Section 1 - General
What is the Muslim name for God?
Allah
What peninsula did Islam originate on?
Islam is a monotheistic religion, which means belief in one God. They also believe that Muhammad is His prophet.
Which two main empires existed during the time of the spread of Islam? Name the two empires and describe where they were located.
Persian/Sassanian and Byzantine Empires
What does the acronym OPCVL refer to?
Origin
Purpose
Content
Values
Limitations
What is the name of a Muslim house of worship?
Mosque
What angel brought messages to Muhammad to start Islam
Jibril (Gabriel)
Which Pillar of Islam means to not eat or drink for a period of time. Give the Arabic and/or English translation.
Sawm (Fasting)
Africa, Europe, and Asia
Which holy book is one of the principle historical sources for historians studying the period of the rise of Islamic empires?
The Quran
The holy book of Islam
Quran
During the Hijra, Muhammad and his followers left Mecca to migrate to which holy city of Islam due to religious persecution?
Medina
The group that believed that Ali, Muhammad's cousin, should be the next ruler of Islam
Shia Muslims
Which city was the capital of Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain) under the Islamic Caliphates?
What is the name for the collection of historical sources containing the reported or alleged words, actions, and accounts of the prophet Muhammad?
The Hadith (meaning 'report' or 'account')
The name for the political and religious rulers (after Muhammad) of the Muslim community
Caliph
Which important historical event (specific to Islam) happened in 630CE?
Muhammad and his followers returned to Mecca (from Medina) and conquered the city. This is important because Mecca became the center of Islam and more people accepted it as their religion.
The group that believed that Abu Bakr should be the next leader of Islam
Sunni Muslims
What were the first two caliphates/dynasties of Islam (the first from 661-750CE; the second from 750-1258CE), and what were their capital cities?
Umayyad Caliphate: Capital city = Damascus
Abbasid Caliphate: Capital city = Baghdad
Name one challenge historians face when trying to understand early periods of human history, including the rise of Islamic empires.
1. Some sources were first passed on orally (over decades or centuries) before finally being written down
2. Ideological biases
3. Contrasting accounts or narratives
The name for the building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca
The Kaaba
Name the first four caliphs, in order.
1. Abu Bakr (father in law of Muhammad)
2. Umar (Companion of Muhammad)
3. Uthman (Companion of Muhammad)
4. Ali (Cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad)
What is the name in Arabic for the fifth pillar of Islam, when Muslims take a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca?
The Hajj
1. Development of Algebra
2. Advances in medicine, hospitals
3. Improvement of astronomy and navigation (Astrolobe)
4. Translation of Greek texts to Arabic
5. Adoption of papermaking and spreading it around the empires
What types of sources do historians use, other than written records, to understand the period of the rise of Islamic empires? Give the type and one specific example relevant to this topic.
Examples: Artefacts, remains of infrastructure/sites, coins, etc.