Chapter 12: Africa and the Spread of Islam: 400 – 1596
Things changed in Europe between 500 and 1500. Things also changed in Africa. In Arabia,
the prophet Muhammad founded a new religion called Islam. From about 1150 to 1200, the
Islamic world was the center of world civilization. In Africa, powerful kingdoms arose during
the “Golden Age.?? In this chapter, you will travel and trade with the people of Arabia, Ghana,
Mali, and Songhai.
Goals for Learning
To recognize that Islam is one of the great religions of the world
To identify contributions Arabs have made in science, mathematics, and literature
To compare three West African civilizations
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Where Muslims Live
Map Skills: This map shows the percentage of Muslims in Africa and Asia today. About one in
every five people on the earth today is of the Islam faith. More than 50 countries have
populations with a majority of Muslims. Most Muslims are Sunnis. About 10 to 15 percent are
Shi’ites.
Study the map carefully, then answer the following questions:
1. Which part of Africa, north or south, has the most Muslims?
2. What percent of Muslims is there in Chad?
3. What percent of Muslims is there in Tanzania?
4. Name three countries that are 90 to 100 percent Muslim.
5. Name three countries that are between 70 and 90 percent Muslim.
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Reading Strategy: Visualizing
Visualizing is like creating a movie in your mind. It will help you understand what you are
reading. Use the following ways to visualize a text:
Think about the order in which things are happening. That may be a clue to what will happen
next.
Look at the photographs, illustrations, and descriptive words.
Think about experiences in your own life that may add to the images.
Key Vocabulary Words
Lesson 1
Fast: To give up eating food for a while
Hegira: Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina; his flight from danger
Vision: A visit from God’s angel
Idol: A statue of a god that people worship
Qur’an: The holy book of the Muslims that contains the teachings of Islam
Alms: The money or care that one gives to the poor and needy
Hajj: The pilgrimage to Mecca that is a religious duty of all Muslims
Lesson 2
Jihad: A holy war fought by Muslims to spread Muhammad’s teachings
Mosque: A Muslim place of worship
Lesson 3
Infidel: One who does not believe in the religion of another person
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Lesson 1: The Rise of Islam
Objectives
To describe how the prophet Muhammad founded and spread Islam
To list the five basic duties each Muslim must accept
Fast
To give up eating food for a while
Vision
A visit from God’s angel
Hegira
Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina; his flight from danger
In 570, a man named Muhammad was born in Mecca in Arabia. When he was young, he saw
nomads fighting and suffering as they moved from one oasis to another.
Who Visited Muhammad in a Vision?
Once a year, Muhammad went to a desert cave to pray and to fast, or give up eating food for a
while. One year, the angel Gabriel came to him in this cave. Gabriel said, “O, Muhammad, you
are the messenger of Allah.?? Muhammad was to be God’s prophet.
In the beginning, Muhammad told only a few people about his vision, or visit from God’s
angel. Soon, he began to preach, but he had little success. The people of Mecca worshipped
hundreds of gods. They did not like the idea of only one god—Allah. Life became dangerous
for Muhammad and his followers in Mecca, so they had to flee the city.
What Was the Hegira?
In 622, the people in Yathrib invited Muhammad to come and preach. They accepted his
teachings and renamed their city Medina to honor Muhammad. (Medina means “City of the
Prophet.??) Historians call Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina the Hegira. This
word means a journey, or flight, from danger.
Muhammad’s teachings started a new religion—Islam. This Arabic word means to give oneself
to God. Those who surrender themselves to Allah are Muslims. The Hegira, or Muhammad’s
flight, is an important event for Muslims. The year of his journey is the first year of the Islamic
calendar.
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Idol
A statue of a god that people worship
Qur’an
The holy book of the Muslims that contains the teachings of Islam
Why Did Muhammad Return to Mecca?
