Islamic Civilization Essay Example

Islamic Civilization Essay Example Islamic Civilization Essay Islamic Civilization Essay Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Islamic Civilization There exist different sources that deal with conquests occurring in the Arabic setting. One journal in particular serves to give a description of the maghazi campaigns of prophets and their companions. The article â€Å"The Historical Islam† by Piero Scaruffi gives a systematic survey of the various cities and countries of the former Islamic nation with al-Baladhuri being its inspiration. al-Baladhuri was an Arabic historian famous for his detailed accounts of the Arab empire formation. The major preoccupation characteristic defining this source comes through how a region or city was conquered. Upon reading this historical source, I found it relevant to forward the argument that this source is informative and comprehensive in its account on Islamic civilization. This source provides the means used to conquer cities, regions, and the strengths behind Arabic conquest success. Primarily, Baladhuri’s account on Arab conquests gives a detailed insight on the Islamic civiliza tion and the key implications behind conquests. Establishing Arab rule around 712 A.D was preceded by several efforts aimed at penetrating a number of regions. According to al-Baladhuri, the unifying Islam ideology, facilitated by the skillful employment of novel and traditional means of consolidation, ultimately resulted to the emergence of new states under Muhammad. These qualities enabled the Arabs of this period to exert dominance more effectively compared to tribal groups of the previous Arab isthmus. Instead of the previously existing fragmentation in the Arabia political system, where the various tribal groups competing among themselves for local dominance, the outcome was a relatively unified, centralized polity that managed to integrate a number of these tribes and eventually transforming them into functional parts of the entire system. In particular, this amalgamation of the Arabian ethnic groups into one Islamic state ultimately set the stage for preceding conquests. The state consolidation process that started with Muhammad continued unaltered throughput the entire Islamic conquest period. As under Muhammad, every Islamic tribal group becomes incorporated into the nation in the process of the conquest period. They were administered by a Quraysh agent who collected taxes due from the tribe as well as supervising it. Islamic tribes residing beyond the Arabian Peninsula became gradually subjected to the new state of Islamic civilization in the later conquest phase of the Fertile Crescent. In addition, they were also subjected to reducing taxes similar to their Arabian counterparts during the Muhammad careers. Similarly, the continued progress of tribal incorporation may be factually viewed as members of Islamic tribal groups being subjected to recruitment into Islamic armies and trained to fight on a number of fronts in the conquest period. Agents representing the tribes sent contingents from their respective groups. As they advanced forward, the assembled core forces were able to add more recruits as they crossed through various tribes’ territories and could contact their supporters who were strategically placed at the wells and the centers they passed through. The recruited troops were not a mere horde that wandered aimlessly headed for the Fertile Crescent. Instead, they were specially organized contingents of an effective army whose general movements and objectives were developed by the ruling elite. The Islamic conquests brought forward a weighty influence on the general world history course and the Near East. Apart from creating social and political conditions across its conquests, the Arab movement carried with it the Muslim faith to vast regions. This movement therefore represented the practical start point of the great civilization evolution of medieval Islam coupled with the end of the world of antiques. For a period, the Arab conquests ultimately influenced the political patterns that dominated the Near East; and that this was the basis of Arabia’s power, and implemented it effectively in dominating old political and cultural systems in Iran, Fertile Crescent, and Egypt. As the conquest period was ending, the struggle for dominance was imminent as an elite engaged in conflict regarding which tribe should gain supreme rule. According to al-Baladhuri, this issue had already plagued the First Civil War through a struggle between the Umayya and other Quraysh branches. With these kinds of conflicts, it implied that the ruling elite were successively reduced to limited leadership. It is fundamental to note the later year debates over who was appropriately fit to head the Islamic group of people emerged from a simple Arabian formulation. The arguments put forward maintained that groups with rivalry among the elite increasingly rested on genealogy considerations. On the other hand, groups that did not have affiliations to the elite and wished access to rule relied in proper Islam behavior and importance of virtuous as justifications for wielding power. In conclusion, Piero Scaruffi provides an informed analysis of the Islamic civilization and the issues that came along with the Arabic conquest. al-Baladhuri maintains that the unifying Islam ideology, facilitated by the skillful employment of novel and traditional means of consolidation, ultimately resulted to the emergence of new states under Muhammad. The integration of every Muslim tribe into the nation in the process of the conquest period was the main catalyst behind the rapid progress of the Arabic conquest. However, as it ended, conflicts were imminent as different Arabic tribes endeavored to acquire the elite status.

