HISTORY AND CIVICS

2B. SPREAD OF ISLAM

Std. 7
2024-2025
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:

I. Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options.
1) A school student named Sara is doing a project on one of the Caliphates whose core work revolved
around the promotion of arts and science.
Which Caliphate is Sara MOST LIKELY researching about?
(a) Umayyad Caliphate
(b) Rashidun Caliphate
(c) Abbasid Caliphate
(d) Fatimid Caliphate
2) Identify the causes that led to the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate.
P: A large number of Christians held government positions.
Q: The provincial governors started becoming autonomous and started raising their armies.
R: Communication became a problem between the central authority and the provinces.
S: The Abbasid Caliphs had no lineage to Prophet Mohammad.

(a) P and Q
(b) Q and R
(c) P and R
(d) Q and S

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3) Given below are the details of a few rulers of a vast expansive empire.

Select the person who captured Baghdad and brought the Abbasid Caliphate to an end.
(a) X
(b) Z
(c) Y
(d) W
4) During the Umayyad Caliphate, architecture was given great patronage.

Source: Britannica
Identify one of the most important buildings in Islam, which was built upon the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem.
(a) The Great Mosque of Damascus.
(b) Dome of the Rock
(c) Qasr al-kharanah
(d) Khirbet-al Mafjar

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 5) Capital city during Umayyad Caliphate : Damascus : : Capital city during Abbasid Caliphate :
______________________
a. Baghdad
b. Judea
c. Jerusalem
d. Samaria

II. Answer the following in 1 – 2 sentences

1) Who ruled after the death of Prophet Mohammed? What were they called?
Ans. Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman and Ali were the first four caliphs that ruled after the death of Prophet
Mohammed. They were called the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs.
2) How did the Abbasid Caliphate acquire its name?
Ans. The Abbasid Caliphate was named after Abbas, the uncle of Prophet Mohammed.
3) During whose reign was the capital moved from Damascus to Baghdad?
Ans. The capital was moved from Damascus to Baghdad during the reign of the Abbasid Caliphate.
4) How did the Abbasids acquire the knowledge of paper–making?
Ans. The knowledge of paper-making was acquired by the Abbasids when they captured Chinese artisans
during the Battle of Talas.

DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS:
1) Why is the Umayyad Caliphate credited for developing the administrative structure of the
Islamic empire?
Ans.
• Muawiya, the governor of Syria under the Rashidun Caliphate, seized power and
established the Umayyad Caliphate.
• They continued with the earlier caliphate’s policy of expanding the Islamic empire.
• Places like Caucasus, Transoxiana, Sindh, Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula were
brought under their control.
• Arabic was made the official administrative language.
• A strong administrative structure was developed, which was inspired by the Byzantium
and Sasanian empires’ administrative structure.

2) Write a short note on the House of Wisdom.

Ans. • Paper factories were set up in Baghdad, translation institutions and research centres
known as the House of Wisdom were built.

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 • Envoys were sent to far-off places to procure ancient texts.
• These ancient Persian, Hindu and Greek texts were translated into Arabic.
• Defeated rulers were asked to submit books from their libraries rather than gold.
• Scholarly subjects, from theology to mathematics were all discussed there.

3) What led to the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate?

Ans. • The Abbasid caliphs could not manage the vast expansive empire.
• Communication became a problem between the central authority and the provinces.
• The provincial governors started becoming autonomous and started raising their armies,
this weekend the central authority.
• Factionalism started emerging between various groups within the court.
• To add to the misery, foreign groups such as the Mamluks and the Seljuk Turks started
attacking the caliphate.
• Halagu Khan, the grandson Mongol ruler and the grandson of Genghis Khan captured
Baghdad and brought the Abbasid Caliphate to an end.

EXPLORATORY QUESTIONS:
1) During the Abbasid Caliphate, defeated rulers were asked to submit books from their libraries rather
than gold. What, according to you, would be the outcome if they had given gold in place of books?
2) Imagine you are a merchant traveling along the Silk Road during the Abbasid Caliphate. How might
your interactions with diverse cultures and religions along the trade routes influence your
understanding and perception of Islam?

NOTE: School notes are only for reference. You are requested to study from the Textbook.

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