Muhammad began to gather around him an army of 10,000 followers. In 630, he returned to
Mecca with his army and took over the city. He went to the center of the city. In a temple there,
called the Kaaba, people of Mecca worshipped statues, or idols, of their many gods.
Muhammad destroyed these idols and told the people, “There is but one God, and Allah is his
name.??
What Is the Holy Book of Islam?
Do you remember that the Bible contains the holy teachings of the Jews and Christians? The
holy book of the Muslims is the Qur’an (also spelled Koran). It contains the teachings of
Islam. That is, it contains the words God spoke to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.
The Qur’an says that God spoke to earlier prophets of the Jews and the Christians. Muslims
recognize the teachings of Judaism and Christianity. They believe that Jesus was born of the
spirit of God and did many wonderful things.
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Alms
The money or care that one gives to the poor and needy
Hajj
The pilgrimage to Mecca that is a religious duty of all Muslims
Reading Strategy: Visualizing
Create a graphic organizer of the Five Pillars. This will help you visualize them.
The angel Gabriel gave the Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad in the Arabic language. Because
of this, Muslims always study their holy book in Arabic. Translations could be wrong or the
reader might not understand them. As Islam spread across the world, so did the Arabic
language. Muslims still use Arabic for their religious services, even in non-Arab countries.
What Are the Five Pillars of Islam?
The Qur’an lists five duties, or pillars, for each Muslim. The first pillar is the statement of faith.
A person becomes a Muslim by announcing, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is
His Prophet.??
The second pillar is prayer. Muslims must pray five times a day wherever they are—in a field,
at home, or in an office. As they begin to pray, they face Mecca, their holy city. Then they go
through the motions of washing their heads, hands, and feet. To show their surrender to God,
they kneel, bow, and touch their foreheads to the ground.
The third pillar is the giving of alms. That is, Muslims help the poor and needy by giving
money to them or by caring for them. The fourth pillar includes a fast. During the holy month
of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. At the end of Ramadan, they celebrate with a
large meal and then give presents.
The fifth pillar of Islam is the Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca. At least once in their lifetime,
all Muslims who are able must visit Mecca. It is their religious duty. Visiting Mecca, the
birthplace of Muhammad, is often the high point of a Muslim’s life. All the pilgrims to Mecca
wear the same simple clothes. This shows that all people are the same before God. The pilgrims
follow special rules about what to do and say. Those who make the trip add the title “hajji?? to
their name. This means “someone who will go to heaven when he or she dies.??
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Lesson 1 Review
On a sheet of paper, write the answer to each question. Use complete sentences.
1. Who was Muhammad?
2. Why is Mecca an important city to Muslims?
3. What is the Qur’an?
4. Why is the Qur’an written in Arabic?
5. Identify three of the five pillars of Islam.
What do you think?
Why do you think that visiting Mecca is the high point of a Muslim’s life?
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Lesson 2: Islamic Civilization
Objectives
To identify the two groups of Muslims
To describe life in Islamic cities
To explain how Arabs treated conquered peoples of different religions
Muhammad died in 632. His death raised the question of who should succeed him. Different
answers to that question led to the creation of two groups of Muslims—the Sunnis and the Shia.
The Sunnis believe that Muhammad did not appoint a successor. Therefore, a new religious
leader could be chosen by a vote. The new leader did not have to be a relative of Muhammad.
Shi’ites believe that Muhammad appointed Ali as his successor. Ali was married to
Muhammed’s daughter. Shi’ites believe that a new religious leader should be related to
Muhammad. Eventually, these two groups developed different laws and religious practices.
Today, it’s believed that about 90% of Muslims are Sunnis.
Map Study: Spread of Islam (A.D. 632–750)
This map shows the three main periods in the spread of Islam from A.D. 632–750. At the time
Muhammad died in 632, where was Islam the strongest? What Spanish city did the Muslims
control? How far north was Baghdad from Mecca?
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Jihad
A holy war fought by Muslims to spread Muhammad’s teachings
Reading Strategy: Visualizing
What words in this paragraph help you visualize what you are reading?