Sprezzatura - Definition and Examples

Sprezzatura s The rehearsed spontaneity, studied carelessness, and well-practiced naturalness that underlies persuasive discourse. (The opposite of sprezzatura is affectazioneaffectation.) The Italian word sprezzatura was coined by Baldassare Castiglione in The Book of the Courtier (1528): [T]o avoid affectation in every way possible . . . and (to pronounce a new word perhaps) to practice in all things a certain Sprezzatura [nonchalance], so as to conceal all art and make whatever is done or said appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it. Examples and Observations: Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee.(Muhammed Ali)And all you got to do is act naturally.(Morrison and Russell, Act Naturally)It takes a great deal of experience to become natural.(Willa Cather, interview in the Bookman, 1921)A good style should show no sign of effort. What is written should seem a happy accident.(W. Somerset Maugham, The Summing Up, 1938)Writers are not mere copyists of language; they are polishers, embellishers, perfecters. They spend hours getting the timing rightso that what they write sounds completely unrehearsed.(Louis Menand, Bad Comma. The New Yorker. June 28, 2004)In the presidential debates, everything that the candidates say will have been carefully rehearsed including the ad lib remarks. . . . What a candidate has to do is to memorize the answers to a bunch of questions and know how to look sincere. As a TV producer said, If you can fake sincerity, youve got it made.(Molly Ivins, 1991) Thomas Hardy on Calculated Carelessness The whole secret of a living style and the difference between it and a dead style lies in not having too much stylebeing, in fact, a little careless, or rather seeming to be, here and there. It brings wonderful life into the writing...Otherwise your style is like worn halfpenceall the fresh images rounded off by rubbing, and no crispness or movement at all.It is, of course, simply a carrying into prose the knowledge I have acquired in poetrythat inexact rhymes and rhythms now and then are far more pleasing than correct ones.(Thomas Hardy, notebook entry in 1875, quoted by Norman Page in Art and Aesthetics. The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Hardy, ed. by Dale Kramer. Cambridge University Press, 1999) Cicero on Artful Artlessness When Cicero recommends to the orator a kind of studied nonchalance, he does not mean it as a general rule, to be applied to all types of rhetorical performance; the term appears in the context of a discussion of a specific variety of rhetoric, namely the plain style  ... Castiglione appropriates from Cicero the notion of artful artlessness, as well as its seductive effect: that the audience, finding what it beholds ... is incited to suspect, and desire, the presence of something more than what is actually seen.(David M. Posner, The Performance of Nobility in Early Modern European Literature. Cambridge University Press, 1999) The Inherent Ambiguity of Sprezzatura As dissimulation or artfulness, sprezzatura, like irony, is inherently ambiguous and equivocal. This ambiguity necessarily introduces the question of the audience, for to be successful the courtier must conceal his artfulness, but for it to be appreciated as sprezzatura, his concealment must be perceived.(Victoria Kahn, Humanism and the Resistance to Theory. Rhetoric and Hermeneutics in Our Time: A Reader, ed. by Walter Jost and Michael J. Hyde. Yale University Press, 1997) Rehearsed Spontaneity Being prepared is the key to rehearsed spontaneity in public speaking. Before making a remark, pause and look up like you are searching for something to say. The audience will think you are creating the humor on the spot.   (Scott Friedmann, Public Speaking: Laws of Humor) The Appearance of Effortless Mastery Whether they have designed clothes, written poetry, composed operas, built public squares, painted for popes, hewn marble, or sailed the fathomless seas, many Italians of genius have placed a premium on achieving an appearance of effortless mastery, or sprezzatura, that is attained only by costly, concentrated effort and unremitting labor. In the end, says Giorgio Armani, the most difficult thing to do is the simplest thing.   (Peter DEpiro and Mary Desmond Pinkowish, Sprezzatura: 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World. Random House, 2001) The Gimmick of Straight Talk At the same time that his campaign was beholden to television, [Richard] Nixon was to denounce the medium and other media manipulations. Said the Nixon media strategy guide: [T]he sophisticated candidate, while analyzing his own on-the-air technique as carefully as an old pro studies his swing, will state frequently that there is no place for public relations gimmicks or those show business guys in this campaign.​  (Neal Gabler, Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality. Alfred A. Knopf, 1998) Pronunciation: SPRETT-sa-toor-ah or spretts-ah-TOO-rah

