The Islamic World

Discussion Questions

1. How did the geography of the Arabian Peninsula influence life in the region?
2. Why did Muhammad’s visions cause a problem in Mecca? How might this reflect the politics of the region at the time?
3. Take turns talking about the importance of Qu’ran, the hadith, and shari’a law within Islam?
4. What is the Seal of the Prophet? How do Christianity and Judaism fit into Islam?
5. How do the Five Pillars of Faith reflect the universalizing aspect of Islam?
6. How is Jerusalem significant to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism? What has been the long term results of that significance?
7. Why was Islam able to spread so quickly throughout the Middle East? Compare this with the spread of Christianity.
8. How did the Sunni and Shi’ite split occur?
9. What was the result of moving the capital from Medina to Damascus?
10. How did the Umayyad government rule its territories?
11. How did the Umayyad government treat Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslims (mawali)?
12. How did the Abbasids respond to the issue of ruling non-Muslims? What impact did it have?
13. What impact did the long term Islamic presence have in the Middle East? How is this similar to Confucianism and Hinduism?
14. What factors contributed to the weakening of the Abbasid Empire?