Name: Date: Period: Chapter 7 Reading Guide Abbasid Decline and the Spread of Islamic Civilization to South and Southeast Asia, p.162-182 1. What are some of the reasons for Abbasid decline listed in the introduction? (Name at least 4) THE ISLAMIC HEARTLANDS IN THE MIDDLE AND LATE ABBASID ERAS p.163 2. What symptoms of Abbasid decline were there? 3. What was the most important problem they faced? Imperial Extravagance and Succession Disputes 4. What piece of literature immortalized Harun al- Rachid s court? 5. Who wielded power at the caliph s expense? 6. Where did one of the caliphs recruit his bodyguards (i.e. his personal army) from and what language did they speak? (Keep an eye on these guys. They ve got an interesting future.) 7. Because the Abbasids failed to create a stable system of succession, what was the fate of many caliphs? Imperial Breakdown and Agrarian Disorder 8. When the caliphs built more and more palaces for themselves and increased the size of the armies, where did the money come from and what was the long term impact? Declining Position of Women in the Family and Society 9. What became symbols of women s subjugation during the Abbasid Caliphate? 10. What jobs did slaves hold in the Abbasid Caliphate? 11. Where did they acquire their slaves? 12. What were some of the positive aspects of being a slave? 13. How did women try to gain power and control?
14. Was this treatment of women a change from the past or was it a constant? Nomadic Incursions and the Eclipse of Caliphal Power 15. What groups began to break away from the Abbasid Caliphate? 16. What group of leaders took the title of sultan? How long did that last? 17. Name and describe the group that took power in 1055. The Impact of the Christian Crusades 18. What is the desired piece of real estate valued by both Christians and Muslims? 19. To what extent was the Christian challenge successful? 20. Identify Crusades 21. Who united the Muslims to re- conquer land lost to the Christians? 22. Who was impacted the most from the Crusades? How? 23. List several important or interesting ideas and products that were imported into Europe from the Muslim world. AN AGE OF LEARNING AND ARTISTIC REFINEMENT p.168 24. Describe some of the artistic advancements Islam is famous for. The Full Flowering of Persian Literature 25. How did Persian culture find its way into the Islamic Caliphate? 26. What are some of the topics of famous literature? Achievements in the Sciences 27. What did the Muslims preserve? 28. Identify areas the Muslims added to the sciences. 29. What innovations did Muslim traders introduce to Europe from China?
Religious Trends and the New Push of Expansion 30. What were the contradictory trends in Islam? 31. Identify ulama 32. What event turned Islamic scholars against scientific thinking? 33. Why was the Greek tradition (epitomized by Socrates) of questioning common wisdom a threat to orthodox scholars? 34. What was the purpose and teachings of the Sufis? New Waves of Nomadic Invasions and the End of the Caliphate 35. Identify Mongols 36. Identify Chinggis Khan (or Genghis Khan) 37. What happened in 1258? 38. Identify Mamluks THE COMING OF ISLAM TO SOUTH ASIA p.172 39. What was a strength and flexibility of India? 40. How are the new Muslim invaders different from previous invaders? 41. How are Islam and Hinduism different (religiously and socially)? Political Divisions and the First Muslim Invasions 42. What initially brought Muslims in contact with Indian civilization? 43. What caused parts of India to welcome Muslim conquerors? Indian Influences on Islamic Civilization 44. What purpose did the Muslims serve in transmitting Indian sciences? 45. What was the staging area for Islam to spread to Southeast Asia?
From Booty to Empire: The Second Wave of Muslim Invasions 46. What were Mahmud s motivations to conquer into India from Afghanistan? 47. Where was the new capital? 48. Who did the Muslims depend on to help rule their new empire? Patterns of Conversion 49. How did the Sufis connect with the Indians? 50. From what class and religion did most converts come from? Why? Patterns of Accommodation 51. What did Indians assume about their Muslim invaders? 52. What negative rituals regarding women did the Muslims adopt from the Hindus? Islamic Challenge and Hindu Revival 53. What was the Hindu reaction to the Muslim religious force? THINKING HISTORICALLY: Conversion and Accommodation in the Spread of World Religions p.178 54. What are common characteristics of world religions? 55. What world religions are listed here? 56. How was Judaism s spread different from the spread of other world religions? Standoff: The Muslim Presence in India at the End of the Sultanate Period 57. Why would the Muslims not play down the differences between them and the Hindus? THE SPREAD OF ISLAM TO SOUTHEAST ASIA p.180 58. What two great complexes came together here? 59. What was the power vacuum that allowed the Muslims an open door? Trading Contacts and Conversion 60. What paved the way for peaceful conversion?
61. What was the Muslim law used for? 62. Why did Islam have difficulties with people converting? Sufi Mystics and the Nature of Southeast Asian Islam 63. Who spread Islam to South and Southeast Asia? 64. Why were the Sufis more successful in gaining converts? 65. How was the importance and role of women different in Southeast Asia under Islam than women in the Middle East? GLOBAL CONNECTIONS p.182 Islam: A Bridge Between Worlds 66. How did Islam impact nomads? 67. How did the adoption of Islam cut people off to innovation?