How Did the Muslim Leaders Spread Islam?
Muslim leaders carried Muhammad’s teachings to others by means of holy wars, or jihads.
Islam spread across North Africa and into Europe. West and northward, it spread across the
Persian Empire and the Byzantine Empire to parts of India, Southeast Asia, and China.
What Were Islamic Cities Like?
In 750, the Abbasid dynasty became rulers of the Arabian Empire. The rulers built a new
capital—Baghdad—on the banks of the Tigris River. It became, and still is, an important center
of trade. Thousands of people worked for four years to build Baghdad. It had many large public
buildings, including libraries, hospitals, and gardens.
How Did Arabs Treat Others?
The Islamic Empire became rich because of its trade, farming, and respect for others. It
controlled the most important trade routes in the world. These routes linked together Africa,
Europe, and Asia. Islamic traders bought and sold things from all parts of Africa, China, India,
and Russia. Arab artisans made many things to sell to people in other places.
The Muslims improved farming. The lands of Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley produced more
than enough food. Farmers were able to feed the people who lived in the many large Arab
cities.
Arabs respected the cultures of people they conquered in their holy wars. They allowed Jews
and Christians to keep their own religions. Islamic culture blended the cultures of many people
with the Arab culture.
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Reading Strategy: Visualizing
How could this paragraph be written differently to create a stronger picture in your mind?
Writing About History
Some amazing discoveries are described here. Research one of them--how light travels, why a
curved lens makes things appear larger, different kinds of chemistry equipment—or something
else that is mentioned in this section--and draw it in your notebook. Be sure to label parts of the
item you are drawing.
What Made Arab Medicine a Science?
The Muslims built hospitals to care for the sick. In these hospitals, doctors studied why people
got sick. Muslims became the first people to make a science of medicine. They studied it
carefully and they trained their doctors carefully. From their study, they discovered that some
sicknesses are able to spread from one person to another.
One Arab doctor named Al-Razi wrote books about two diseases—smallpox and measles. He
also wrote a set of 25 books about medicine. Students in both the East and the West used these
until the 1400s. Al-Razi may have been the first doctor to sew up cuts and to put casts on
broken arms and legs.
What Did Muslim Scientists Figure Out About the Earth?
Arab astronomers figured out that the earth is round. They correctly guessed that it was about
25,000 miles around. An Arab geographer was the first to put a map on a ball to show the right
shape of the earth.
Other Arab scientists studied light and were the first to learn that it travels in a straight line.
They also learned that the curving of a lens makes things appear larger. The greatest Muslim
scholar was an Arab named Jabir. His discoveries led to the science of chemistry. Chemists
study the makeup of substances. He may have been the first person to carefully record the
results of an experiment. Other Arab scientists invented much of the equipment we use today in
chemistry.
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Mosque
A Muslim place of worship
What Mathematical Gifts Did the Muslims Give Us?
In mathematics, Muslim scholars expanded on what they learned from other people. From
India, they borrowed the nine numbers that we still use today. We call these “Arabic numbers??
even though they came from India.
From the Hindus, the Arabs borrowed the decimal system. This is a number system based on
the number 10. It includes the idea of zero. This was a good system because it was much easier
to use than the Babylonian system based on 60.
What Is Islamic Art Like?
Islamic art never shows people or animals. Artists decorate mosques, or Muslim places of
worship, with beautiful designs and writing. Islamic art also appears on their world-famous
rugs, on leather goods, and on swords.
Many Arab artists wrote poems about the beauty of nature and love. The best known Muslim
poet was Omar Khayyam, who wrote The Rubaiyat. Westerners know another collection of
Arab stories called the Arabian Nights. In it are the stories “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves??
and “Aladdin and His Lamp.??
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Word Bank
Al-Razi
Baghdad
Jabir
jihads
Khayyam
Lesson 2 Review
On a sheet of paper, use the words from the Word Bank to complete each sentence correctly.
