Islam and West African Empires Study GuideAnswers
1.Where is Arabia located? SW corner of Asia
2.Arabia is mostly what type of region? desert
3.What are nomads? people that move around in search of food and water
4.What is an oasis? fertile area in a desert
5.What is a caravan? a group of traders that travel together
6.Who was the prophet that brought the religion of Islam to Arabia? Muhammad
7.What is the term for a follower of Islam? Muslim
8.What is a prophet? a person who tells of messages from God
9.What is the holy book of Islam? Qur’an
10.What is a pilgrimage? A journey to a sacred place
11.What is a mosque? A building for Muslim prayer
12.What is jihad? to make an effort or to struggle
13.The way Muhammad lived provides a model of Muslim life. This is called the sunnah.
14.What is a caliph? a title that Muslims use for the highest leader of Islam
15.Tolerance means acceptance.
16.This group of Muslims believed that only Muhammad’s descendants could become caliphs. Shiites
17.This group of Muslims believed that caliphs did not have to be related to Muhammad. Sunni
18.Africa south of the Sahara Desert is called sub-Saharan.
19.What is the sahel? a strip of land that divides the desert from the wetter land
20.What is a savanna? Open grassland with scattered trees
21.What are rain forests? Wet, dense forests near the equator
22.What landform stretched across West Africa? Sahara desert
23.Gold and salt are important resources for West Africa.
24.An important step in the development of West African empires was using metals.
25.What is silent barter? a process of exchanging goods without contacting each other
26.How was Islam spread throughout West Africa? through trade
27.What are 3 reasons for the decline of Ghana? Overpopulation, food shortage, and overdependence on trade
28.What is the capital of Ghana? Kumbi Saleh
29.Timbuktu and Gao were the most important trade centers for Mali and Songhai.
30.The Niger River was important to trade in West Africa.
31.Muslims accept the teachings of theQur’an in every aspect of their lives, and there is no separation of church and state.
32.Islam is monotheistic.
33.What do Muslims believe about Muhammad? He is the last and greatest prophet.
34.Muslims recognize Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to be prophets.
35.The spread of Islam brought wealth to some Muslims.
36.People of Ghana traded slaves for salt and other goods.
37.Ghana’s population decreased because of food shortage.
38.There are 5 Pillars of Islam. Identify them based on their descriptions below.
a.All Muslims must travel to Mecca. Pilgrimmage/Hajj
b.Muslims must say, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his prophet. Faith
c.Muslims must go without food or drink during Ramadan. Fasting
d.Muslims must make a yearly donation to help the poor. Alms/charity
e.Muslims must pray five times a day. Prayer