Islam Notes

The Roots of Islam What have I learned?

Islam began on the ___________________ Name the other 2 religions that began on the Arabian Peninsula?
Peninsula.
3 Influences on Islam
1.
2.
3.
________________ were desert dwellers known
What people are portrayed in the picture below?
for their great ____________________ ability.

The Bedouins’ ideas of _____________________

& __________________ to family will greatly
influence Islam.

The city of __________________ was an

important stop on the Arabian trade routes.

Pilgrims would make their way to Mecca to

worship at the shrine called the
___________________________________-.

___________________ were unique in the Arab

region because while most Arabs were
polytheists, Hanifs worshipped one god they
called ___________________.
Muhammad What have I learned?
Muhammad was born in _________________ to a How does the picture below relate to the history of Muhammad?
powerful Meccan family.

As a young man, Muhammad began working in

the ____________________________ trade.

Muhammad eventually married his first wife,

_______________________, who owned the
caravan.
The Revelations What have I learned?
Age 40, Muhammad hears the voice of the angel • “Most Gracious, Most Merciful;”
___________________ while meditating outside a • “Master of the Day of Judgment.”
cave. • “Thee do we worship, And Thine aid we seek.”

Source: ’Abdullah Yusuf-Ali, trans.,

Gabriel “reveals” messages from God. The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an,
Muhammad is to deliver the messages or Amana Publications (excerpted)
“_________________________” to the people of
Mecca. This translated quotation from the Qur'an (Koran) refers to
A. Buddha
B. Muhammad
C. Shiva
D. Allah
Muhammad becomes convinced the he was the Why do you think Muhammad recited the revelations that he claimed to
____________________________________. experience?
A. He could not read or write.
B. He did not want his words to appear in written form.
_________________ is the one & only god – all
C. He believed that Allah wanted him to reveal the revelations only by
other gods must be abandoned.
the spoken word.
D. He believed that others could more accurately record the revelations.
____________________ = “submission to the will
of Allah”
Why did the merchants of Mecca resent/fear Muhammad’s message?
____________________ = “one who submits to
the will of Allah”

Muhammad was __________________ by the

people of Mecca because merchants feared the
pilgrimages to the city would stop.

Muhammad & his followers were

________________________________________.
The Hijrah (Hegira) What have I learned?
Muhammad escaped the persecution in Mecca by What does this map represent?
migrating to the city of ___________________ in
622. In Yathrib, Muhammad was accepted as a
political & religious leader.

Yathrib was renamed _____________________ -

(city of the prophet.)

The significance of the _____________ (Hegira) is

The Arabs trace their ancestors to Abraham and his son Ishmael, who were
that it _____________________________ Islam. believed to have built a house of worship called the Kaaba at Makkah (Mecca). A sacred
stone, called the Black Stone, is the cornerstone of the Kaaba.

622 CE marks the first year of the Islamic

Calendar. The Arabs revered the Ka’aba for its association with ___________________

In 630 CE, Muhammad led his Bedouin fighters What does the image below represent?

towards _____________________ where leaders

soon surrendered.

In Mecca, Muhammad made his way to the

_______________________, destroyed its idols &
remade it a Muslim shrine by calling for prayer
from its rooftop.
Spread of Islam What have I learned?
Reasons for its Quick Spread: “Perhaps . . . another kind of explanation can be given for the acceptance of Arab rule by the
population of the conquered countries. To most of them it did not much matter whether they
were ruled by Iranians, Greeks or Arabs. Government impinged for the most part on the life of
1. cities. . . . [C]ity-dwellers might not care much who ruled them, provided they were secure, at
peace and reasonably taxed. The people of the countryside . . . lived under their own chiefs and
. . . with their own customs, and it made little difference to them who ruled the cities. For some,
2. the replacement of Greeks and Iranians by Arabs even offered advantages.”
According to the passage, why was Arab rule readily accepted by people in the
countryside?
3. A. All governments made people’s lives difficult.
B. Arab customs were already familiar to them.
C. The Arab government treated people in the countryside better than people living in
cities.
D. Arab government focused on cities and largely left people in the countryside alone.
 Beliefs & Practices What have I learned?
1. 1. In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
2. Praise be to Allah, The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
2. 4. Master of the Day of Judgement.
5. Thee do we worship, And Thine aid we seek.
6. Show us the straight way,
3. 7. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, Those whose
(portion) Is not wrath, And who go not astray.
— ‘Abdullah Y¯ usuf ‘Al¯l, ed.,
4. The Meaning of The Holy Qur’a¯n,
Amana Publications, 1999
Which concept is best reflected in this passage?
5. A. Baptism
B. Karma
C. Monotheism
D. Animism
The 5 Pillars of Islam What have I learned?
1. Which practice is most closely associated with a person of the Islamic faith?
A. refraining from eating meat on Fridays
2. B. praying five times a day
C. following the Eightfold Path
3. D. worshipping the god Shiva
“Ramazan [Ramadan] . . . is an occasion during which believers are thought to be
closer to God. Ramazan is a month-long period of fasting, somewhat like Lent only more
4. stringent. It is a time of atonement. It is the month in which the [Quran] was allegedly
revealed to [Muhammad]. It is said: ‘When the noble time of Ramazan comes, the doors
5. of heaven are opened, the doors of hell closed, and the devils tied down.’ In other
words, people’s souls are opened to God and closed to seytan (devils); they are
sustained by God as by food.”

