Download Global Studies 9 Name: Islamic Civilization DBQ Mrs. Hart Date

Global Studies 9
Islamic Civilization DBQ
Mrs. Hart
Name: _____________________________
Date: ______________________________
Islamic Civilization: The Spread of a Culture and its Contributions to the World
Historical Context: From its beginnings in Arabia, to its extensive empire encompassing the
Middle East, parts of Asia, North Africa, and parts of Europe, the spread of Islam in the late 600s
and 700s has drawn much study. Muslims adopted much from Greece, Rome, and India, and
from the people they conquered. Because of their tolerance of other cultures, they were able
to advance scholarship in several areas to the highest level at that time. As a result, Muslim
achievements stand out and have had a lasting impact on global cultures.
Essay Task:
a. How did Islamic civilization spread to cover such an extensive empire?
b. What practices or methods were used to spread Islam?
c. What were the most important Islamic achievements?
d. Why were the Muslims able to make such great contributions, and how did these
contributions impact the world?
Directions: Read and study each of the following documents and questions that follow them
carefully. Underline key words or phrases in each document, and then answer the questions.
After, write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction with a thesis statement,
several body paragraphs that discuss the essay question, and a conclusion that summarizes the
main points of the essay.
Document 1
In this excerpt, Mohammed gives choice to the leader of a Christian Arab tribe.
Believe or else pay tribute (money)…obey the Lord and His Apostle (Mohammed), and he
will defend you…But if ye oppose and displease them…I will fight against you and take
captive your little ones and slay the elders…
1. What alternatives does Mohammed offer to the leader of the Christian Arab tribe? (1)
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Document 2
This description of the Battle of Tours in 732, from Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by Sir
Edward Crecy (E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc.) provides a perspective on the Muslim fighting style.
The Muslims struck their enemies and laid waste to the country and took captives without
number…everything gave way to their scimitars (swords)…All the nations of the Franks
trembled as that terrible army…attacked Tours…and the fury and cruelty of the Muslims
towards the inhabitants of the city were like the fury and cruelty of raging tigers.
2. How does this writer describe the methods and conquests of the Muslim army at the Battle
of Tours? (1)
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Document 3
In this excerpt from The Spirit of Islam, by a Muslim writer, Syed Ameer Ali (London: Chatto and
Windus, 1964), the expansion of Islam is defended and that of Christianity criticized.
Islam never interfered with the dogmas of any moral faith, never persecuted…Islam
“grasped the sword” in self-defense; Christianity grasped it in order to stifle freedom of
thought and liberty of belief. Wherever Christianity prevailed, no other religion could be
followed without molestation. The Muslims, on the other hand, required from others, a
simple guarantee of peace, tribute in return for protection, of perfect equality – on
condition of the acceptance of Islam…
3. How does this Muslim writer view the expansion of Islam? (1) ________________________
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4. What specific words make you aware of his contrasting view of Christianity? (1) __________
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5. How does this writer’s viewpoint differ from that of the writer expressed in Document 2? (1)
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Document 4
Philip K. Hitti, in History of the Arabs (MacMillan, 1946), offers another explanation for the
conquest of different regions by the Muslims.
The passion to go to heaven in the next life many have been operative with some, but
the desire for the comforts and luxuries of the civilized regions of the Fertile Crescent
was just as strong in the case of many…The campaigns seem to have started as raids to
provide new outlets for the warring tribes, the objective in most cases being booty riches
and not the the gaining of a permanent foothold…The movement acquired momentum
as the warriors passed from victory to victory…the creation of the Arab empire followed
inevitably.
6. According to this writer, how is the expansion of Islam explained? (1)___________________
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7. How does his explanation differ from that of the author expressed in document 3? (1)
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Document 5
This excerpt from the textbook, World History: Patterns of Interaction, (Beck, Black, Naylor,
Shabaka. Evanston, IL: McDougal Little, 1999) explains why Muslims both preserved existing
knowledge and extended it.