1. The Arabs spread their religion through a series of _____, or holy wars.
2. The Abbasid dynasty ruled the Islamic Empire in A.D. 750 and built the city of _____.
3. _____ may have been the first doctor to put casts on broken arms and legs.
4. The greatest Arab scholar was _____, whose work led to the science of chemistry.
5. Omar _____ wrote the poem The Rubaiyat, which is about love and nature.
What do you think?
What do you think is the best gift the Arab people of the Middle Ages gave the world? Explain
your answer.
Communication in History
Borrowed Words
Have you eaten sherbet? Are you studying algebra? We borrowed these words from the Arabic
language. We got some from the Muslims who lived in Spain. Others were the names of
products from the Middle East—sugar, alcohol, and syrup. Traders also brought the lime,
orange, and artichoke to Europe. Mohair and cotton are Arabic, too.
Muslim scholars studied chemistry and astronomy. The words alkali and zenith resulted from
their knowledge. They gave us the names for stars, such as Aldebaran. From Arab
mathematicians came tariff and zero. We use Arab words that describe how people live or the
world around us. People sit on a sofa. A sultan and a sheik are kinds of rulers. The commander
of a fleet is an admiral. English is indeed a richer language because of these Arabic words.
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Lesson 3: African Kingdoms
Objectives
To compare the civilizations of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
To identify important leaders in these civilizations
The crusaders first set out to capture the Holy Land in 1095. About that time, a series of
empires developed in West Africa. Arab geographers called this grassland area the Sudan. It is
very different from the dry Sahara to the north and the wet tropical rain forest to the south.
How Did Ghana Become Powerful?
Ghana was founded about 400. Within 400 years, it had become an important center of trade. In
fact, Ghana controlled all the important trade routes from the Sudan to North Africa.
Early stories about Ghana call it “the land of gold.?? Ghana never owned any gold fields, but it
controlled the trade in gold. With gold came power.
The gold came from a region near the Senegal River. People there had much gold, but no salt,
and they needed salt to live. Arab traders on camel caravans carried their goods to the people
near the Senegal River in the south. Then they traded salt for gold. Next, the caravan turned
north again to trade with their gold. On both trips, they traveled through Kumbi, the largest city
in Ghana. The government of Ghana taxed the caravan each way. Both the Arabs from the
north and the forest people from the south paid tribute to the king of Ghana.
How Did Ghana’s Army Create Peace?
By 1070, Ghana was one of the most powerful empires in the world. Taxes from trade filled the
king’s treasury. With all this money, he could keep as many as 200,000 warriors. (At this same
time, William the Conqueror could raise an army of only 15,000 soldiers to invade England.)
Ghana’s large army gave it great power. With this power, Ghana created peace in West Africa
and made trade safe. Ghana could easily have conquered its weaker neighbors, but it did not.
Instead, it took tribute from these neighbors.
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Infidel
One who does not believe in the religion of another person
What Made Ghana Fall?
The kings of Ghana invited Muslim teachers to begin schools in Kumbi and other cities. The
rulers of Ghana did not become Muslims, but many of the people of Ghana did. This helped
improve the connection between the two areas and brought money to the empire.
In 1076, Arabs from North Africa, called Almoravids, invaded Ghana. They began a holy war
against the infidels, or non-Muslims, of Ghana. (An infidel does not believe in the religion of
another person.) They destroyed Kumbi. During this time, people stopped paying tribute to
Ghana. In time, Ghana defeated the Almoravids. However, the country was never again as
powerful as it had once been.
How Did Mali Become Powerful?
Mali existed as early as 1000. When Ghana lost its power, Mali was able to form a new empire.
It, too, took control of the trade routes.
The man most responsible for Mali’s rise to greatness was Sundiata Keita. He took control of
the gold fields. His armies swept across Africa, and his empire included large areas of the
Sahara. Keita divided his kingdom into provinces. Then he put one general in charge of each
province. Each general was responsible for keeping law and order in his province.
