Name: Due Date: #4.8 The Spread of Islam Aim: How did Islam spread throughout the world? REVIEW: The Religion of Islam The religion of Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula in the A.D. 600s by a man named Muhammad. Muslim tradition says that in A.D. 610, Muhammad had a vision in which a voice called him to preach Islam. He was considered a prophet, a messenger sent by God to share God s word with people. He told people there was only one true god to worship, Allah. The first people to become Muslims, or followers of Islam were Muhammad s family members. Slowly, Muhammad won the support of the poor. Muhammad was a skilled political and religious leader. He established an Islamic state and required the government to base its laws on the ideas of Islam. He formed an army to protect the Islamic state from enemies. The Islamic Civilization spread across Southwest Asia, North Africa, and into parts of Europe. It later spread into India and Southeast Asia. Islam is one of the most widely practiced religions in the world today. Approximately 25% of the people in the world are Muslim. As a result, they come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and speak many different languages. All Muslims regard the Qur an as the holy book of their religion and worship in religious buildings called mosques. 1. The religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share a common belief in 1) nirvana 2) monotheism 3) reincarnation 4) polytheism 2. Which text is essential to the practice of Islam? 1) Bible 2) Vedas 3) Torah 4) Qur an 3. The Five Pillars of Faith of Islam and the Ten Commandments of Judaism and Christianity are similar in that they all 1) were set forth by the founder of the particular religion 2) offer a happy and easy life for those who follow their teachings 3) serve as guidelines to follow in personal conduct 4) indicate exactly how to achieve salvation 4. Mohammed's journey from Mecca to Medina in A.D. 622, is important to Muslim's because the journey 1) Resulted in Mohammed's early death 2) Ended Mohammed's attempts to spread Islam throughout Arabia 3) Established Byzantine rule throughout the region 4) Signified the establishment of the Islamic faith
ANNOTATIONS: As you read, analyze and annotate the text to answer the guiding question: How did Islam spread throughout the world? Highlight/underline important and specific information that helps you answer the guiding questions. Take notes in the margin summarize key concepts that relate to the guiding questions The Spread of Islam When Muhammad died in A.D. 632, he left no instructions about who should be the next leader of Islam. The community faced a crisis. Muslims believed they had a duty to carry the message of Allah throughout the world. However, they lacked a clear way to choose a new leader. Muslims knew that the Islamic state needed a strong leader to keep it united. A group of Muslim leaders chose a new type of leader called the caliph, or successor of Muhammad. Abu-Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, the first four caliphs, were close friends or family members of Muhammad. They used the Qur an and Muhammad s actions as guides to leadership. The goal of the caliphs was to protect and spread Islam. They acted as both religious and political leaders and used their powerful armed forces to control their growing empires. Islam spread beyond the Middle East to other areas around the world. These caliphs were able to conquer lands beyond the Arabian Peninsula into Europe, West Africa, and other parts of Asia. These conquered lands became known as the Arab Empire. Arab armies won many victories. Arab soldiers were warriors who rode on horseback. They believed it was their religious duty to spread Islam. Many ancient caliphates justified their aggressive expansion policy as a holy war, or jihad. The purpose of a jihad was to spread Islam and Allah s rule throughout the world and convert new followers (sometimes through fighting or even war). Islam slowly spread through the different areas the Muslims conquered. Many people conquered by the Arabs converted, or changed, their religion to Islam. These conquered people also learned the Arabic language and customs. Trade also helped to spread Islam. The Arabian Peninsula was a crossroads of trade - because of its location in the center of the Middle East; towns within the Arabian Peninsula became trade centers. Trade routes connected the Arabian Peninsula to the major ocean and land trade routes. The Middle East was a bridge between Africa, Asia, and Europe, where goods were traded and new ideas were shared. The cultures of the Arabian Peninsula were in constant contact with one another for centuries. Along with the goods they sold, Arab merchants took Islamic beliefs to India, Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Even as the Muslims fought for expansion of Islam, divisions developed among them. After Muhammad died, conflicts arose over who would succeed him. From these conflicts arose two distinct Islamic groups the Sunni and the Shi a. These two groups exist among Muslims even today. The difference between the Sunni and Shi a were both political and religious. The Sunni, the larger group, supported the leadership of the early caliphs. They believed the Qur an was the only guide they needed between Allah and his followers. The Shi a disagreed. They believed that the only true successor had to be a direct descendant of Muhammad s daughter and son-in-law. They believed a person had to act as a guide between Allah and his followers. 1. Do you think Muhammad should have appointed a successor? Why or why not? Explain. 2. Why did Muslims split into two groups? TASK #1: Document Based Question (DBQ) Analysis DIRECTIONS: Many factors contributed to the spread of Islam throughout the world. Read, annotate, and analyze each document. Answer the questions. Document #1... Merchants were carriers of Islam rather than agents of Islamization. They opened routes and exposed isolated societies to external influences, but they were not themselves engaged in the propagation [spread] of Islam, which was the work of religious leaders. The leaders became integrated into African societies by playing religious, social, and political roles similar to those of traditional priests. Like traditional priests, Muslim men of religion were peacemakers, who pleaded for those who broke the king s laws. Mosques, like traditional shrines, were considered sanctuaries. Source: John L. Esposito, ed., The Oxford History of Islam, Oxford University Press, NYS Global Regents August 2010 1. According to the document, what are two ways Islam spread throughout the world?
Document #2 2. According to this map, by 750 CE, which three continents had Islam spread to? According to this map, what is one-way Islam spread throughout the world? Document #3 For centuries, Arabs had added to their poor resources by raiding (robbing) other Arab tribes, but the religion of Islam put a stop to this because the Muslim community was not permitted to attack one another. In turn Muslims raided non-muslim communities in the neighboring areas. There was nothing religious about these campaigns. For hundreds of years the Arabs would raid the richer settlements beyond the Arabian Peninsula such as Byzantium and Persia. Both Byzantium and Persia has been engaged for decades in a long series of wars with one another they were exhausted. Taking advantage of their exhaustion the Arabs were able to raid and conquer much of Persia and parts of Byzantium. 3. According to the document, how does this document explain how Islam spread so quickly? Document #4
As the Islamic Empire grew, the status of Christians and Jews was more clearly defined, and in some ways it was inferior to Muslims. In general, they were not forced to convert, but they suffered from restrictions. They paid a special tax; they were not supposed to wear certain colors; they could not marry Muslim women. 4. Considering the information provided by the document, why do you think some Jews and Christians might be motivated to convert to Islam? Document #5 Islam spread across Central Asia and into China along the Silk Road, as well as to the islands of Southeast Asia in what is now Malaysia, Indonesia, and the southern Philippines along the Indian Ocean trade routes. Arab and Persian traders were very successful in expanding Islam, due in part to their trade practices. Muslim merchants and suppliers gave one another better prices than they did for non-believers. These advantages made Islam an easy religious choice for many Asian merchants and traders to convert to. 5. How did trade help to spread Islam around the world? Explain. Document #6 The coastal city-states of East Africa, such as Mogadishu, Mombasa, Kilwa, and Sofala, connected merchants from overseas with traders from Africa s interior... Trade led to a blending of African, Arab, and Asian cultural influences along East Africa s coast. Because many foreign traders were Muslim, Islam gained hold along the East African coast as well. Many African rulers who governed the coastal city-states adopted Islam, and mosques appeared in cities and towns. 6. What word can be used to describe the process by which Islam became a popular religion in East Africa?