Public Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Public Law - Essay Example She places a notification about the forthcoming meeting (to be held on  April 7th) in the Jesmond Times newspaper on  April 4th. At the meeting, Joanna is told about the Wilton rabbit that lives in the forest, and so she decides to designate it as a protected area.   (a) The Access to the Countryside Association (ACA), who claim that they should have been consulted and were not; that the consultation process was, more generally, inadequate; and that the Wilton rabbit is found throughout the North East and is not rare. Pursuant to the Protection of Rare Animals Act, the Secretary of State is under no obligation to consult any particular group of people when it comes to decision making. The Act gives her discretionary powers regarding who to consult with prior. However, it is important that ACA looks at the provisions of the Act and consider what it says with regard to the required period of notice and if the proceedings are governed by strict rules of presentation of evidence. If the legislation is silent on those matters, the rules of natural justice require that adequate notice be given and person(s) with special interest in the decision be given an opportunity to be heard. According to American Iron & Steel Institute v. Environmental Protection Agency1, adequacy of notice can be determined by the fact that it fairly notifies any interested parties so that they can have an opportunity to air their views. However, inadequacy of the notice given does not automatically invalidate the final rule on grounds that the final rule adopted is different from the original proposal. This was as held in the above mentioned American Iron and Steel case. If it happens that the decision maker adopts a final rule that substantially differs from the original proposal, the courts will take it upon itself to analyze the adequacy of the original notice in a two part test. The first is whether the final rule can be considered a logical outgrowth

Argue for or against the elimination of speed limits Essay

Argue for or against the elimination of speed limits - Essay Example (Reddy) Germany's autobahn is free of speed limits for most of its 12,000 km. The Germans' pride in their free-speed autobahn is wellknown. The autobahn was in the news recently when Greenpeace ctivists put up banners that read "120", demanding a speed limit of 120 km/h on the Autobahn. But the powerful German car makers' lobby disagrees. Car manufacturers argue that emissions from cars are already very low. Limiting the speed has no additional benefit, they say. One car maker went as far as to say that the idea of speed limits was like "hitting the automobile industry between its legs!" (Connolly) This is not surprising, since car manufacturers promote their products as macho machines. Reckless speed is equated to manliness. Their stance that emissions from cars are low does not address the safety issue or the fuel wastage. Predictably, politicians are on the back foot - unpopular decisions are best postponed indefinetely. The public mood in Germany is also said to be one of "anger" - anger at the perceived erosion of their freedom. A strong, sustained campaign targeted at the grass roots is the need of the hour.

Cenozoic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cenozoic - Essay Example Solar radiation change was one of the prime causes of this glaciation during the Cenozoic Period. The later part of this glaciation took place in the high altitudes. Some of the main landforms on this planet were created during this particular period. Among them the mentionable ones are: Tibetan Plateau, Andes and the Himalayas. (Menzies 47) The Mesozoic Extinction survivors continued to live during the Cenozoic Period. This was the time when modern birds appeared for the first time during of their evolutionary journey. Savanna grasslands were seen in many parts of the world. Most of the vertebrates lived in the sea. However, there were insect eaters and herbivores in the lands. A complete extinction of the dinosaurs took place on the course of Cenozoic Period. The Scablands was the main creation in the state of Washington by the flood from Lake Missoula in the Cenozoic Period. The floodwater went to Pacific Ocean from Lake Missoula during this age. According to the records, the rate of flow of this water was 60 times more than the regular flow of Amazon water. The Eastern Washington was entirely flooded by the water which rushed throughout the land at a speed of about 50 miles per hour. Today, the 'Scablands' is the main evidence of this phase in the state of Washington. Cenozoic Period is considered as the recent most period in the world. Therefore surprises with evidences of this era are still found on our planet. One such incident took place in Denmark when a fossil of Cenozoic parrot was discovered there. The wingspan of this parrot is said to be about 20 feet. Northwestern Jutland is the place where the fossil has been discovered. According to the scientists, the fossil belongs to a time period, which is almost 55 million years from now. They have also said that this is one of the oldest parrot species that have been discovered so far. The genus of this parrot, according to the researchers, is known to be Mopsitta. However, the men who discovered it have named it "Danish Blue". (United Press International 2008) References 1. Fossils. University of Waikato, 2008, retrieved from: http://sci.waikato.ac.nz/evolution/FossilCenozoic.shtml on November 17, 2008 2. Age of Mammals: Cenozoic. Te Era, 2005, retrieved from: http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/Geology/Fossils/4/en on November 17, 2008 3. Menzies, John. Modern and Past Glacial Environments: Revised Student Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann. 2002. 4. "Cenozoic Fossil Parrot Found in Denmark". United Press Inter

