7th grade Islam Lesson
Unit Topic:
The Rise of Islam and the creation of the Muslim Empires
Unit Focus Question: How did Islam develop and expand Muslims’ influence to become a powerful
empire in the Middle Ages?
History-Social Science Content Standards:
7.2: Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations
of Islam in the Middle Ages.
4: Discuss the expansion of Muslim rule through military conquests and treaties, emphasizing the
cultural blending within Muslim civilization and the spread and acceptance of Islam and the Arabic language.
5: Describe the growth of cities and the establishment of trade routes among Asia, Africa, and Europe,
the products and inventions that traveled along these routes (e.g., spices, textiles, paper, steel, new crops), and
the role of merchants in Arabic society.
6: Understand the intellectual exchanges among Muslim scholars of Eurasia and Africa and the
contributions Muslim scholars made to later civilizations in the areas of science, geography, mathematics,
philosophy, medicine, art, and literature.
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills 6-8:
Research, Evidence, and Point of View 3: Students distinguish relevant from irrelevant information, essential
from incidental information, and verifiable from unverifiable information in historical narratives and stories.
Historical Interpretation 2: Students understand and distinguish cause, effect, sequence, and correlation in
historical events, including the long- and short-term causal relations.
Common Core Reading Standards
Key Ideas and Details 2. Determine the central ideas of information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
Craft and Structure 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social or economic aspects of history/social science.
Writing Standards
Text types and purposes 1.c. Use words, phrases and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and
clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and
counterclaims.
Lesson Focus Question 1: How did Islam develop? Mohammed’s life, tenets of Islam, unification of Medina
and Mecca (Arabia)
Lesson Focus Question 2: How and why did the Muslim Empire expand? Umayyad Caliphate, Golden Age
Lesson Focus Question3: How did the achievements of the medieval Muslim empires continue to spread
and endure after their decline?
Teaching Thesis: Through military conquest and trade, the Muslim culture spread to the peoples they ruled.
The expansion of the Muslim empires connected the world from China to Europe and into Africa. The many
achievements of this culture contributed to the spread of Islam and the Arabic language, in addition to the many
advances in science, government, and the arts. Many of these advances by the Muslim Empires have endured
into modern times.
Trade Helps Islam Spread
Islam gradually spread through areas the Muslims conquered. At the same time trade helped spread Islam into
other areas as well. Arabia’s crossroads location gave Muslim merchants easy access to South Asia, Europe,
and Africa.
Merchants and the Spread of Islam
Along with their trade goods, Arab merchants took Islamic beliefs to new lands. For example, merchants
introduced Islam into India. Although many Indian kingdoms remained Hindu, coastal trading cities soon had
large Muslim communities. In Africa, societies often had both African and Muslim customs. For example,
Arabic influenced local African languages. Also, many African leaders converted to Islam.
Between 1200 and 1600, Muslim traders carried Islam as far east as what are now Malaysia and Indonesia.
Even today, Islam is a major influence on life there.
Products and Inventions
In addition to helping spread Islam, trade brought new products to Muslim lands and made many people rich.
First, new products and inventions created by other peoples made their way to the Muslim world. For example,
Arabs learned from the Chinese how to made paper and use gunpowder. New crops such as cotton, rice, and
oranges arrived from India, China, and Southeast Asia. Second, traders made money on trade between regions.
In addition to trade with Asia, African trade was important to Muslim merchants. Many merchants set up
businesses next to African market towns. They wanted African products such as ivory, cloves and slaves. In
return they offered fine white pottery called porcelain from China, cloth goods from India, and iron from
Southwest Asia and Europe. Arab traders even traveled south across the Sahara, the world’s largest desert, to
get gold. In exchange, they brought the Africans salt, which was scarce south of the desert.
A Mix of Cultures
As Islam spread through trade, warfare, and treaties, Arabs came in contact with people who had different
beliefs and lifestyles than they did. Muslims generally practiced religious tolerance, or acceptance, with regard
to people they conquered. In other words, the Muslims did not ban all religions other than Islam in the lands.
Jews and Christians in particular kept many of their rights, since they shared some beliefs with Muslims.
