The Islamic World
Teacher Resources
Driving Question: How did the spread of Islam influence human communities and networks in Afro-Eurasia during this period?
Today, Islam is a world religion practiced all over the globe, but it didn’t start out that way. Islam began in seventh-century Arabia and quickly spread across Afro-Eurasia through trade, conquest, and cultural interactions. In many areas, it formed the basis of a new form of state known as the caliphate. During Europe’s Middle Ages, the Islamic world was experiencing a golden age.
Learning Objectives:
- Examine the extent to which the Islamic world experienced a golden age.
- Analyze how the collapse and recovery of empires affected the spread of belief systems and the expansion of trade networks like the Silk Road.
- Use the historical thinking practice of claim testing to evaluate the spread of Islam along networks of exchange.
Vocab Terms:
- administrative
- bureaucrat
- caravan
- Crusades
- influx
- mosque
- province
Opener: The Islamic World
What do you believe about belief systems? Connect what you know with some of the big ideas in this course.
A New Religion Emerges
Today, Islam is one of the largest religions in the world. Explore an article and video to get a better sense of how it began—and how it expanded to shape a vast global empire.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- What are some reasons the Arab armies were successful in conquering surrounding regions under the Rashidun caliphate?
- How did the Umayyad caliphate learn to govern a large and diverse empire?
- What were attitudes toward non-Muslims under Umayyad rule?
- What were attitudes toward women in the caliphate?
- What are some reasons the caliphate broke into several parts between the tenth and thirteenth centuries?
After you read
Respond to this question: Was combining religious and political authority in the caliphate an effective system? Explain your reasoning.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- What are the five pillars of Islam?
- What are hadith?
- How did Islam spread from 750 to 1700?
- What do most historians agree on about early Islam?
- What are important sources of Islamic history for Muslims?
After you watch
Respond to this question: Why do you think understanding Islamic history is important to practicing Muslims?
Key Ideas
Connecting Afro-Eurasia
Conflict and connections. It sounds like a board game, but it’s also a great way to describe history. Use the materials below to see how Christian-Muslim clashes reveal both.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- What is Dar al-Islam?
- What were some of the cultural and technological innovations of Islamic scholars during this period?
- What were the effects of these innovations in Dar al-Islam?
- Islam experienced a political fragmentation while it also saw a cultural expansion. What does this mean?
- What does Ibn Battuta’s experience on his travels have to tell us about Dar al-Islam?
After you read
Respond to these questions: Does it make sense for historians to define a region based on a shared belief system rather than a single government? Why or why not?
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- How did the Crusades’ success affect networks in the Mediterranean world?
- Which European powers benefited the most from the Crusades?
- What evidence do we have that the Crusades impacted both Christian and Islamic culture?
- How did the Crusades affect scholarship in Europe?
- How did this period of exchange lead to the Renaissance and Columbian Exchange?
After you watch
Respond to this question: How does this video change your thinking about the concept of a European “Dark Age”?
Key Ideas
Closer: The Islamic World
Mapping the spread of Islam across Afro-Eurasia can help you expand your understanding the causes and impacts of the changes you’ve encountered in this lesson.
