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?

   • The Qur'an has 114 surahs; the Sunnah is a second guide
   • Both the Qur'an and the Sunnah are recited in Arabic in prayer
   • 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?

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

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

   • It comes from outside the community, so it adds a second view
   • It is useless, because a Christian cannot write about Muhammad
   • It was written during Muhammad's lifetime, so it is firsthand
   • It gives just the Muslim view, since the bishop copied Muslim sources
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 1,300 years after
   • About 3 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?

   • 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
   • The collections were written down during Muhammad's own lifetime
7. 6.

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

   • The Qur'an holds revelations; the Sunnah holds sayings and deeds
   • The Qur'an is for prayer in Arabic and the Sunnah is not a guide
   • The Qur'an holds Muhammad's sayings; the Sunnah holds the revelations
   • Both are the same text, written down once in the 800s CE by a scholar
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 show that scholars have confirmed each belief on the list
   • To list the cities where each messenger lived
   • To ask readers to join the religion
9. 8.

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

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

    • Each report was written down on the day Muhammad said it
    • The collections came first, and the reports were made up afterward
    • Reports were passed on from person to person before collection
    • Written copies alone were allowed until the 800s CE
11. 10.

    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?

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