Name ______________________________ Class ________________________ Date _____________
The Muslim World
Lesson 3
Muslim Culture
Key Terms and People
House of Wisdom center of learning established in Baghdad in the 800s
calligraphy art of beautiful handwriting
Before You Read
In the last lesson, you read about the expansion of Islam.
- *Muslim Empire
Diversity:*
- Encompassed
various lands and
cultures.
- Major cities like
Cordoba, Cairo, North
Africa, and Baghdad.
*Social Structure: *
- Divided into four
groups.
1. Born Muslims.
2. Converts to Islam.
3. Protected
Non-Muslims (Jews,
Christians,).
4. non-Muslim slaves.
*Women's Rights:*
1-Muslim law
emphasized male
authority.
2- Quran granted
economic and
property rights to
Muslim women.
3- Muslim scholars'
work translated,
reintroducing ancient
learning to Europe.
In this lesson, you will read about the cultural achievements of
Muslim society.
The achievements of Muslim society spanned
literature, art, and significant strides in medicine,
science, andmathematics.
As You Read
Use a diagram to take notes on the key elements of Muslim culture.
Muslim Society
Where and how did Muslims live?
The Muslim empire included people
of many different lands and cultures.
Major cities arose in the Muslim world.
They included Córdoba and Cairo,
centers of Muslim rule in Spain and
North Africa, and Baghdad, the
Abbasid capital.
Muslim society was divided into four
groups. At the top were people who were
Muslims from birth. Next came those
who converted to Islam. The third group
included Jews, Christians, and
Zoroastrians—protected because
Muslims shared some of their beliefs.
The fourth group were slaves, none of
whom were Muslims.
According to Muslim law, women
should obey men. But Muslim women
still enjoyed more rights than did those
living in European society at the time.
The Qur’an gave Muslim women some
economic and property rights. In early
Muslim society, women could also have
an education and take part in public life.
Later they lost those rights.
1. Name the four groups of
Muslim society.
Muslims by birth, converts,
protected people, slaves
Muslim Scholarship Extends
Knowledge
How did Muslim scholars keep
learning alive?
Muslims placed a high value on
learning and scholarship. Muslim
scholars added much to human
knowledge. Europe was in chaos, and
much of the knowledge of Europeans
was in danger of being lost. During this
time, Muslim scholars collected ancient
Greek, Indian, and Persian works of
science and philosophy. The scholars
translated these works into Arabic. One
center of this study was the House of
Wisdom in Baghdad. Later, this
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Guided Reading Workbook
*High Value on
Learning:*
- Muslims highly
valued learning and
scholarship.
*Preservation of
Knowledge:*
- Muslim scholars
contributed significantly to
human knowledge.
- Actively collected and
translated ancient Greek,
Indian, and Persian
scientific and
philosophical works into
Arabic.
Muslim scholarship played a crucial role in preserving and expanding knowledge, influencing various fields and
contributing to advancementsinagriculture.
Name ______________________________ Class ________________________ Date
*House of Wisdom:*
- A significant center in
for the study and
_____________Baghdad
translation of various works.
Lesson 3, continued
ancient learning returned to Europe
when the works of Muslim scholars
were translated.
2. Explain how Muslim scholars helped
save the learning of the West.
Muslim scholars preserved and expanded
European knowledge.
*House of Wisdom:*
- Hub for scholars and
advisors.
- Blended Greek ideas ART AND SCIENCES FLOURISH
creatively; some
What were some achievements of
innovated independently.
*Literature and Quran:*
- Pre-Islamic literature
strong; Quran became
Arabic literature
standard.
- *"One Thousand and
One Nights":*
- Rich collection of
entertaining stories, fairy
tales, and legends.
*Islamic Art Practices:*
- Prohibition on
drawing people led to
the development of
*calligraphy* (beautiful
handwriting).
*Scientific
Achievements:*
- *Medicine:* Al-Razi
compiled medical
knowledge from
Greece to India.
- *Science:* Applied
experiments rather than
pure logic.
- Advancements in
understanding human
vision contributed to the
invention of the
telescope and
microscope.
*Mathematics:*
Al-Ghawarizi's
textbook laid
foundations for
algebra.