_________________________ = Islamic House of —Carol Delaney, The Seed and the Soil: Gender and Cosmology in Turkish Village
Society, 1991
Worship
__________________ = Charity
According to the passage, what helps people as they fast during Ramadan?
________________________ = holy month for
fasting. Time when Muslims believe the
____________________________ was revealed

____________ = Muslim Pilgrimage. Must be

made __________________ in a lifetime
Muslim Way of Life What have I learned?
Forbidden to eat/drink: Why do you think Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol?
1.
2.
Communal prayer held on _________________

______________ are prayer leaders.

Muslim Sources of Authority What have I learned?
1. Why do Muslims believe that only the Arabic version of the Qur’an is true?
2.
Only ________________________ version is true.
3.
_________________________________ example.
4.
Body of Law
Muslims believe that _________________ &
_______________________________ are “People
of the Book”; that they share a common ancestry-
--all the way to _________________________
After Muhammad What have I learned?
A _________________________ is a “successor or Growth of Islamic Movement under Abû Bakr
deputy” 640 A.D. Gained control of the Byzantine province of Syria
642 A.D. Added Egypt and parts of northern Africa to new Arab Empire
st
The 1 Caliph was Muhammad’s father-in-law, 650 A.D. Conquered the entire Persian empire
___________________________________.
Based on the table, which is a logical conclusion about the growth of the
Islamic movement?
The __________________________________ A. The Arab Empire grew as a result of diplomatic negotiations.
st
Caliphs are the 1 4 leaders after Muhammad; B. The Red Sea marked the eastern boundary of the Arab Empire.
named so for their ________________________ C. The growth of the Islamic movement was small in territorial terms.
D. Arab conquests initially focused on neighboring territories.
to Muhammad
1.
2. When did the conflict between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims begin?
3. A. When Muhammad died
4. B. Before Muhammad was born
In 656, the caliph, __________________________ C. With the Abbasid Dynasty
was murdered. D. When Muslims built Mecca

___________________, son-in-law of Muhammad Muhammad died without naming a successor. How might things have been
th different if he had?
was named 4 Caliph but is challenged by
Uthman’s son, ____________________________

___________ is murdered by a disillusioned

follower & Mu’awiyah begins Islam’s first dynasty
– the ___________________________ dynasty
Islamic Dynasties What have I learned?
Ac
1.

2.

Umayyad
Years =

Capital =

Contributions to Govt. =

Abbasid
Years =

Capital =

Contributions to Govt.= According to the map, which dynasty carried Islam into Spain & Persia?
 Sunni-Shi’a Split – Islamic Sects What have I learned?
Sunni How do the beliefs of Shiite and Sunni Muslims differ?
Support = a. Sunnis seek God through mysticism and elaborate rituals.
b. Shiites believe that a caliph has no prophetic functions.
Adherents? = c. Shiites are followers of Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali.
d. Sunnis are followers of Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali.
Imam =
The ________ accepted the Umayyads as rulers.
Caliph = A. Shi’a C. Sunnis
B. sheikhs D. Ka’abas
Shi’a (Shi’ite)
Support =

Adherents? =

Imam =
Muslim mystics who sought communion with God through meditation and
Caliph = fasting were called
a. Sunnis. c. Shiites.
b. Sufis. d. Shahs.
________________ are they mystical sect of
Islam.
End of the Spread of Islam What have I learned?
Which of the following was a result of the Battle of Tours?
1. A. Islamic forces gained control of the entire Arabian Peninsula
Frankish king, _______________________ stops B. Muslim expansion into Europe was halted
C. The Byzantine Empire ceased to exist
Muslim advance into ______________________
D. Spain fell under the control of Islamic forces

2.
Grandson of _______________________ burns
city & kills last ____________________________
The Muslim Golden Age - Urban Centers What have I learned?
Education in Muslim cities increased with the Which statement about the Golden Age of Islam is a fact rather than an
creation of __________________________ opinion?
A. Islamic art was more abstract than Greek art
Muslim scholars played an important role in B. Muslims were the best early mathematicians
C. Islamic society preserved Greek and Roman culture
translating & thereby preserving the works of
D. Muslim artists had more talent than European artists
____________________ & ________________.

Muslim scholars also improved the discoveries of

___________________ &___________________.

The most important Muslim Urban centers were: How do you think these cities impacted the spread of Islam?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
 Role of Women in Islam What have I learned?
Rights of women were/are determined by True or False: Throughout history, Muslim women have had few rights.
interpreters of the _______________________.

Women were responsible for the _____________

& ____________________ but could also get an
_____________________________.