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Which Famous Mali King Became a Muslim?
Mansa Musa was king of Mali when it was most powerful. Unlike the rulers of Ghana, Mansa
Musa became a Muslim. He brought many Arab scholars to his capital. He set up a great center
of Islamic learning in Timbuktu. Scholars came from all over the world to study there.
Mansa Musa ran his kingdom well. Arab visitors wrote about the peace and safety of Mali. The
visitors saw how the people of Mali obeyed the Five Pillars of Islam. In fact, one writer said
that Mali parents wanted their children to learn the Qur’an by heart. If the children did not do
this, they were put in chains until they memorized the holy book.
What Was Mansa Musa’s Pilgrimage?
Mansa Musa was famous for building a university, being a Muslim, and visiting the holy city of
Mecca. Some historians think that 60,000 people made the pilgrimage with Mansa Musa.
(About 12,000 of them were his servants.) They loaded 80 camels with bags of gold dust to pay
for the 3,000-mile trip from Mali to Mecca. Imagine all the food and supplies 60,000 people
would need!
History in Your Life
African Metalworking
Learning to work with iron was a big step forward in technology. Iron made stronger farming
tools and weapons. Ironworking in Africa probably began at Meroë, in the kingdom of Kush
along the Nile. Artisans in Kush began to work with iron about 500 B.C. Iron ore came from
local mines. Forests supplied wood for hot fires. These craftspeople worked with gold, too.
Another tribe, the Nok, lived in West Africa. They worked with iron, gold, and tin. The Bantu
people learned these skills. Then the Bantu moved south. They carried this knowledge to
others.
Africa was rich in many metals, such as copper. This beautiful metal was used for jewelry and
pots. People combined copper with other metals to make bronze. The kingdom of Benin was
famous for its bronze sculptures. Artists made them by pouring melted bronze into molds.
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The pilgrimage began in 1324 and took more than a year. Everywhere Mansa Musa went he
gave away gold to rulers and government officials. When he reached Mecca, Mansa Musa gave
that city gold, too.
Mansa Musa’s gifts of gold made news even in Europe. In 1375, someone in Spain drew a map
that shows Mansa Musa. He holds a large gold ball in his hand. The artist wrote on the map.
The writing says that Mansa Musa has so much gold that “he is the richest and most noble king
of all the land.??
After Mansa Musa died, civil war broke out in Mali. Within 150 years, the great empire fell.
Then the last great empire of this golden age arose—Songhai.
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Map Study: Early Kingdoms of Africa
This map shows Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. It also shows trade routes near the kingdoms. Of
the three empires, which was the largest? Name two cities that were part of these empires.
How Did Songhai Become Powerful?
The third and last of the great empires of West Africa was Songhai. Songhai already existed in
the 800s, but it did not become powerful until the 1400s. Like Ghana and Mali before it,
Songhai grew powerful by controlling the gold and salt trade.
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Songhai’s greatest king was Sonni Ali. From 1464 until 1492, he never lost a battle. King
Sonni Ali made Songhai the largest empire that West Africa ever had. His army captured the
university city of Timbuktu. Ali’s empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean eastward nearly
1,800 miles.
Ali divided Songhai into provinces. Then he chose officials to carry out the laws. He also made
sure that all weights and measures were the same in his empire.
Other countries wanted Songhai’s riches and attacked it. At first, Songhai’s army easily
defeated its neighbors. Then, in 1590, the Arab ruler of Morocco in North Africa sent an army
to conquer Songhai. The Arab army had only 2,000 soldiers, but it had a new, powerful
weapon—the gun. In 1596, Songhai fell. The empire broke apart, and West Africa was never
united again.
