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 Qur'an has 114 surahs; the Sunnah is a second guide
   • The Qur'an is made of hadith collected in the 800s CE
   • The Sunnah has 114 surahs; the Qur'an is made of sayings and deeds
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?

   • Fewer than 100 years
   • About 1,400 years
   • Exactly 168 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 that God spoke to Muhammad
   • Writers from two communities both knew of Muhammad
   • Together they show the bishop was a Muslim writing in Armenian
5. 4.

   Card C was written by a Christian bishop, not a Muslim. Why is it useful as evidence about Muhammad, Jun asks?

   • It gives just the Muslim view, since the bishop copied Muslim sources
   • It was written during Muhammad's lifetime, so it is firsthand
   • It is useless, because a Christian cannot write about Muhammad
   • It comes from outside the community, so it adds a second view
6. 5.

   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 30 years before
   • About 3 years after
   • About 1,300 years after
   • About 30 years after
7. 6.

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

   • The collections were written down during Muhammad's own lifetime
   • The collections were the first writing in Islam, before the Qur'an
   • Reports were passed on for generations before being collected
   • The collections cannot tell historians anything about Muhammad
8. 7.

   Card D lists beliefs about messengers. Why might a history book list them, Noah asks?

   • To help readers understand what followers believe
   • To list the cities where each messenger lived
   • To show that scholars have confirmed each belief on the list
   • To ask readers to join the religion
9. 8.

   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
   • Scholars have tested the list of messengers and found it complete
   • Followers wrongly think Muhammad was the last of the messengers
   • Followers believe God sent many messengers, the last being Muhammad
10. 9.

    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?

    • Reports were passed on from person to person before collection
    • The collections came first, and the reports were made up afterward
    • Each report was written down on the day Muhammad said it
    • Written copies alone were allowed until the 800s CE
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 treat it as a news report about the events of that day
    • They treat it as the view of one small group of Muslims in Arabia
    • They do not treat it as a source, because it is a religious text
    • It is the central text followers hold sacred, so it shows beliefs