*Education and Public
Life:*
- Active participation
in public life, but later
experienced a decline
in rights.
Muslim society?
The House of Wisdom had many
scholars and advisers. Some scholars
used Greek ideas in new ways. Others
created original works.
Literature was a strong tradition
before Islam. Later, the Qur’an became
the standard for all Arabic literature and
poetry. The collection The Thousand and
One Nights included many entertaining
stories, fairy tales, and legends.
Muslims had their own special
practices in art. For instance, artists
could not draw pictures of people. Only
Allah, the religion said, could create life.
Unable to draw these images, Muslims
developed a new art form. They
practiced calligraphy, or the art of
beautiful handwriting.
Muslim scholars made great advances
in medicine and mathematics. The
physician al-Razi wrote an encyclopedia
that collected all that was known about
medicine from Greece to India. In
science, Muslims studied the work of
ancient Greek scientists but used
experiments rather than logic to reach
conclusions. One Muslim scientist made
new discoveries about how people see.
His findings helped lead to the invention
of the telescope and microscope. A
mathematician named al-Khwarizmi
wrote a textbook whose ideas were
developed into algebra.
*Agricultural Revolution:*
- Muslim agriculture
revolution from the 700s to
the 1200s.
- Traders introduced new
crops and growing
techniques.
- Engineers developed
efficient ways to water fields,
increasing crop production.
The Muslim Agricultural Revolution
happened from the 700s until the 1200s.
Traders introduced new crops and
growing techniques. Muslim engineers
developed ways to water fields and
produce more crops. With more food
available, the population could increase
and improve the economy.
3. Name four achievements of Muslim
scientists and mathematicians.
*Impact on Population
and Economy:*
- Increased food
production led to a
growing population and
improved economic
conditions.
Wrote an encyclopedia, discovered how
people see, wrote a textbook for algebra,
and developed ways to water fields
*Philosophy at the House of
Wisdom:*
- Scholars translated works
of ancient Greek
philosophers.
- Initially, not all ideas were
universally accepted.
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION
BLEND VIEWS
How did philosophy blend with
Islam?
*Ibn Rushd's Perspective:*
Philosophers at the House of Wisdom - Muslim philosopher Ibn
Rushd faced criticism for
also translated works of the ancient
blending Greek and Muslim
ideas.
Greek philosophers. Not all were
- Argued that both Greek
initially accepted.
philosophy and Islam
Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd was sought the truth.
criticized for trying to join Greek and
Integration:*
Muslim ideas. But he argued that Greek *Mimonides'
- Jewish philosopher
philosophy and Islam both searched for Mimonides, in the Muslim
empire, wrote a book
the truth. The Jewish philosopher
blending philosophy,
and science.
Maimonides, who lived in the Muslim religion,
- Faced criticism for his
Empire, was also criticized for his ideas. ideas.
He wrote a book that blended
*Diversity in Philosophical
philosophy, religion, and science.
Thought:*
- As the empire
As the empire flourished and grew,
flourished, philosophers
philosophers began to reflect the
reflected the diverse
within it.
different people who lived in the Muslim people
- Embraced values from
various cultures.
empire. Values of many cultures were
embraced. Their society developed a
*Concept of the Ideal
concept of the “ideal man” that
Man:*
- Society developed a
recognized the diversity of the empire.
concept of the ideal
In time, Muslims came to recognize the
man recognizing the
diversity of the empire.
value of their differences.
4. Why was Ibn Rushd criticized?
He blended Greek and Muslim ideas.
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Guided Reading Workbook
Recognition of
Differences:*
- Over time, Muslims
recognized the value of
their differences,
fostering a more
inclusive perspective.
Name ______________________________ Class ________________________ Date _____________
Lesson 3, continued
As you read about Muslim culture, write notes to help you summarize
Muslim achievements in each area.
1. Muslim society
2. Medicine, math, and science
– Created a House of Wisdom
– Focused on using old ideas
in new ways
3. Philosophy
– Wrote an encyclopedia for
medicine
– Used experiments to test ideas
– Discovered how people see
– Developed algebra
4. Literature and the arts
– Translated the work of Greek
philosophers
– Blended ideas of many cultures
– Started using creative stories
– Practiced calligraphy
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
108
Guided Reading Workbook