Midieval Church Essay Example for Free

Midieval Church Essay The schism of 1378-1415 involved a division in the church due to existence of two popes. The italians elected a pope as St. Urban VI to succeed St. Peter. The French cardinals at the same time ailed to agree with the italians and elected their own pope called Clement VII. One of the issues leading to the churchs division was the fact that, the christedom couldnt agree on which pope to accept. The second issue was the fact that the two popes were in two different places, ssince St. Urban remained in Rome while Clement VII withdrew to Avignon according to Nelson (1999). In addition, Nelson also argues that there was growing corruption in both papacies,expansion of heresy and the continuation of a cchurch without real leadership or discipline. b. How the schism served to undermine the authority of the popes The papal authority was undermined since financial decisions grew worse during avignon papacy, as there were two papal capitals as well as two administrations. Secular leaders also supported either one pope or the other causing lack of unified support to a single papacy. Furthermore, according to Nelson (1999), theological situation became difficult as the two papal organizations condemned the other. c. New Religious ideas that emerged A number of new religious ideas emerged as a result of the great Schism of 1378-1415. Such religious ideas were as an attempt to resolve the issue of dual papacy and try to regain a single papacy to the church. Some of these religious ideas according to Nelson (1999) included the following: theological faculty of the university of Paris was asked to find a resolve to the problem, the popes were also asked to abdicste for the good of christedom, influential writers decided that monarchy was superior to the church. In addition, Priestly powers were placed in the hands of individuals which later formed the foundation for the refformation of the protestant churches. Furthermore, intellectuals and reformists decided that the churchs sovereighnity rested on its members (Nelson, 1999). This reformists supported their ideas by arguing on the basis of: the scripture according to paul and the early church, History acoording to Constantin and the council of Nicaea among others. d. How the need of the Church to re-establish authority manifested itself in the Fifteenth century. Th e church had a need to re-establish its authority was manifested in the fifteenth century in the following ways; The church formed the council of Pisa according to Nelson (1999) in an attempt to find a solution. This council cardinals decided to depose both pontifs and elected a third in 1408. All the cardinals were excommunicated by the two popes,making matters even worse by creating a third pope. By 14 15 the issues involving the three popes such as increased corruption and heresy led to the Holy Roman Emperor throwing his support behind concilliarists and arranged for another council meeting (Nelson,1999). These attempts were manifested by the church as a way of trying to resolve the issues. In this council,also reffered to as the council of constance, the three â€Å"phantom popes† were deposed in favour of a new pope by the name Martin V. This new pontiff was based at Rome and had a greater responsibility of re-establishing the position of the pope as Gods representative on earth (Nelson, 1999). Works Cited Nelson, L. H. (1999). Lectures of a midieval survey. The Great Schism. Retrieved from http://www. the- orb. net/textbooks/nelson/great_schism. html . On June 6 2010.

The Right Key :: Free Essays Online

The Right Key Today many common, everyday functions are governed by punching the right keys. Whether you are "surfing" the World Wide Web or making a long-distance phone call, you essentially press some type of key to manipulate some form of technology. This ability to manipulate technology can be considered a "literacy": a mastery of the specific skills and knowledge required to use technology to a person's advantage. Because of their widespread use in everyday life, a literacy of different forms of technology is a necessity for people today. The ability to use some form of technology to your own advantage is to be technologically literate. Technology encompasses everything from computers, the World Wide Web, and e-mail to telephones, cash machines, and library cataloguing resources. This definition implies just a working knowledge and familiarity with the technology in the world today and not a complete, in depth knowledge. A knowledge is mandatory for all because technology is constantly surrounding people today. Computers and related objects are now used by not only scientists and engineers but also students and parents. A knowledge of how to search the World Wide Web can be useful when a student is looking for references for a report. Checking a bank account balance over the phone can be a useful skill for a parent with little time. Both skills however require a literacy of computer, telephone, and banking technology. In my own experience, a technological literacy is essential in my life: there is not a day where I do not use some form of technology. Not only do I use a long distance code when calling home but I also acquire money to pay my phone bill from a cash machine. I frequently e-mail friends at other colleges and have an electronic meal plan on my college ID card. When writing papers I do research with the on-line library catalog and actually write my paper on my computer. If I did not know how to use these forms of technology I would certainly not be able to pass my english class. Thus for people who are illiterate technologically their lives become more complex and at times difficult in a world which is very dependent on technology. If you urgently need money at midnight, and do not know how to use a cash machine, can you wait till the bank opens in the morning? A person can only search for references on a computer and save themselves large amounts of time if they know how to use a computer.