srpead of islam

Why did Islam Spread So Quickly?
DBQ

The student will write a five paragraph essay that answers the question “Why did Islam spread so quickly?” Students will use the Background Reading and all six documents as sources of evidence to why Islam spread so rapidly. Students will analyze each of the six documents, answer related questions, cite each source, provide the main idea for each document, make general observations about each document, and come up with an analytical category to possibly place each document in.

Answer the questions that follow for each of the below documents. After answering a document’s questions, be sure to include a citation, main idea, generalizations, and a descriptive analytical category that the document might fall under.

Background Reading: Be sure to highlight any important information. Do this by highlighting the main idea for each paragraph in the background reading.

Document A:

1. Cite the source: Where does this document come from?
2. What year does this map illustrate?
3. Does this year come before or after the birth of Islam?
4. What is the map illustrating?
5. What was an important economic activity that was occurring during this time period?
6. How wide-spread was this economic activity?
7. How did people throughout this region benefit from this economic activity?
8. What was the purpose of this economic activity?
9. Main Idea: What is the main idea of this document?
10. Taking into account that you are to use this document to help answer the question “Why did Islam spread so quickly”, how could you use this document to illustrate how Islam did spread so quickly?
11. Analytical Category: What category might you be able to place this document in? For example, do you think this article would be well suited to be in a category about geography, economics, or religion? You can place a document under multiple categories.

Document B:

1. Cite the source: Where does this document come from?
2. What promises are made by these versus?
3. What ideas illustrated in these versus might people be attracted to?
4. Main Idea: What are the overall messages that are being given in the verses?
5. Taking into account that you are to use this document to help answer the question “Why did Islam spread so quickly”, how could you use this document to illustrate how Islam did spread so quickly?
6. Analytical Category: What analytical category might you be able to place this document in?

Document C:

1. Cite the source: Where does this document come from? (This map is from various sources so that is all you say here).
2. Looking at the key or legend, describe what this map is portraying.
3. What geographic features likely helped Islam to spread?
4. What geographic regions did Islam spread to and when?
5. Main Idea:
6. Taking into account that you are to use this document to help answer the question “Why did Islam spread so quickly”, how could you use this document to illustrate how Islam did spread so quickly?
7. Analytical Category: What analytical category might you be able to place this document in?

Document D:

1. Cite the source: Where does this document come from?
2. What was the Ummah?
3. What was the Ghazu?
4. Why did Arabs use the Ghazu?
5. What aspect of Islam stopped the use of the Ghazu against other Arabs?
6. What did Muslims do in order to scratch out a living once the Ghazu was considered unacceptable to use on other Arabs?
7. Main Idea:
8. Taking into account that you are to use this document to help answer the question “Why did Islam spread so quickly”, how could you use this document to illustrate how Islam did spread so quickly?
9. Analytical Category: What analytical category might you be able to place this document in?

Document E:

1. Cite the source: Where does this document come from?
2. Note: When did Muhammad die?
3. What is a Caliph?
4. What is the judge in this document describing?
5. What are a few of these ordinances describing?
6. Review Ordinance Number 7- How might this ordinance have influenced religious membership?
7. *What is a Pact?
8. *What was the Jizyah?
9. How did the Jizyah likely influence religious membership?
10. Main Idea:
11. Taking into account that you are to use this document to help answer the question “Why did Islam spread so quickly”, how could you use this document to illustrate how Islam did spread so quickly?
12. Analytical Category: What analytical category might you be able to place this document in? This document obviously is religious in nature but when trying to think about where this document might be placed in a body paragraph, what overarching message is being given in this document and what category might that relate to? In other words, is there a political reason or economic motivation which could have led to a spread in Islam?

Document F:

1. Cite the source: Where does this document come from?
2. Note from Teacher: The Byzantine Empire was a split from the Roman Empire that existed in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Byzantines developed Eastern Orthodox Christianity which is split from Catholicism.
3. Who were the people of Hims? Read in the Note
4. Describe the battle that is taking place in this document:
5. Why were the Muslims (Moslems) giving the land tax back to the people of Hims?
6. What did the people of Hims decide to do and why?
7. What was the outcome of this battle?
8. Main Idea:
9. Taking into account that you are to use this document to help answer the question “Why did Islam spread so quickly”, how could you use this document to illustrate how Islam did spread so quickly?
10. Analytical Category: What analytical category might you be able to place this document in?

Now, using the documents and the information you recorded write a five paragraph essay explaining how Islam may have spread so quickly. Be sure to cite all six documents as a source of information for explaining your reasoning. Simply cite the documents within your paper as such:

Ex. One reason Islam spread so rapidly was due to the extensive caravan trade networks that were established throughout Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (Document A). People traded spices, silk, and other profitable items along these routes and over a short period of time, Islam was able to spread throughout this region from 632 to 750 CE as people encountered new people and ideas spread (Document C). Trade routes have always been a source for the movement of people, goods, and ideas.

Essay Outline

1. Introductory Paragraph- Provide background information here from the background reading. Provide the reader (audience) the questions that you are trying to answer- Why did Islam spread so quickly? Finally, provide your thesis with roadmap. In other words, what analytical categories can you give for why Islam may have spread so quickly. Were there geographic reasons, political reasons, economic reasons, and/or purely religious reasons that Islam may have spread so rapidly?
2. Body Paragraph 1- What is one reason that Islam may have spread so quickly? Provide an analysis of one reason why you think Islam may have spread so rapidly. Back up your argument by citing at least once source for each argument that you make. You will need to use all of your documents somewhere so try to use at least two documents, in each body paragraph to support your reasoning.
3. Body Paragraph 2- What is one reason that Islam may have spread so quickly? Provide an analysis of one reason why you think Islam may have spread so rapidly. Back up your argument by citing at least once source for each argument that you make.
4. Body Paragraph 3- What is one reason that Islam may have spread so quickly? Provide an analysis of one reason why you think Islam may have spread so rapidly. Back up your argument by citing at least once source for each argument that you make.
5. Conclusion Paragraph- Restate your thesis. Provide a brief summary of the major points you made in your body paragraphs. What other information is possibly needed to really uncover how Islam may have spread so quickly?