Biography
Sonni Ali: died 1492
King Sonni Ali made Songhai a powerful empire. He took lands from the old Mali empire. It
was weak when he became king in 1464. First, he captured Timbuktu in 1468. It was a center
of Muslim learning. Later, he captured Jenne, a wealthy trade center. Sonni Ali won many
victories partly because he used cavalry well.
Sonni Ali was a harsh ruler, however. He had scholars in Timbuktu killed. He executed many
people, even close friends. His death in 1492 was a mystery. Some stories said he drowned.
Others said he was murdered.
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Lesson 3 Review
On a sheet of paper, write the letter of the answer that correctly completes each sentence.
1. The first empire to develop in West Africa was _____.
A Ghana
B Mali
C Songhai
D Timbuktu
2. King Mansa Musa of Mali founded a university at _____.
A Kumbi
B Songhai
C Paris
D Timbuktu
3. _____ controlled trade in West Africa.
A Ghana
B Mali
C Songhai
D all of the above
4. Traders from the north brought _____ to trade for gold.
A horses
B salt
C guns
D fish
5. The Arab ruler of Morocco defeated the last great empire of West Africa because he had
_____.
A camels
B guns
C gold
D a large army
What do you think?
Why does control of a trade route lead to power?
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Document-Based Reading
The Qur’an
It is not righteousness
That ye turn your faces
Towards East or West;
But it is righteousnessTo believe in Allah
And the Last Day,
And the Angels,
And the Book,
And the Messengers;
To spend of your substance,
Out of love for Him,
For your kin,
For orphans,
For the needy,
For the wayfarer,
For those who ask,
And for the ransom of slaves;
To be steadfast in prayer,
And practice regular charity,
To fulfil the contracts
Which ye have made;
And to be firm and patient,
In pain (or suffering)
And adversity,
And throughout
All periods of panic.
Such are the people
Of truth, the God-fearing.
2:177
Document-Based Questions
1. What is righteousness?
2. What should believers do for the needy?
3. What other behavior should a righteous person have?
4. To which Pillars of Islam does this excerpt refer?
5. What should Muslims do when they are suffering?
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Spotlight Story: Farming in Africa and Oceania
Most early societies depended on farming. People ate whatever they could grow. They also
fished or hunted. Bringing food from other places was not practical. In Africa south of the
Sahara, the economy has always centered on farming. That is also true of the islands in the
Pacific Ocean. Both those places have warm climates. They grow some of the same foods. The
history of their economies is quite different, though.
Africa is a huge continent. Farming varies greatly from place to place. In the rain forests,
people grow small gardens. For thousands of years, yams have been a favorite crop. So has
palm oil. Some of its oils are used in cooking. Others make soaps and other products. People
also grow several kinds of nuts, including peanuts. Plantains are another popular food.
The grasslands areas of Africa are drier. People here planted fields of grain. These grains can
be pounded or ground into flour. Flour is used in porridges, puddings, and flat breads. About
2,000 years ago, people began using iron tools. Iron hoes and knives made farming easier.
Farming villages became more stable.
Farming in the Pacific Islands has a different history. In Africa, people have farmed for about
7,000 years. The Pacific Islands were settled only recently. Polynesians reached the islands of
Hawaii between about A.D. 300 and 500. By about A.D. 1000, they had settled New Zealand.
The first settlers brought yams, taro, and sweet potatoes. They also brought pigs, dogs, and
chickens. They grew flax to make cloth. In some places, they built terraces or ponds to grow
taro. People eat the starchy root of this plant. Islanders also planted coconut palms, bananas,
and breadfruit trees. These trees grew around fields and gardens.
People used the coconut palm tree in many ways. They ate its meat and drank the liquid inside.
The hard shell became a cup or bowl. Palm leaves could be woven into baskets. They were also
used for roofs.
Farming is still important in Africa and the Pacific. Some crops have changed, though. Trade
brought new foods to Africa. From the Americas came sweet potatoes, chili peppers, and
tomatoes. From Asia came taro. Europeans also took new crops to the Pacific Islands when
they settled there.
