1. Society and Culture Preview Main Idea / Reading Focus Muslim Society
Muslim Scholarship
Faces of History: al-Khwarizmi
Arts and Literature
Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
Video: The Impact of Islam throughout the World

2. Society and Culture Main Idea Reading Focus
For the first Muslims, Islam was more than a religion. It was a guide to political, social and cultural life. The early Muslims responded with spectacular achievement in many fields.
Reading Focus
What were some key features of Muslim society?
What were some of the accomplishments of Muslim scholarship?
What were some of the contributions to the arts made by Muslim artists?

3. Muslim Society The Family Women
Islam affected almost all aspects of daily life, providing guidance on how Muslims should deal with many issues.
Islam set forth roles within family
Man head of family
Men could have several wives
Husbands supposed to treat all wives equally
Rights of women, children protected
The Family
Rights of women varied from clan to clan prior to Islam
According to Qur’an, women equal to men before Allah
Women could inherit property, seek divorce in some cases
Played vital roles
Went into battle
Influenced politics
Lost status in Abbasid dynasty
Women

4. Slavery
Islamic texts also addressed slavery, common in Muslim Empire
Qur’an did not condemn slavery, required slaves be treated fairly
Freeing slaves praised as religious act
Treatment of slaves improved, but remained part of society, economy
Economy
Economic life of Muslim community built largely on commerce
Merchants followed trade routes east, west across Arabian Peninsula
Traders developed practical business methods, spread use of coinage, standardized weights, measures, extended credit
Trade provided much of wealth to maintain empire, spread faith

5. What are three aspects of life that are addressed in Islamic texts?
Identify
What are three aspects of life that are addressed in Islamic texts?
Answer(s): family life, slavery, and trade relationships

6. Muslim Scholarship
Learning added to Muslim cultural unity. Scholars made essential contributions in several fields. Many later European intellectual achievements grew out of the work of Muslim scholars.
Scholarship thrived in the Muslim world
Islam commanded followers to examine their world, seek evidence of Allah in its wonders
A Culture of Learning
Caliphate vast, included many different cultures
Particularly influential were Greek, Persian, Indian civilizations
Vastness of Caliphate
Translation into Arabic of works of ancient Greece
Much work took place at House of Wisdom, maintained by government at Baghdad
Contributions

8. Valuable Contributions
Through translations from Greek, texts from Hippocrates, Euclid, Galen, Ptolemy made available to new audiences
Texts stimulated further study throughout Muslim world
Influence of texts extended to Europe; eventually translated into Latin, made available to European scholars
Translations
Exchange point for much of knowledge
Muslim scholar of Cordoba, Ibn Rushd wrote commentaries on Aristotle
His work on relationship between reason, faith influenced not just Muslim but also Jewish, Christian thinking into the 1400s
Muslim Spain

9. Astronomy Discoveries Almagest Astronomers
Muslim scholars explored astronomy, some stars still bear names given by Muslim discoverers
Astronomy came to Muslim world through texts from Persia, India
Almagest
Most important influence on astronomy, Ptolemy’s work, first translated into Arabic 800s
Described movements of heavenly bodies, gave tables for predicting paths
Astronomers
Muslim astronomers built observatories; helped create calendar still in use
Muslims needed to predict phases of moon to plan religious festivals
Perfected astrolabe, used in navigation to plot positions of stars, planets

10. Muslims also made advances in mathematics
From India, adopted symbols 0 through 9
Making its way to Europe, this system became known as Arabic numerals
Algebra and trigonometry also came from Muslim thinkers

11. Medicine and Beyond Other Fields of Study History
Medicine highly developed in the Muslim world
Doctors in Baghdad had to pass rigorous tests in order to practice
Baghdad had world’s first school of pharmacy
Muslim doctors developed many skills, including eye surgery
Scores of different instruments invented, perfected
Ibn Sina most well-known medical scholar of time
Geographers made many strides
Empire included many different lands, people
Pilgrims needed to find way to Mecca, travel guides written
One geographer measured earth’s circumference with much accuracy
Other Fields of Study
1300s, Ibn Khaldun wrote history of world
Historians still interested in comments
Warned against basic errors like bias, praising rulers too highly in order to gain favor
History

12. What were some of the fields in which Muslim scholars excelled?
Summarize
What were some of the fields in which Muslim scholars excelled?
Answer(s): astronomy, medicine, mathematics, philosophy, history

13. Arts and Literature Artistic Expression Islamic Art Idolatry
Like scholarly life, Muslim artistic expression rich, varied
Developed distinctive features, influenced by many cultures in vast empire
Islamic Art
Muslim artists worked in range of materials, wood, metal, ceramics, textiles
Religious art does not contain human, animal figures
Idolatry
Believed portraying people, animals could tempt worship
Worshipping anyone, anything besides Allah the worst possible sin
Patterns, Designs
Avoidance of figures led to use of geometric patterns, floral designs
Intricate design known as an arabesque

14. Calligraphy
Another distinctive feature of Islamic art, calligraphy—beautifully styled writing
Artists who produced copies of Qur’an sought perfection in reproduction of word of Allah
Artful representation of words became central part of Islamic art
Calligraphy appears on walls of mosques, adorns many household objects

15. Architecture in Muslim world also developed distinctive features
Muslim Architecture
Architecture in Muslim world also developed distinctive features
Several forms, plans for building mosques developed
All have features in common
Minarets, tall towers from which faithful called to prayer
Domes
Some show Persian, Turkish influence in designs

16. Literature Qur’an Nonreligious works Poets
Most significant written work in Islam is Qur’an itself
Clear style, message have won millions of converts to the faith
Influenced later development of Arabic language
Nonreligious works
Arabian Nights tells how beautiful young woman saved herself and other women from murderous caliph
The tales were collected over time, include contributions from many countries
Poets
Produced works in several different languages
Jalal ad-Din Rumi’s Persian language poems of 1200s still recited today
Omar Khayyam’s The Rubaiyat celebrates simple pleasures

17. Identify Supporting Details
What are some features that identify Islamic art?
Answer(s): use of geometric patterns and floral designs, calligraphy

19. Video The Impact of Islam throughout the World
Click above to play the video.