What led to the expansion of Islamic thought and culture in the seventh and eighth centuries?
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary. The relative ease of conversion, the diffusion through trade caravans, connection to other monotheistic religions, and dissatisfaction of populations under Byzantine rule all allowed for a rapid expansion of Islam in the time period. To become a Muslim, one had only to recite the creed three times in front of qualified witnesses and adhere to the Five Pillars of Islam. The religion started in Mecca and Medina and was transmitted through trade caravans as part of Muhammad's family connections, which enabled the religion to spread throughout the Arabian peninsula, and subsequently across North Africa quickly and easily. By proclaiming themselves as related to "people of the book" (dhimmi), Muhammad clarified that Islam was the last chapter of the monotheistic covenant started by Abraham, and that he was only one of many prophets previously identified within Judaism and Christianity. Finally, the dissatisfaction within the Byzantine empire of higher taxation led many Christians and Jews more willing to convert.
You might also like to view...
The writings of plantation mistresses show their lives to have been
A) idle. B) lonely. C) frivolous. D) entertaining. E) laborious.
Which of these led the way in exploration in the 1400s?
A) Spain B) France C) England D) Portugal
Which of the following is associated with Inca governance?
a. Not all defeated peoples were treated equally. b. A main service tax favored large families. c. Defeated leaders were allowed to continue to serve. d. Local high leaders could become a part of the Inca government as long as they learned Quechua. e. All of these choices.
In the late nineteenth century, the Tammany Hall political machine
A. operated out of Chicago. B. operated out of Chicago and saw its most famous boss, William M. Tweed, sent to prison. C. saw its most famous boss, William M. Tweed, sent to prison. D. was one of the few machines that did not engage in graft and corruption. E. All these answers are correct.