Wrap-Up
1. How is farming in Africa and in the Pacific Islands similar?
2. What kinds of crops did people plant in Africa’s grasslands?
3. What major change in technology influenced farming in Africa?
4. Who first settled Hawaii and New Zealand? About when did they arrive?
5. What crops were grown in the Pacific Islands?
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Chapter 12 SUMMARY
Muhammad was born in Arabia in 570. He preached a new religion, Islam, with one god,
Allah. Its followers are called Muslims.
In 622, Muhammad and his followers fled from Mecca to Medina. This event is called the
Hegira.
Muhammad died in 632. After his death, two branches of Islam developed—the Sunnis and the
Shi’ites. They have different laws and religious practives.
The holy book of Islam is the Qur’an, written in the Arabic language. Muslims regard
Muhammad as God’s prophet. They also recognize Jewish and Christian prophets.
Islam has five duties, or pillars. They must state their faith, pray five times a day, give alms,
and fast. If possible, they make a pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Mecca.
Holy wars, or jihads, helped Islam grow. It spread across North Africa, into Europe, and to
parts of Asia.
The Abbasid dynasty began in 750. Its capital was Baghdad. The Islamic Empire excelled in
trade and farming. It let Jews and Christians keep their customs.
Muslims made important advances in medicine; science, especially chemistry; and
mathematics. Islamic art shows beautiful patterns, not people or animals.
Ghana became rich by taxing the trade in gold and salt. By 1070, Ghana had built a powerful
army to keep peace. Muslim Arabs from North Africa invaded it in 1076.
Mali followed Ghana as the most powerful empire. Its king Sundiata Keita made Mali great.
Another king, Mansa Musa, became a Muslim. He made Timbuktu a center for Islamic
scholars.
The greatest king of Songhai was Sonni Ali. His empire fell to an Arab army armed with guns
in 1596.
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Chapter 12 REVIEW
On a sheet of paper, use the words from the Word Bank to complete each sentence correctly.
Word Bank
Abbasid
Allah
Al-Razi
Ghana
Islam
Jabir
Mansa Musa
Medina
Muhammad
Songhai
1. The prophet _____ was born in 570.
2. He started a religion known as _____.
3. The Muslims call God _____.
4. People in the city of Yathrib renamed their city _____ in 622.
5. In 750, the _____ dynasty ruled the Arabian Empire.
6. The Arab doctor _____ wrote many books about medicine.
7. The greatest Arab scholar was _____.
8. People called _____ “the land of gold.??
9. The ruler _____ founded a university in Mali.
10. People from Morocco attacked the empire of _____ with guns.
On a sheet of paper, write the letter of the answer that correctly completes each sentence.
11. Islam was spread through holy wars, or _____.
A mosques
B jihads
C causeways
D infidels
12. Muslims accept five duties, or _____, of their religion.
A languages
B visions
C pillars
D caravans
13. The holy book of the Muslims is the _____.
A Qur’an
B Arabian Nights
C Rubaiyat
D Song of Roland
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14. _____ grew powerful because of trade.
A Ghana
B Mali
C Songhai
D all of the above
15. Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage took him from Mali to _____.
A Timbuktu
B South Africa
C Mecca
D all of the above
On a sheet of paper, write the answer to each question. Use complete sentences.
16. What are the five basic duties each Muslim must accept?
17. What was the key to power for the three empires of West Africa?
18. Why did the religion of Islam break into two groups, the Sunnis and the Shi’ites?
Critical Thinking
On a sheet of paper, write your response to each question. Use complete sentences.
19. Which one of the following people would you like to have met and why? Sundiata Keita,
Mansa Musa, Sonni Ali
20. In this chapter, you learned about many wonderful cities—Mecca, Medina, Baghdad,
Kumbi, Timbuktu. Which one of these cities would you like to have visited and why?
Test-Taking Tip: When studying for a test, use the titles and subtitles in the chapter to help
you recall information.
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