Empire of Faith
Directions: Please complete the following discussion questions after viewing the film clip. A * symbol indicates that the question should be answered after the video has finished.
“Spread of Islam” (about 12 mins: start at 42:56 end at 53:55)
1a. By now the Empire was larger than ______.
1. How did the Muslim conquerors treat the people they conquered in terms of their old customs of government and religion?
2. Why might these practices have allowed them to control so much territory? Consider, what peoples generally find the most and least appealing traits of being controlled by an Empire.*
3a.What 2 Ancient Empires, which had collapsed, were replaced in some areas by the Muslim Empire?
3b. Side by Side the two faiths shared the same building in ______.
3. List 2 advances in water based technologies which were made by the Muslim Empire.
4. Why is irrigation especially important in this part of the world?*
5a. ______flourished as life giving staples like ______were introduced into the Mediterranean region.
5. What event involving Abraham is said to have occurred at the “Dome of the Rock”?
6. It (the Dome of the Rock) was built to rival the nearby Church of the Holy Seplicur where ______was said to have been buried.
6a. List 3 adjectives which describe the Dome of the Rock.*
6b. Only two years after the taking of Mecca, ______died.
7. Why did Muhammad not want his grave to be marked?
8a. According to the ______faction, the Shia of Ali, Muhammad had indeed designated Ali, his son in law and cousin as his successor.
8b. The ______opinion held that Muhammad had not appointed a successor during his life but had said, after I am gone, choose one from among your peers.
8. What is the basic disagreement between Sunnis and Shiites regarding who the caliph should be?*
9. “ If you worship Muhammad know that he is dead. If you worship God, know that he lives forever.”
-Abu Bakr
9a. What did Bakr mean when he spoke these words?*
9b. How does this quote represent an important reason that Islam endured beyond Muhammad’s lifetime?*
9c. The power of ______people bound by a common ______.