Download Name___________________________________ Per____

AP World History
Name___________________________________ Per____ Date______________________________
Chapter 8 STUDY GUIDE- Rise of Islam 600-1200
Using complete sentences, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. Page
numbers are provided.
1. What was the division in the Islamic community about and who were the groups involved? P.197
2. In what region was the Sassanid Empire? P.197
3. What holy shrine is located in Mecca? According to stories connected with it, who built the shrine
and what happened near the site? P.198
4. Who/what was revealed to Muhammad? P.199/200
5. Muhammad’s teachings seem to be in agreement with what religions? P.201
6. What was Muhammad’s flight to Medina called? P.201
7. What did the supremacy of the Median state depend on? P.201
8. Who was Muhammad’s successor and what was his title? P.201
9. List the 5 pillars of Islam. P.201
10. What is the Quran? P.201-2
11. Why was the Battle of Camel fought? P.202
12. What happened as a result of Husayn’s death? P.202
13. Who are the Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama’s, or Sunni for short? P.202
14. List 5 regions/countries conquered by the Muslim caliphs. Pp.202-03
15. What caused the unrest that led to the fall of the Umayyad caliphate? P.203
16. Why was the Abassid period called a “golden age”? p.204
17. Why did the Abassid caliphate decline in power? P.204
18. After failing to reform their government and military, the Abassid Caliphate fell under the
influence whom? P.205
19. What cultures were blended together in Umayyad Spain? P.206
20. Who was Maimonides and what did he do? P.206
21. Who were the ulama? P.207
22. Describe the change in economy, government involvement in religious matters, and population
during the reign of the Seljuk Turks. P.207
23. Who recaptured Jerusalem from European Crusaders? P.208
24. What is Shari’a? p.208
25. What did the hadith deal with? And what was a problem with the hadith? P.209
26. The Shari’a embodied a vision of what? P.209
27. What did conversion to Islam entail? P.209
28. Why did converts to Islam face discrimination if they remained in their Christian, Jewish, or
Zoroastrian communities? And how could they avert discrimination? P.210
29. How did urban growth help the countryside? And what were some of the main crops grown? P.210
30. What helped facilitate long-distance trade and integrate rural areas into the economy? P.210
31. Who influenced Muslim science and technology? And what were 3 major scientific advancements
of Ibn al-Haytham? P.210
32. Describe 4 aspects of the life of urban women. P.210
33. What are Sufis and what was a common doctrine of Sufism? P.214-5
Shi’ites Muslims belonging to the branch of Islam believing
that God vests leadership of the community in a descendant
of Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali. Shi’ism is the state religion
of Iran. (See also Sunnis.) (pp. 197, 496)
Mecca City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet
Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.
Mamluks Under the Islamic system of military slavery,
Turkic military slaves who formed an important part of the
armed forces of the Abbasid Caliphate of the ninth and
tenth centuries. Mamluks eventually founded their own
state, ruling Egypt and Syria (1250–1517).
Medina City in western Arabia to which the Prophet
Muhammad and his followers emigrated in 622 to escape
persecution in Mecca. (p. 201)
caliphate Office established in succession to the Prophet
Muhammad, to rule the Islamic empire; also the name of
that empire.
Umayyad Caliphate First hereditary dynasty of Muslim
caliphs (661 to 750). From their capital at Damascus, the
Umayyads ruled an empire that extended from Spain to
India. Overthrown by the Abbasid Caliphate.
Muslim An adherent of the Islamic religion; a person who
“submits” (in Arabic, Islam means “submission”) to the will
of God. (p. 201)
ulama Muslim religious scholars. From the ninth century
onward, the primary interpreters of Islamic law and the
social core of Muslim urban societies.
Sunnis Muslims belonging to branch of Islam believing that
the community should select its own leadership. The majority
religion in most Islamic countries.
Muhammad (570–632 c.e.) Arab prophet; founder of religion
of Islam. (p. 199)
Islam Religion expounded by the Prophet Muhammad
(570–632 C.E.) on the basis of his reception of divine
revelations, which were collected after his death into the
Quran. In the tradition of Judaism and Christianity, and
sharing much of their lore, Islam calls on all people to
recognize one creator god—Allah—who rewards or punishes
believers after death according to how they led their lives.
umma The community of all Muslims. A major innovation
against the background of seventh-century Arabia, where
traditionally kinship rather than faith had determined
membership in a community. (p. 201)
Quran Book composed of divine revelations made to the
Prophet Muhammad between ca. 610 and his death in 632; the
sacred text of the religion of Islam.
Abbasid Caliphate Descendants of the Prophet Muhammad’s
uncle, al-Abbas, the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyad
Caliphate and ruled an Islamic empire from their capital in
Baghdad (founded 762) from 750 to 1258.
Ghana First known kingdom in sub-Saharan West Africa
between the sixth and thirteenth centuries C.E. Also the
modern West African country once known as the Gold
Coast.
hadith A tradition relating the words or deeds of the Prophet
Muhammad; next to the Quran, the most important basis
for Islamic law.
Free Response Focus Questions: Answer these questions in a 5-7 sentence paragraph.
 In your own words. Do not simply copy from the book and memorize the response.
 Support your response with plenty of facts.
 Understand where events fall historically (global context, cause/effect, etc)
1. Explain how Islam was able to spread from Spain to India in a relatively short amount of time,
dominating a wide range of territories and societies.
2. Compare and contrast the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, particularly regarding religion,
politics and military.
3. Describe the evolution of Islamic cultural and economic development. What was its impact on
Europe?
4. What does the chapter reveal about the status of Muslim women? Compare the status of
Muslim women with the status of women in other parts of the world at that time.