What you must do in this unit
- Read chapter 7 in the textbook, especially focus on the sections on the origins and expansion of Islam.
- Read the Hadith selections.
- Read my notes on Early Islam and watch the very short video. I also have an older video available that I did in about 1995.
- Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the Unit.
- Submit the Required Hadith paragraph (50 points).
What you can do in this unit
- Listen to some further information about this unit as a mp3 file. You can also read the information as a txt file.
Some videos that you can watch for this unit
- Islam: Empire of Faith. Part 1: Prophet Muhammad and rise of Islam (full; PBS Documentary)
- Islam, the Qur'an, and the Five Pillars: Crash Course World History #13
- Inside the Qur'an : Documentary By National Geographic Channel (sometimes is available online)
- For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant video for this unit of the course. Send the title of the video, the URL and a brief explanation of why you find the video interesting and applicable to the material that is being studied in this unit.
Extra Credit Options
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, find three reputable websites that contain useful information about the early history of Islam. In about one page, summarize the information contained on each website and explain why these websites are both useful and credible.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the excerpt by Ibn Abd-el-Hakem on the Islamic Conquest of Spain and write a long paragraph in which you examine some of the reasons for the successful Islamic conquests.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the Pact of Umar, from the seventh century, and comment, in a paragraph, on the nature of Muslim-Christian relations.
- For up to 5 points of extra credit, answer the Hadith excerpt study sheet questions.
- For extra credit, please suggest a relevant website for this unit of the course. Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.
Unit Learning Objectives
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) explain the development of Islam as a world religion, (2) summarize the key features of early practice of Islam and (3) analyze a historical primary source.