Deck 11: The Origins and Expansion of Islam, 100-750

Question 1

According to Muhammad, whom does Allah regard as "People of the Book"?

A) all monotheists
B) all polytheists
C) Jews and Christians
D) Muslims

Answer 1

Jews and Christians

Question 2

Why was Muhammad invited to Yathrib (Medina)?

A) to build a mosque
B) to mediate in a local dispute
C) to negotiate with Jews in the city
D) to establish trade with Mecca

Answer 2

to mediate in a local dispute

Question 3

Nomadic Arabs who moved from place to place on the backs of camels were known as

A) ships of the desert.
B) Bedouins.
C) Umayyads.
D) Abbasids.

Answer 3

Bedouins.

Question 4

Which of the following accurately depicts Jewish views toward Islam in Medina?

A) They embraced it as an alternative to paganism.
B) They rejected it because it was not truly monotheistic.
C) They embraced it because it was monotheistic.
D) They rejected it because they didn't believe Muhammad was a prophet.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about Muhammad is NOT True?

A) He worked as a merchant on the coastline of the Red Sea.
B) His father died before he was born, so he was raised by relatives.
C) He had revelations of Gabriel bringing messages from Allah.
D) He was raised as a Zoroastrian.

Question 6

How many rivers are in the Arabian Peninsula?

A) zero
B) one
C) two
D) four

Question 7

What is the Qur'an composed of?

A) the revelations of Allah to Muhammad
B) the teachings of Muhammad
C) the teachings and sayings of Muhammad
D) the revelations and teachings of Muhammad

Question 8

What are the "ships of the desert"?

A) camels
B) rivers
C) horses
D) caravans

Question 9

Which of the following conditions led to the demise of Southern Arabia in the 200s?

A) the new commercial route of the Ptolemaic Empire
B) interference with trade routes by Northern Arabians
C) prosperity of the Ethiopian kingdom of Axum on the Arabian peninsula
D) all of the above

Question 10

Which of the following statements about the Qur'an is NOT True?

A) It ends with the shortest passage in the book.
B) It is organized chronologically, beginning with creation.
C) It was written by secretaries who recorded Muhammad's words.
D) It was written in Arabic.

Question 11

How did Muhammad view the Christian and Jewish Bible?

A) It does not reflect the word of God.
B) It has been revised and translated so much that it no longer contains the fullness of divine revelation.
C) It lacks something because it was not based on divine inspiration.
D) It contains the totality of God's teaching, but Christians refuse to live according to its mandates.

Question 12

Why did city-states first emerge in the southwestern region of Arabia?

A) The region was closer to Mediterranean trade routes.
B) That area had more water.
C) The southern region had better rivers to link cities.
D) Its mountains provided good defense.

Question 13

Which of these was NOT a major power contending for control of Arabia in the second and third centuries?

A) Sasanian Persia
B) Roman Constantinople
C) Christian Ethiopia
D) Jews from Jerusalem

Question 14

Which of the following best describes pre-Islamic Mecca?

A) It was an agricultural city known for its allegiance to Zoroaster.
B) It was a religious and commercial center.
C) It was a center for trade dominated by Christians.
D) It was the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity.

Question 15

According to Muhammad, who is the father of the Arab peoples?

A) Moses
B) Abraham
C) Jesus
D) Adam

Question 16

Arabia in the 500s was

A) divided into Byzantine and Sasanian spheres.
B) unified under Egyptian rule.
C) unified under Roman rule.
D) politically fragmented.

Question 17

Why were Meccan businessmen concerned about the influence of Islam over their city?

A) because Islam encourages jihad and they were men who embraced peace
B) because Islam allows polygamy and they were concerned that this would cause men to spend less time in business pursuits and more time with their numerous wives
C) because Islam mandates strict monotheism and they were concerned that Mecca would lose its appeal to travelers
D) because Islam forbids the selling of graven images and this was a major business in Mecca

Question 18

Which of these created a Christian protectorate in Arabia?

A) Ethiopia
B) India
C) Rome
D) Persia

Question 19

The shrine in Mecca is called the

A) Hejira.
B) jihad.
C) Ka'ba.
D) Quraysh.