Muslims had practical reasons for supporting the advancement of science. Rulers wanted
qualified physicians treating their ills. The faithful…relied on mathematicians and
astronomers to calculate the times of prayer and the direction of Mecca…Their attitude
reflected a deep-seated curiosity about the world and a quest for truth that reached back
to…Mohammed himself. After the fall of Rome in A.D. 476, Europe entered a period of
upheaval and chaos, an era in which scholarship suffered…In the early 800s, …the House of
Wisdom opened in Baghdad. There, scholars of different cultures and beliefs
worked…translating texts from Greece, India, Persia, and elsewhere into Arabic.
8a. Identify two (2) reasons for Muslim interest in learning. (2)
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8b. According to the author, what was happening in Baghdad at the same time that Europe
was experiencing a period of “upheaval and chaos”? (1)
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Document 6
Physician al-Razi wrote a medical reference encyclopedia, the Comprehensive Book and Treatise
on Smallpox and Measles. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) wrote the five-volume The Canon of Medicine.
These books were translated into Latin and other languages and influenced doctors in Europe.
The illustration below, from an Islamic medical book, and the explanation from the textbook,
World History: Patterns of Interaction, show the level of medical expertise of Islamic doctors.
Medical Reference Books
When Europeans learned that Muslims had preserved important medical texts, they wanted
to translate the texts into Latin. In the eleventh century, scholars traveled to libraries in
places such as Toledo, Spain, where they began translating – but only after they learned to
read Arabic.
Through this process, European medical schools gained access to vital reference sources
such as al-Razi’s Comprehensive Book and Ibn Sna’s The Canon of Medicine. Ibn Sina’s fivevolume encyclopedia guided doctors of Europe and Southwest Asia for six centuries. For
nearly 500 years, al Zasim’s work, The Method, which contained original drawings of some
200 medical tools, was the foremost textbook on surgery in Europe.
9a. What does this document tell you about Muslim medical knowledge? (1) ______________
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9b. How did it impact Western civilization? (1) ______________________________________
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Document 7
Using Scientific observation and their understanding of mathematics and optics, Muslim
scholars made advancement in trigonometry and astronomy, as well as map-making. They
used the astrolabe (Figure A) and the armillary sphere (Figure B) to study the skies and make
calculations for their calendars and maps.
Figure A
Figure B
10. How did each of these instruments impact
Muslim and Western civilization? (1)
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Document 8
Muslim artists used calligraphy to decorate buildings and objects of art as well as to reflect the
glory of Allah. Study this example, and answer the question that follows.
11. Identify two (2) reasons calligraphy was used in religious art. (2)
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Document 9
Muslim architects blended features from various sources, including the Byzantine Empire, as
well as added new features. Study this photo of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and
answer the question below.
12. Identify two (2) of the distinctive architectural features of this building. (2)
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Global Studies 9
Islamic Civilization DBQ Planning Sheet
Mrs. Hart
Name: _____________________________
Date: ______________________________
Islamic Civilization: The Spread of a Culture and its Contributions to the World
Historical Context: From its beginnings in Arabia, to its extensive empire encompassing the
Middle East, parts of Asia, North Africa, and parts of Europe, the spread of Islam in the late 600s
and 700s has drawn much study. Muslims adopted much from Greece, Rome, and India, and
from the people they conquered. Because of their tolerance of other cultures, they were able
to advance scholarship in several areas to the highest level at that time. As a result, Muslim
achievements stand out and have had a lasting impact on global cultures.
Essay Task:
a. How did Islamic civilization spread to cover such an extensive empire?
b. What practices or methods were used to spread Islam?
c. What were the most important Islamic achievements?
d. Why were the Muslims able to make such great contributions, and how did these
contributions impact the world?
Topic Sentence:
Introduction
Restate historical context:
Restatement of historical context continued:
Thesis statement:
Body Paragraph 1
How did Islamic civilization spread to cover such
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an extensive empire? (Outside information and
document information)
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What practices or methods were used to spread
Islam? (Outside information and document
information)
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Body Paragraph 2
What were the most important Islamic
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achievements? (Outside information and
document information)
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Document _____: Details
Why were the Muslims able to make such great
contributions, and how did these contributions
impact the world? (Outside information and
document information)
Document _____: Details
Document _____: Details
Document _____: Details
Topic Sentence:
Conclusion
Restatement of main ideas of the essay: