CENTRAL ISLAMIC LANDS

Very Short Question With Answer

 (1 Mark Each)
 Q. 1. What was Kaba?
 Ans. Kaba was the cube like structure which was situated in
Mecca. Idols were placed in it. Tribes outside Mecca also
considered Mecca as a holy place. That is why they were making
annual pilgrimages to the shrine, i.e., Hajj.
 Q.'2. Why was the city of Mecca important?
 Ans. (i) The city of Mecca was known for its holy 'Kaba'.
 (ii) It was located on the cross roads of a trade route between
Syria and Yemen.
 That is why it was considered important.

Q.3. When did Prophet Muhammad declare himself to be the

messenger of God? Which two things did he tell people?
Ans. Prophet Muhammad declared himself to be the messenger
of God around 612 CE. He told people the following two things:
(i) Allah alone must be worshipped. (ii) They must found a
community of believers who must be bound by a common set of
religious beliefs.
Q.4. What were the people who accepted Prophet Muhammad's
doctrine called? Which two things were they promised?
Ans. The people who accepted Prophet Muhammad's religious
doctrine were called the Muslims. They were promised the
following two things:
They were promised salvation on the Judgement Day.
They would be given a share of the resources of the community
while on earth.
Q.5. Why did the Muslims face opposition from affluent people
in
Mecca?
 Ans. The Muslims faced opposition from affluent people in
Mecca because these people took offence to the rejection of their
dieties and found the new religion a threat to the status and
prosperity of Mecca.
6. What is meant by hijra ? What is its importance in the history
of Islam?
Ans. Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina
with his followers in 622 CE is called hijra. The year of his arrival
in Medina marked the beginning of the Muslim calendar. That is
why hijra is important in the history of Islam.
Q.7. How was the institution of
Caliphate created?
Ans. There was no one, after the death of Prophet Muhammad in
632 CE, who could legitimately claim to be the next Prophet of
Islam. There was also no established rule of succession. That is
why Islamic political authority was transferred to the Umma. In
this way the
institution of Caliphate was created.
Q.8. What were the two main objectives of the institution of
Caliphate?
Ans. Following were the two main objectives of the institution of
Caliphate:
To retain control over the tribes constituting the Umma.
To raise resources for the state.
Q.9. Which factors contributed to the success of the Arabs
against the
Byzantine and the Sasanian empires?
Ans. (i) Military strategy of the Arabs (ii) Religious fervour of
the Arabs (iii) Weakness of the opposition.
Q. 10. Why was the third Caliph, Uthman assassinated?
Ans. The third Caliph, Uthman was a Quraysh. He filled his
administration with his own men to keep a greater control. So
other tribes were against him and they assassinated him.
 Q. 11. Which wars did the fourth Caliph, Ali fight? What was the
result of these wars?
Ans. The fourth Caliph, Ali fought the following two wars:
Ali fought the first war against
Muhammad's wife, Aisha. This war was known as the Battle of
the Camels. Aisha was defeated in this war.
He fought the second war at Siffin in northern Mesopotamia. It
ended in a treaty.
Q. 12. Why was Islam divided into two sects? Which were these
sects?
Ans. During the Caliph Ali's regime, two wars were fought
against those who represented the Meccan aristocracy. It
deepened the rifts among the Muslims and Islam was divided into
two sects.
These sects were Shias and Sunnis.
Q. 13. By whom and where was Ali assassinated?
Ans. Ali was assissinated by a Kharji in a mosque at Kufa.
Q. 14. When and by whom was the Umayyad dynasty founded?
How long did this dynasty last?
Ans. The Umayyad dynasty was founded in 661 CE by Muawiya.
This dynasty lasted till 750 CE.
Q. 15. Who were the Abbasids ? How did they legitimate their
bid for power?
Ans. The Abbasids were descendants of Abbas, Prophet
Muhammad's uncle. They promised to various Arab groups that a
messiah from the family of the Prophet would liberate them from
the oppressive Umayyad regime. By this promise, they
legitimated their bid for power.
Q. 16. Which two traditions of the Umayyad dynasty were
retained by the Abbasids?
Ans. Following two traditions of the Umayyad dynasty were
retained by the Abbasids:
They retained the centralised nature of government and the state.
 They maintained the magnificent imperial architecture and
elaborate court ceremonials of the Umayyads.