Although Jews and Christians were allowed to practice their own religions, they had to pay a special tax. They
also had to follow the rules of the treaties governing conquered peoples.
Many people conquered by the Arabs converted to Islam. Along with Islamic beliefs, these people often
adopted other parts of Arabic culture. For example, many people started speaking Arabic. The Arabs also
adopted some of the customs of the people they conquered. For example, they copied a Persian form of
bureaucracy in their government.
As Islam spread, language and religion helped unify the many groups that became part of the Islamic world.
Cultural blending changed Islam from a mostly Arab religion into a religion of many different cultures.
-World History: Medieval to Early Modern Times, Holt, 2006, pages 82-83.
How did trade contribute to the expansion of the Muslim empires?
Reading Strategy- Cause and Effect
because
Cause
the Muslims conquered areas
because
At the same time trade
because
Arabia’s crossroads location
Effect
Islam gradually spread
Questions/Conclusions
How did Islam spread?
Questions/Conclusions
Thesis
In addition to helping spread Islam, trade brought new
products to Muslim lands and made many people rich.
First, new products and inventions created by other
peoples made their way to the Muslim world.
Evidence 1
Asia
Supporting
details 1Supporting
details 2
Evidence 2
Africa
Second, traders made money on trade between regions.
In addition to trade with Asia, African trade was important
to Muslim merchants.
Supporting
details 1Supporting
details 2
Supporting
details 3
In return they offered fine white pottery called porcelain
from China, cloth goods from India, and iron from
Southwest Asia and Europe.
Supporting
details 4
Supporting
details 5
How did the Muslim empires create a global trade network?
because
because
Cause
As Islam spread through trade,
warfare, and treaties,
Effect
Muslims generally practiced
religious tolerance, or
acceptance, with regard to
people they conquered. In other
words, the Muslims did not ban
all religions other than Islam in
the lands.
Although
they had to pay a special tax.
They also had to follow the rules
of the treaties governing
conquered peoples.
converted to Islam. Along with
Islamic beliefs, these people
often adopted other parts of
Arabic culture. For example,
many people started speaking
Arabic.
because
because
The Arabs also adopted some of
the customs of the people they
conquered.
As
Islam spread
because
Cultural blending
language and religion helped
unify the many groups that
became part of the Islamic world.
How did the expansion of the Muslim Empires influence the exchange of cultures?
Questions/Conclusions
KEY- Reading Strategy- Cause and Effect
because
Cause
the Muslims conquered areas
Effect
Islam gradually spread
Questions/Conclusions
because
At the same time trade
because
Arabia’s crossroads location
helped spread Islam into other
areas as well.
gave Muslim merchants easy
access to South Asia, Europe, and
Africa.
How did Islam spread? Three factors contributed to the spread of Islam: military conquest, trade and Arabia’s
crossroads location.
Questions/Conclusions
Thesis
Evidence 1
Asia
Supporting
details 1-
In addition to helping spread Islam, trade brought new
products to Muslim lands and made many people rich.
First, new products and inventions created by other
peoples made their way to the Muslim world.
For example, Arabs learned from the Chinese how to
made paper and use gunpowder.
New crops such as cotton, rice, and oranges arrived from
India, China, and Southeast Asia.
Supporting
details 2
Evidence 2
Africa
Second, traders made money on trade between regions.
Supporting
details 1-
Many merchants set up businesses next to African market
towns.
Supporting
details 2
Supporting
details 3
They wanted African products such as ivory, cloves and
slaves.
In return they offered fine white pottery called porcelain
from China, cloth goods from India, and iron from
Southwest Asia and Europe.
Arab traders even traveled south across the Sahara, the
world’s largest desert, to get gold.
In exchange, they brought the Africans salt, which was
scarce south of the desert.
Supporting
details 4
Supporting
details 5
In addition to trade with Asia, African trade was important
to Muslim merchants.
How did the Muslim empires create a global trade network?
because
Cause
As Islam spread through trade,
warfare, and treaties,
Effect
Arabs came in contact with
people who had different beliefs
and lifestyles than they did.
