor to flourish their economies. These Western European countries were competing against one another in creating international empires, and therefore, labor was considered crucial. The slaves were treated in the same manner as cargos by individuals who owned ships. Their primary duty was to transport it in the cheapest and fastest way possible to go work in plantations such as cotton, sugar, coffee, mines such as silver or gold, construction industries, and many other sectors that required intense labor for production.
As argued by many scholars, the central aspect that financed and contributed to the industrial revolution of the British was the accrued profits they received from sugar industries and the slave trade between the Caribbean and Africa. The trade played a critical role in binding societies of Europe, America, and Africa due to the interaction and exchange of goods and services, as illustrated in Fig. 1 (Whatley, & Gillezeau, 2011). The rapid growth was facilitated with the slave trade that was rampant at the time because it allowed the British industries to acquire raw materials and adequate labor, which improved its production levels; hence it increased its number of manufactured products globally.
As shown in Fig. 2, the slave trade had become a widely practiced business activity, and most of these people were black men, women, and children from many African countries. This contributed to the slow growth in the continent because most of its energetic members were taken to slavery and their raw products taken from them. Not only was the economic development of Africa impaired, but it also caused enormous distractions on the demographics of sub-Saharan Africa. This is because, before the introduction of the slave trade in the 1400s, sub-Saharan African comprised almost 18% of the entire world’s population, but as of the 1900s, it represented about 6%.
Part III – Reflections
QALANDAR DERVISHES IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD
In chapter 10, I see the world transitioning into a more structured society linked with the same religion, which is based on common belief, norms, traditions, and many more. I also learned a lot, especially from Sufism, as the Sufis are Muslims who practice Islam in the harmony of body and mind. Islam’s body is Sharia, the rule, and Islam’s essence is Sufism, spirituality. Sharia is important for Sufis, as a rule, offers peace in existence, and Sufism offers happiness in life (Corbin, 2013). The article reflects on the concept of religion and the belief of the presence of a supreme being known as God, who brings love, peace, harmony, and is willing to forgive even though individuals who continue to do wrong, such as the torlaks. The people who lived in the 1000 to 1600 CE believed in a set of spiritual pathways intended to explore the nature of humanity and God as well as promote the perception of the presence of divine love and knowledge in the universe.
COMMENTARY ON FOREIGNERS FROM A MING OFFICIAL
I see the world transforming from the use of traditional tools and products such as arrows and spears to a more advanced society that relies on iron for political, economic, social, and religious growth. Besides, some empires such as Ottonaman had access to the use of iron and widespread Islamic within the region, which propelled its spread and expansion to many territories ( Hanioğlu, 2010). As described in the article, the territory was crafty and cruel but also superior because of a big army with better arms compared to other foreigners. The people of these eras had widespread use of iron, such as guns that were used to gain power and control.
OLAUDAH EQUIANO ON THE ATLANTIC CROSSING
The world is changing in chapter 12 as trade revives and it continues to spread across the globe in a rapid scale, causing both positive and negative impacts on different parts of the world (Whatley, & Gillezeau, 2011) According to the primary source document, I learn that as much as trade brought economic, political and social stability to the western countries due to their high productivity levels and expansion, its impact on the African continent was severe as most of them were taken into captivity. The source illustrates how the blacks were treated as cargoes to be shipped into the “world of bad spirits” that resulted in fears and horrors.
References
Corbin, H. (2013). Creative imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi (Vol. 91). Routledge.
Hanioğlu, M. Ş. (2010). A brief history of the late Ottoman Empire. Princeton University Press.
Whatley, W., & Gillezeau, R. (2011). The impact of the transatlantic slave trade on ethnic stratification in Africa. American Economic Review, 101(3), 571-76.