17. Tell two reasons for weakness of the Abbasid state in the
ninth century.
Ans. (i) There was decline in control of Baghdad over the distant
provinces. (ii) There was conflict between pro-Arab and Pro-
Iranian groups in the bureaucracy and army.
Q.18. Write two functions of the Buyid rulers of Baghdad.
Ans. (i) The Buyid rulers assumed many titles.One of these titles
was 'Shahanshah.'
(ii) These rulers patronised Shiite administrators, poets and
scholars.
Q.19. Who were the Fatimids ? Why did they consider
themselves as the sole rightful rulers of Islam?
Ans. The Fatimids belonged to the Ismaili sub sects of Shiism.
They considered themselves as the sole rightful rulers of Islam
because they claimed that they were the descendents of Fatima,
the Prophet's daughter.
Q. 20. Write two functions performed by Abdal-Malik of the
Umayyad dynasty for the development of Arab-Islamic identity.
Ans. (i) Abd-al-Malik introduced an islamic coinage. The coins
carried Arabic inscriptions.
(ii) He built the Dome of the Rock.
Short Question With Answer (4 Mark Each)
Q. 1. Which was the main shrine of Mecca? What was its
importance?
Ans. The main shrine of Mecca was Kaba. It was a cube-like
structure, in which idols were placed. Even tribes outside Mecca
considered Kaba as holy. They also installed their own idols at
Kaba and made annual pilgrimages to it. Kaba was a sanctuary
where violence was prohibited and all the visitors were given
protection.
 Nomadic and settled tribes got opportunities with pilgrimage and
commerce, to communicate with each other and share their
customs and beliefs. It established unity amongst the
Arab tribes.
Q. 2. How did the institution of Caliphate come into existence?
What were its objectives?
Ans. Prophet Muhammad passed away in 632 CE. After him,
there was no one who could legitimately claim to be the next
Prophet. There was no established principle of succession. That is
why the political authority of the Prophet was given to the Umma.
It created opportunities for innovations but brought great
divisions among the Muslims. One of the biggest innovation was
the creation of the institution of Caliphate. In it, the leader of
community was given the responsibility of becoming the deputy
(Khalifa) of the Prophet. The first four Caliphs (632— 61) had
close association with the Prophet and that is why they justified
their powers. These Caliphs continued the works of Prophet under
the general guidelines given by him.
Objectives : The institution of Caliphate had the following two
objectives : (i) To keep or retain control over the tribes
constituting the Umma. (ii) To raise resources for the state.
Q. 3. Describe the main features of administrative structure of the
Arab Empire under the early Caliphs.
Ans. The Caliphs introduced new administrative structure in all
the conquered states. These states were headed by governors
(amirs) and tribal chieftains (ashraf). There were two main
sources of revenue for central authoritytaxes paid by the Muslims
and share of the booty obtained from raids. Soldiers of the Caliph
were settled in camp cities at the edge of the desert, like Kufa and
Basra, so that they could remain within reach of Caliph's
Command as well as their natural habitat. The ruling class and
soldiers received their shares of the booty and monthly payments
(ata). The non-Muslim people paid taxes called Kharaj and Jiziya.
For this, they were free to retain their rights of property and
religious practices. Jews and Christians were declared as
protected subjects of the state. They were given enough autonomy
in conduct of their communal affairs.
Q. 4. Which circumstances were responsible for assassination of
the third Caliph, Uthman?
Ans. Arab tribes completed their work of political expansion and
unification very easily. With the territorial expansion, conflicts
arose over the distribution of offices and resources of the state.
These conflicts became a threat to the unity of the Umma.
Actually the ruling class of early Islamic state mainly belonged
to Quraysh tribe of Mecca. The third Caliph, Uthman (644— 56
CE) was also a Quraysh. He filled the administration with his
men to increase his control over the administration. As a result,
conflict intensified among other tribes. Opposition in Iraq and
Egypt was coupled with opposition in Medina. That is why
Uthman, the third Caliph, was assassinated. After his death, Ali
was appointed as the fourth Caliph.
Q. 5. Write a note on the regime of the fourth Caliph, Ali.
Ans. The Caliph Ali (656—61 CE) fought two wars against the
people representing the aristocracy of Mecca. As a result, the rifts
among the Muslims deepened. Later on Ali's supporters and
enemies formed two main sects of Islam, i.e., Shias and
Sunnis. Ali established himself at Kufa.He defeated the army led
by Aisha,Muhammad's wife, in the Battle of Camels in 657 CE.
But he was unable to suppress the groups led by Muawiya, a
kinsman of Uthman and the governor of Syria. Then Ali fought
another battle with him at Siffin (northern Mesopotamia). This
battle ended in a truce. This battle divided his followers into two
groups. Some of them remained loyal to him and some of them
left him. Those who left him came to be known as Kharjis. Soon