Jews and Christians in particular
kept many of their rights, since
they shared some beliefs with
Muslims.
because
Muslims generally practiced
religious tolerance, or
acceptance, with regard to
people they conquered. In other
words, the Muslims did not ban
all religions other than Islam in
the lands.
Although
Jews and Christians were
allowed to practice their own
religions,
they had to pay a special tax.
They also had to follow the rules
of the treaties governing
conquered peoples.
because
Many people conquered by the
Arabs
because
The Arabs also adopted some of
the customs of the people they
conquered.
converted to Islam. Along with
Islamic beliefs, these people
often adopted other parts of
Arabic culture. For example,
many people started speaking
Arabic.
For example, they copied a
Persian form of bureaucracy in
their government
As
Islam spread
because
Cultural blending
language and religion helped
unify the many groups that
became part of the Islamic world.
changed Islam from a mostly
Arab religion into a religion of
many different cultures.
How did the expansion of the Muslim Empires influence the exchange of cultures?
Questions/Conclusions
Reading to Writing Strategy
Questions: Lesson Focus Question3: How did the achievements of the medieval Muslim empires continue to spread and endure after their
decline?
Holt pgs. 94-99
Achievements
Description
How it spread?
How has it endured?
Astronomy
Geography
Mathematics
Medicine
Philosophy
Literature
Architecture
Art
Language
(throughout entire unit)
Religion
(throughout entire unit)
Writing Prompt
Background: Within 100 years of his death, the teachings of Muhammad spread throughout a vast empire by his followers. By the mid 700’s, the
Muslim empire spread to Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and part of central Asia and India. Throughout the next 800 years Muslim empires
expanded to India, North and West Africa. This conquest influenced the people in those lands in many ways.
Question: How did the achievements of the medieval Muslim empires continue to spread and endure after their decline in the 14th century?
Expectations:
 Write a paragraph with a thesis statement supported by at least three examples of Muslim achievements.
 Each example should have concrete details of how they spread and endured.
 Explain why each of the examples is significant (important).
 End with a conclusion which restates the thesis in different words.
Thesis: The achievements of the Muslim empires that were most important to the continued spread and endurance of the Muslim culture were the
____________________________________, ___________________________________, and ______________________________________.
Evidence 1: For example ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Analysis: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Evidence 2: Another important cultural achievement was _____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Analysis: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Evidence 3: Finally, the most long lasting effect of Muslim culture was ____________________________________________________________.
Analysis: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Conclusion: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Writing Prompt-Key
Background: Within 100 years of his death, the teachings of Muhammad spread throughout a vast empire by his followers. By the mid 700’s, the
Muslim empire spread to Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and part of central Asia and India. Throughout the next 800 years Muslim empires
expanded to India, North and West Africa. This conquest influenced the people in those lands in many ways.
Question: How did the achievements of the medieval Muslim empires continue to spread and endure after their decline in the 14 th century?
Expectations:
 Write a paragraph with a thesis statement supported by at least three examples of Muslim achievements.
 Each example should have concrete details of how they spread and endured.
 Explain why each of the examples is significant (important).
 End with a conclusion which restates the thesis in different words.
Thesis: The achievements of the Muslim empires that were most important to the continued spread and endurance of the Muslim culture were
medicine, mathematics, and the Islamic religion.
Evidence 1: The Muslims were the first to have public hospitals. Their training of doctors and written texts of diseases and drugs were great
advancements.
Analysis: The Muslim systems of educating and providing medical services were translated into Latin and contributed to the advancement of medical
treatments throughout Europe.
Evidence 2: Another important cultural achievement was the number system they developed. It combined Indian number systems with Greek
mathematics. The Muslim mathematician, al-Khwarizmi wrote a book which was the foundation of algebra.
Analysis: This number system is the system we use today.
Evidence 3: Finally, the most long lasting effect of Muslim culture was the religion, Islam because it gave people a code of conduct, laws, and a set
of belief.
Analysis: This had a lasting impact because today Islam remains one of the world’s major religions.
Conclusion: These accomplishments show how the spread of Islamic power influenced the cultures and societies they conquered, traded with, and
ruled.