Where and when Islam began, and what its followers believe and practice

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Texts and sources (cards A to D). Card A, the Qur'an, in our words: followers believe the Qur'an contains God's revelations to Muhammad. It is arranged in 114 chapters, called surahs. Muslims recite it in Arabic in prayer. Card B, the Sunnah, in our words: the Sunnah is the sayings and deeds of Muhammad, a second guide to belief and practice. They were passed on in reports called hadith. Major collections of hadith were put together in the 800s CE, more than 150 years after Muhammad's death. Card C, an outside account, in our words: an Armenian history written by a Christian bishop, usually dated to the 660s CE, mentions Muhammad and the early Arab conquests. Card D, beliefs, in our words: followers believe in one God, called Allah in Arabic. They believe God sent many messengers, including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and that Muhammad was the last.

2. 1.

   Card A says the Qur'an is arranged in 114 surahs. Card B names a second guide. Which statement matches both cards, Ari asks?

   • Both the Qur'an and the Sunnah are recited in Arabic in prayer
   • The Sunnah has 114 surahs; the Qur'an is made of sayings and deeds
   • The Qur'an is made of hadith collected in the 800s CE
   • The Qur'an has 114 surahs; the Sunnah is a second guide
3. 2.

   Card B says major hadith collections were put together in the 800s CE, and Muhammad's death was in 632 CE. At least how many years later was that, Bo asks?

   • Exactly 168 years
   • About 1,400 years
   • Fewer than 100 years
   • More than 150 years
4. 3.

   Card C is by a Christian bishop and mentions Muhammad. The traditions in card B come from Muslims. How do they strengthen each other, Esme asks?

   • Together they settle each detail of his life and teaching
   • Together they show the bishop was a Muslim writing in Armenian
   • Together they show that God spoke to Muhammad
   • Writers from two communities both knew of Muhammad
5. 4.

   Card C is dated to the 660s CE, and Muhammad's death was in 632 CE. About how many years after his death was it written, Kira asks?

   • About 3 years after
   • About 1,300 years after
   • About 30 years after
   • About 30 years before
6. 5.

   Card B says hadith were put into major collections in the 800s CE. Which claim does that support, Luz asks?

   • Reports were passed on for generations before being collected
   • The collections were written down during Muhammad's own lifetime
   • The collections were the first writing in Islam, before the Qur'an
   • The collections cannot tell historians anything about Muhammad
7. 6.

   The Qur'an and the Sunnah are two guides. How do their roles differ, Milo asks?

   • Both are the same text, written down once in the 800s CE by a scholar
   • The Qur'an holds Muhammad's sayings; the Sunnah holds the revelations
   • The Qur'an is for prayer in Arabic and the Sunnah is not a guide
   • The Qur'an holds revelations; the Sunnah holds sayings and deeds
8. 7.

   Which sentence is written the way a history book would write it, Pia asks?

   • God sent many messengers, and Muhammad was the last of them
   • Followers believe God sent many messengers, the last being Muhammad
   • Scholars have tested the list of messengers and found it complete
   • Followers wrongly think Muhammad was the last of the messengers
9. 8.

   Card B says the hadith were passed on in reports before the collections of the 800s. What does that suggest about how the Sunnah was kept, Ren asks?

   • The collections came first, and the reports were made up afterward
   • Written copies alone were allowed until the 800s CE
   • Reports were passed on from person to person before collection
   • Each report was written down on the day Muhammad said it
10. 9.

    Card C is dated to the 660s CE, and Muhammad's death was in 632 CE. What does card C show about outside writers, Tala asks?

    • An outside writer described him while he was still alive
    • Outside writers explained each of his followers' beliefs in detail
    • Outside writers ignored him until the 800s CE
    • An outside writer described him within about thirty years of his death
11. 10.

    The Qur'an is recited in Arabic in prayer. Why do historians treat it as a source for what followers hold sacred, Zee asks?

    • They do not treat it as a source, because it is a religious text
    • They treat it as a news report about the events of that day
    • It is the central text followers hold sacred, so it shows beliefs
    • They treat it as the view of one small group of Muslims in Arabia