Exam 1: The Rise and Expansion of Islam

Prior to the birth of Islam, Mecca was in a state of transition between vanishing tribal ways and nascent urbanism, spawned by _______________.

Which of the following was characteristic of pre-Islamic society in the Arabian Peninsula?

By the time of the Arab-Islamic conquest, most of the inhabitants of the Middle East belonged to one of three __________________ faiths.

Was Mecca a significant city before the birth of Islam? Explain.

Before the birth of Islam, the settled lands of the Middle East were ruled by two imperial states: the Roman-Byzantine Empire and the .

How did Muhammad bring Mecca into his expanding Islamic community?

Which of the following was NOT a source of the Byzantine Empire's decline?

What does the first year of the Muslim calendar (622 CE) mark?

Explain the transition from Arab exclusivism under the Umayyad Empire to universalism under the Abbasid Empire.

Muhammad's role as Prophet of Islam is believed to begin at birth.

Why did many non-Greek Orthodox inhabitants of the territories that were conquered during the Arab conquests welcome the arrival of Muslim rulers?

Upon conquering Mecca, Muhammad reconstituted the shrine of Ka'ba as the most sacred Islamic shrine.

Why does Muhammad's wife Khadijah hold an honored place in Islam?

Why did Muhammad and his followers move from Mecca to Medina?

Within 100 years of Muhammad's death, Arab forces had reached all of the following EXCEPT

Describe Muhammad's prophethood in both Mecca and Medina.

When Muhammed died he left behind no sons and no clear instructions for how a successor should be chosen. How has this ambiguity affected Islam throughout its history?

Muhammad's religious vision that would lead to the emergence of a universal monotheistic religion is known as the __________________.

Describe some strengths of the Abbasid Empire (750-1258).

The office of the caliphate remained with the Abbasids from 750 to 1258.