Question 20

The Islamic calendar begins with

A) the Hijra, or journey to Medina
B) Muhammad's death
C) Muhammad's first revelations
D) Muhammad's birth

Question 21

After Muhammad established an umma in Medina, he tried to reconcile with Meccans by

A) offering to make them citizens in the umma.
B) taking his followers on a pilgrimage to the Ka'ba.
C) sending a message asking for peace.
D) marrying the daughter of Mecca's chieftain.

Question 22

Which of the following statements concerning Mecca is NOT True?

A) It was the city of Muhammad's birth.
B) Muhammad lived in Mecca at the end of his life.
C) Muhammad left Mecca due to hostility toward his new religion, eventually returning.
D) Mecca was the first city to embrace Islam.

Question 23

What was the status of Islam at the time of Muhammad's death in 632?

A) Most of Arabia was united under Islam.
B) Only Medina was Muslim.
C) Islam had spread across North Africa.
D) He had gained only a handful of converts.

Question 24

What does "Islam" mean?

A) Following Muhammad's teaching.
B) Choosing peace over war.
C) Rejection of the things of the world.
D) Submission to the will of God.

Question 25

What must one do to become a Muslim?

A) Undergo public baptism.
B) Follow the five pillars.
C) Read the entire Qur'an.
D) Pass an oral exam on the doctrines of the faith.

Question 26

Why was the murder of Uthman important in the history of Islam?

A) It led to the foundation of the Abbasid dynasty.
B) It led to civil war and an enduring split among Muslims.
C) It meant the loss of extensive Muslim territory.
D) It allowed the Byzantine emperor to regain Anatolia.

Question 27

What arose from the choice of Uthman over Ali in 644?

A) the Abbasid dynasty
B) the Sunni-Shi'ite split
C) the spread of Islam in Arabia
D) the conquest of Persia

Question 28

Who was responsible for the spread of the Muslim realms to Egypt and Persia?

A) Abu Bakr
B) Umar
C) Uthman
D) Muhammad

Question 29

According to Muhammad, who built the Ka'ba?

A) Gabriel
B) Abraham
C) Moses
D) Muhammad

Question 30

Shi'ites consider themselves to be "the party of ____"

A) the Umayyads.
B) Ali.
C) Muawiya.
D) Uthman.

Question 31

Which of these is indicated by the term "caliph"?

A) religious righteousness
B) succession to Muhammad
C) legal duty
D) military leadership

Question 32

What was the umma created by Muhammad?

A) a group of preachers
B) the community of Islam
C) a group of disciples
D) Muslim priests

Question 33

What was the principle goal of Muslim converts in the 620s?

A) conversion of Mecca
B) spreading Islam outside of Arabia
C) conversion of Jews in Medina
D) building mosques throughout Arabia

Question 34

What did Ali and Uthman have in common?

A) They were both Jews who converted to Islam.
B) They were both members of the Quraysh family.
C) They were both Sunni Muslims.
D) They were both sons in law of the Prophet.

Question 35

The caliph delegated authority to his representatives known as

A) emirs.
B) ummas.
C) clerics.
D) imams.

Question 36

Which word meaning "struggle" or "striving" is often translated to mean "holy war"?

A) Hejira
B) jihad
C) caliph
D) umma

Question 37

Who was chosen as Muhammad's first successor?

A) his daughter, Fatima
B) his father-in-law, Abu Bakr
C) his uncle, Abbas
D) the leader of the Quraysh, Umar

Question 38

The pivotal event in Islamic history that symbolized the flight from paganism to monotheism was

A) the building of the Ka'bah.
B) Muhammad's journey to Medina.
C) the marriage of Muhammad and Khadija.
D) the establishment of the first caliphate.

Question 39

Which of these is the basis for a caliph's rule?

A) an agreement binding both ruler and ruled
B) political legitimacy
C) election by the umma
D) direct descent from Muhammad

Question 40

Which of these was the original meaning of jihad?

A) military conflict against unbelievers.
B) personal struggles with sin.
C) the obligation to always read the Qur'an aloud.
D) submission to the will of God.

Question 41

What was the long-term significance of the Battle of Tours?