Women are often covered by garments

called_______________________________.
Muslim Universities What have I learned?
The first Muslim University, called the According to the image below, what types of activities occurred in the House
_______________________________________ of Wisdom?
was opened by Caliph ____________________ in
the 800’s CE.

The House of Wisdom included a :

1.
2.
3.
Muslim scholars interpreted/translated works
from :
1.
2.
3.
4.
Muslim Medical Advances What have I learned?
The physician _________________________
compiled Medical knowledge from Greece, Syria, Achievements of Islam
India & Arabia into an encyclopedia called the perfected the astrolabe
_____________________________________ developed medicine as a field of scientific study
sought a scientific basis for studying history
Islamic art and architecture
In his study of Smallpox, Al Razi wrote that in literature, the Rubaiyat and The Arabian Nights
______________________ could aid in recovery According to the chart, what field did Muslims develop as a field of scientific
study?
as well as________________________ &
_________________________________. Al Razi’s
findings were written in the
_________________________________________
Muslim Mathematical Achievements What have I learned?
Most of the achievements made in mathematics One similarity between the Gupta Empire and the Arab dynasties of the
were a result of their study of Islamic Golden Age is that they
________________________________. A. made advances in mathematics and literature
B. gained wealth by obtaining gold from the Americas
C. stressed the importance of dharma and karma
The mathematician _____________________
D. controlled territories around the Mediterranean seacoast
created a technique called _________________
known today as Algebra.

In addition, the mathematical principle of

____________________________ developed
during the Muslim Golden Age.
Muslims adopted the _____________________ Why were Arabs given credit for the numerical system created by the
numeral system. With its spread, it became Indians?
known as the ____________________ Numeral
System.

Muslim Scientific Achievements What have I learned?

Muslims were among the first to use What does this image
___________________ in science as well as try to represent?
replicate what they saw by conducting
experiments in a ____________________ setting.

The scientist _____________________________

produced the first book on __________________
leading to the development of lenses for
____________________ & __________________

The 5 Pillars of Islam led to many advances in

____________________________________.
Advances were made in the science of
___________________________ or map-making.

To navigate the seas, the scientific instrument

known as the _______________________ was
invented.
Muslim Literature What have I learned?
The rich tradition of Muslim storytelling dates The story of the character below is found in what collection of stories?
back to the ______________________ tribes who
would tell stories in their camps at night.

The _________________ is considered to be the

most standard for all Islamic literature.

The most famous Muslim stories are found in

Omar Khayyám is most famous for
_______________________________________; a A. perfecting the sailboat, which made it possible for Europeans to sail to
mixture of fairy tales, parables, & legends. the Americas.
B. writing a medical encyclopedia that became a textbook for medieval
The collection of poems called the European university students.
___________________________ was written by C. his literary works, especially the Rubaiyat.
_________________________ who was a D. developing chess, which is still played around the world today.
Mathematician & Astronomer as well as a poet.
Muslim Architecture What have I learned?
Muslim art & literature is enhanced by the art of
beautiful handwriting called The passage below is written using _______________________________.
_______________________________________.

Calligraphy as well as _____________________

(art using colored tiles, etc.) would often decorate
the mosques.

Much of Islamic architecture is a blending of

____________________ architecture with Islamic
ideas.
Muslim mosques almost always include prayer Name the structures below.
towers called ____________________________.

Examples of Islamic Architecture:

The _______________________________ located
in _________________ was built by Shah Jahan as
a tomb for his wife.

The ____________________________ in
Jerusalem is a Mosque built on a site which is
considered sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

By 750, the Muslim empire included all of Southwest Asia, Asia to the borders of India and China, most of
Spain, and all of North Africa. The Muslim government was a theocracy—that is, the caliphs were religious as well as
political leaders. Laws were based on the Muslim holy book, the Quran. Muslim leaders adapted laws to local
practices.

What type of government was the Muslim empire?

A. one headed by a monarch
B. one run by a collection of educated experts
C. one run by religious leaders
D. one run by an elite few

“They [the Arabs] were aided by the weakness of the two contemporary empires, the Sassanian (Persian) and the Byzantine, which had largely
exhausted themselves by their wars on one another . . . . Nor were these Arabs simply zealots fired by the ideal of a Holy War. They were by long
tradition tough fighters, accustomed to raiding out of hunger and want; many or perhaps even most of them were not ardent followers of Muhammad. Yet
there can be little question that what got the Arabs started, and kept them going, was mainly the personality and the teaching of the prophet.”

—Herbert J. Muller, The Loom of History, 1958

According to the passage, the weakness of the ____ aided the Arabs.
A. Persian Empire C. Byzantine Empire
B. Roman Empire D. Both A and C

According to the passage, the majority of Muslims were NOT ____.

A. tough fighters C. ardent followers of Muhammad
B. city dwellers D. peasants who lived on the land

Baghdad, 700-900 CE

Review the map. What does the placement of the mosque and
the palace imply?

A. The residents of Baghdad were permitted to live next to

the mosque.
B. That only the ruler had the right to worship at the mosque.
C. That there is a close relationship between government
and religion.
D. That few people could worship at the mosque because
it was behind walls.