after, Ali was assassinated by a Kharji in a mosque at Kufa.
Q. 6. Under which circumstances was the Umayyad dynasty
established? Throw light on the regime of the first Umayyad
ruler, Muawiya.
 Ans. The Caliphate based in Medina was destroyed with the
conquest of large territories and was replaced with an increasingly
authoritarian polity. In 661, Muawiya declared himself as the next
 Caliph and founded Umayyad dynasty. Umayyads took certain
political steps with which their leardership was consolidated
within the Umma.
 First Umayyad Caliph Muawiya made Damascus as his capital.
He adopted the administrative institutions and court ceremonies
of the Byzantine Empire. The tradition of hereditary succession
was also introduced by him. He also convinced the leading
Muslims to accept his son as his successor. These new changes
were also adopted by the Caliphs who followed him. As a result,
Umayyads retained power for almost 90 years.
Q. 7. Discuss main features of the Umayyad state after Muawiya.
Ans. Main features of the Umayyad state after Muawiya were as
follows:
1. The Umayyad state was now one of the powerful states.
Now it was not directly based on Islam and ran on the basis
of state craft and on the loyalty of Syrian troops.
2. The Christian advisers, Zoroastrian scribes and bureaucrats
were also included in the administration. Even then, Islam
remained a base of legitimacy of Umayyad rule. The
Umayyads always appealed for unity and they used to
suppress the rebellions in the name of Islam.
3. They also maintained their Arabian social identity. During
the reign of Abd al-Malik (685—705 CE) and his
successors both the Arabian and Islamic identities were
greatly emphasised. That is why Abd al-Malik made Arabic
as the language of the administration. He also introduced
Islamic coinage.
4. The gold dinar and silver dirham which were in circulation
within the country, were the copies of Iranian and Byzantine
coins.
 5. These coins had the symbols of crosses and fire altars.
These symbols were removed and the coins now carried the
Arabic inscriptions.
6. Abd al-Malik build the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and
gave a great contribution in the development of an Arab-
Islamic identity.
Q. 8. What were the main features of Abbasid rule? Were
Abbasid rulers able to abolish monarchy ?
Ans. Following were the main features of Abbasid rule :
(i) Arab influence declined under the Abbasid rule. On
contrary to it, importance of Iranian culture increased
(ii) . (ii) The Abbasids established their capital at
Baghdad.
(iii) The Abbasids reorganised the army and bureaucracy
on a non-tribal basis. It ensured the more participation
of Iraq and Khurasan in army and bureaucracy.
(iv) The religious status and functions of the Caliphate were
strengthened by the Abbasid rulers. They also
patronisedIslamic institutions and scholars.
Abbasid Rulers and Monarchy.
No, Abbasid rulers were not able to abolish monarchy. Needs of
government and empire forced them to retain the centralised
nature of the state. They not only maintained the magnificent
imperial architecture but also maintained the court ceremonies of
the Umayyads. In this way, the Abbasid rulers, who claimed to
bring down the monarchy, were forced to establish the monarchy
again.
Q. 9. Who were the Saljuq Turks? How did they establish and
expand the Turk authority?
Ans. The Saljuq Turks were non-Muslims from the far east. They
entered Turan as soldiers in the armies of the Samanids and
Qarakhanids. Then later on, under the leadership of two
brothers,Tughril Beg and Chaghri Beg, they established
themselves as a powerful group. They took advantage of the
chaos after the death of Mahmud of Ghazni and conquered
Khurasan in 1037 CE. They made Nishapur as their first capital.
Then they concentrated on Western Persia and Iraq. They restored
Baghdad to Sunni rule in 1055 CE. The Caliph, alQaim became
very happy and conferred the title of Sultan to Tughril Beg. The
Saljuq brothers ruled together according to the tribal notion of
rule by the family. After Tughril Beg, his nephew Alp Arsalan
became his successor. Under the reign of Alp Arsalan, the Saljuq
empire expanded to Anatolia, i.e., modern Turkey.
Q. 10. Who were the Turks? How was the Turkish authority
established and strengthened in Ghazni?
Ans. The Turks were nomadic tribes of Central Asian steppes of
Turkistan. They adopted the Islam. They were very good warriors
and riders. They began working as slaves and soldiers under the
Abbasid,Samanid and Buyid administrations. Just because of their
loyalty and military abilities, they rose to high positions. In 961
CE, a Turk Alptegin established the Ghaznavid Sultanate. It was
consolidated by Mahmud of Ghazni (998—1030). The
Ghaznavids, like the Buyids, were also a military dynasty.
They had a professional army of Turks and Indians. But Khurasan
and Afghanistan were their centres of power. For them, the
Abbasid Caliphs were a source of legitimacy. Mahmud was the
son of a slave. That is why, he wanted to receive the title of
Sultan from the Caliph. On the other hand, the Caliph also wanted
to support the Sunni Ghaznavids against the Shiite power. So the
Abbasid Caliphs became a source of legitimacy to the Turkish
authority in Ghazni.