A) Muslim expansion to the West ended.
B) Muslims took over Constantinople.
C) Muslims were expelled from Arabia.
D) Islam would continue to expand into Europe.

Question 42

According to the Shahadah, who is the "messenger" of God?

A) Muhammad
B) Abraham
C) Ali
D) Abu Bakr

Question 43

Shari`ah would be best described as

A) a new system of law, with no roots in older Arabic culture.
B) A purely secular legal system.
C) A way of life and pathway to paradise as well as a law code.
D) Incomplete, imperfect and subject to constant improvement.

Question 44

Polytheistic Arabs had never heard of Allah before Muhammad began his ministry.

Question 45

Abu Bakr was the first caliph.

Question 46

A Muslim house of prayer is called a/n

A) temple
B) mosque
C) umma
D) zakat

Question 47

Muslims believe that the world is divided between the House of Faith and the House of Disbelief.

Question 48

Muslims believe the Dome of the Rock was built on the site

A) of Jesus' resurrection.
B) where the Ka'ba first stood.
C) on which Abraham offered to sacrifice Ishmael.
D) where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

Question 49

Meccans before Muhammad had no knowledge of any monotheistic faith.

Question 50

The magnificent Dome of the Rock is in what city?

A) Mecca
B) Jerusalem
C) Damascus
D) Baghdad

Question 51

The importance of the Shari'ah in Islamic life is a reflection of Muhammad's role as a

A) arbitrator, lawgiver and judge.
B) theologian.
C) politician.
D) merchant.

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT prohibited by the Shari`ah?

A) gambling
B) intoxication
C) charging interest on loans
D) contraception

Question 53

To which of these are mosques oriented?

A) the Dome of the Rock
B) the East
C) the West
D) the Ka'ba

Question 54

Which of the following best describes the status of women in Islamic law?

A) Men and women are legally equal but men are socially inferior.
B) Women cannot divorce or own property in their own right.
C) Women have certain rights, but they are not equal to men.
D) Women and men are complete equals, for both are children of God.

Question 55

Which of these is denied to women under the Shari`ah?

A) divorce
B) multiple husbands
C) remarriage after divorce
D) property ownership

Question 56

What did the Umayyads and Abbasids have in common?

A) support for Sunni and Shi'ite Islam
B) membership in the Quraysh clan
C) descent from daughters of Muhammad
D) personal selection by Muhammad as his successors

Question 57

In Medina Muhammad announced that Abraham was a greater prophet than Moses.

Question 58

Nearly all Meccan merchants initially rejected Muhammad's message.

Question 59

The Islamic legal code is known as the

A) jihad.
B) minaret.
C) mosque.
D) Shari`ah.

Question 60

What was the outcome of s the Battle of Tours?

A) The Muslims defeated the Byzantine Empire.
B) The Byzantine Empire defeated a Germanic invasion.
C) The army of Charles Martel defeated an Arab-Berber invasion.
D) Uthman defeated Umar.

Question 61

According to the Shari`ah, what is the maximum number of wives that a man is allowed to take at one time?

Question 62

The Shari`ah is now considered unchangeable by most Muslims.

Question 63

Discuss the conflict within Islam after the death of Muhammad.

Question 64

According to Muslims, who is "the messenger of God"?

Question 65

Evaluate the significance of camels in Arabia.

Question 66

Evaluate changes in Mecca after the founding of Islam.

Question 67

Who defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours?

Question 68

Discuss ways in which the Islamic Empire differed from other great empires such as China, Persia, and Rome.

Question 69

According to Muhammad, who brought Allah's message to him?

Question 70

Mosques do not contain portraits.

Question 71

A Muslim caliph has political, but no religious authority.

Question 72

Discuss the conflict between Uthman and Ali.

Question 73

What is the name of the Islamic legal code?

Question 74

Who was Muhammad's first wife?

Question 75

Discuss differing views concerning the meaning of jihad.

Question 76

What is the umma?

Question 77

How is the Qur'an organized?

Question 78

In which year did Muhammad leave Mecca and travel to Medina?

Question 79

Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims initially split over the question of who should be the caliph.

Question 80

How was the Qur'an recorded?