Review Questions
1
.
What two empires were at war during much of Muhammad’s prophetic career?
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the Mughal and the Sasanians
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the Byzantines and the Sasanians
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the Byzantines and the Aksumites
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the Himyarites and the Holy Roman Empire
2
.
According to Muslim belief, which of the following statements is true?
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Muhammad was the first in a long line of monotheistic prophets.
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Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad were the same person.
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Muslims worship the same God as Jewish people and Christians.
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Islam is a polytheistic faith.
3
.
What is the holy scripture of Islam?
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Quran
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Torah
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Bible
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Kaaba
4
.
What united the members of Muhammad’s ummah?
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the use of the Arabic language and service to the Byzantine Empire
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the belief in one God, Muhammad’s leadership, and mutual defense
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previous membership in the Jewish faith
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residence in the city of Mecca
5
.
What state was defeated and assimilated into the early Islamic state?
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Han China
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Aksumite Ethiopia
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Byzantine Empire
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Sasanian Persia
6
.
In the earliest decades of Muslim rule, what was the most important differentiator of status?
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Muslim versus non-Muslim
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Arab versus Persian
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conqueror versus conquered
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Byzantine versus Roman
7
.
Who were the mawali in early Islamic society?
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non-Arab converts to Islam
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religious leaders of the young Muslim community
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caravan traders traveling along the Silk Roads
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the first dynasty of Islam
8
.
What were the Ridda Wars?
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a conflict between Muslims and other Arab tribes that began the conquest of Arabia
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the Arab-Muslim invasion of Sasanian Persia
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the first Islamic civil war
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an uprising of enslaved people against the Umayyad dynasty
9
.
Why did the Muslims create Baghdad as a new capital city?
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No other cities were hospitable to the Arabs, so they needed to build their own.
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The Abbasids wanted to return the capital of their empire to Arabia.
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The Byzantines recaptured the old capital city of Damascus.
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The center of the Islamic world was shifting eastward after the Abbasid Revolution.
10
.
Where was the province of Khurasan located?
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Western Arabia
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Northeastern Persia
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Southeastern Persia
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North Africa
11
.
What did the process of Islamization look like during the early Abbasid period?
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Christians adopted the Arabic language and Islamic forms of dress while not necessarily converting to Islam.
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The entire Indigenous population of the Middle East and North Africa converted to Islam.
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People feared Muslims and the Muslim faith more generally.
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Arab-Muslims refused to allow any non-Arabs to convert to Islam.
12
.
What was a defining feature of the earliest supporters of Ali, who became the Shia?
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the refusal to recognize Muhammad as an Islamic prophet
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the elevation of the family of Muhammad through his son in-law Ali
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a belief in multiple gods that are subservient to the one God of Islam
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the refusal to support the Abbasid family over the Umayyads in the Abbasid Revolution