ÇAĞDAŞ DÜNYA UYGARLIKLARI

Hz. Mohammed saw the need for social rules to promise women the right of inheritance, and rights within marriage including the ability to start a divorce action. He believed that women were citizens and should have the right to have businesses and to own property. These were the issues that Hz. Mohammed wanted to work on in his community. So he began to travel to a nearby cave at Hira to meditate on these challenges. The cave was close enough to Mecca that he could see the Ka’aba from the cave while he was praying. On more than one occasion the Angel Gabriel (Cebrail) visited Hz. Mohammed at the cave. The Prophet’s experience in the cave at Hira began a miraculous journey. Because at Hira, the words of Allah were delivered to the Prophet by Gabriel (Jibrail / Cebrail). These is called the divine Revelations (Wahy-Vahiy). The visits to Hira, which often lasted several days, changed Hz. Mohammed from a hard working, trusted leader who was often looked to by his community to help settle disputes, into a teacher of spirituality who was the direct messenger of Allah. His reputation, and now his inspiration, enabled him to step into the role he was born to play, political and moral leader of a civilization that would spread across the entire planet. A is the correct answer.

Five Pillars of Islam: Islam has five basic-duties which Muslims must perform. They are known as the five Pillars of Islam (Arkân al-Islam). These pillars are mentioned in the following Hadith (a saying of Prophet Mohammed): “Islam is based on five things; declaring that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah, performance of Salah, payment of Zakah, Hajj (Pilgrimage), Savm in the month of Ramadan.” The Five Pillars as mentioned in the Hadith are; a) Shahadah: (Declaration of faith) b) Salah : (Five compulsory daily prayers) c) Zakah : (Welfare-contribution) d) Hajj : (Pilgrimage to Mecca) e) Sawm : (Fasting during Ramadan). E is the correct answer.

Before the mosques prayer had been a personal experience. With the introduction of mosques prayer became a social function, where worshippers no longer had to hide. The call to prayer (ezan) became an important symbol of the freedom to assemble and worship. The mosque also served as a school, a function in Islamic society that would be central to the success of Islam. The mosque also served as a shared meeting place and as an office for the administration of the local society. All of these functions are the foundational aspects of a civilization, and Hz. Mohammed was able to bring them to life through the construction of the mosques. C is the correct answer.

Four of the five main characteristics that distinguish Islamic civilization from other civilizations are listed below:

Islamic civilization dominated much of the southern and western hemisphere between 10th and 16th centuries. With the rise of industrial age and the beginnings of colonialism, Islamic civilization suffered a serious setback. Muslims were influenced by Western culture and civilization. Choice D is the correct answer.

While Europe was struggling with the Dark Ages, and a feudal system that failed to develop wealth for any but the most privileged families regardless of merit, the Abbasid Khalifate expanded the iqta system of reward for military leaders in a way that dramatically increased agricultural production, while encouraging innovation, rewarding effort, and requiring respectful treatment of those who would spend their lives working the land. The iqta system encouraged these soldier/ landowners to maximize the productivity of their land. The Empire owned the land but it was granted to soldiers who had been successful. It could be taken back if these soldiers did a bad job of working the land, or even if they were unfair or cruel to their workers. Very importantly, these grants of land were not hereditary, although they could be bought and sold. All of this meant that the existing land of the Islamic world would be used more efficiently, yielding larger harvests, all while ensuring that citizens working the land were treated with respect. This was a feat of social engineering that has never been equaled, even today. Choice A is the correct answer.

Hz. Mohammed was born in 571. B is the correct choice.

The Mongols conquered the eastern lands of Islam and ruled from the Sinai Desert to India for a century. In 1258 CE the Mongols destroyed Baghdad. This is the date that many historians say was the end of the Golden Age of Islam. Choice C is the correct answer.

The greatest of the medical books was by Ibn Sina (Avicenna in Europe: 980-1037 CE). One of the world’s great intellects, Ibn Sina had a photographic memory. By the age of twenty-one he had read and absorbed all of the books in the Royal Library of the Sultan of Bukhara. Ibn Sina’s book was eventually translated into Latin in the 12th century and became the most important medical book of the middle-ages in all of Europe. From the 12th to 17th centuries, it was the main medical book in the West and it is still in occasional use in the Muslim East. Choice A is the correct answer.

The diet of medieval Europe was poor. It was mostly meat and bread, leeks, garlic, onions, cabbage and a few root vegetables. The Crusaders were impressed by the variety: rice cooked in many ways, lamb or chicken; lentils and other vegetables cooked in olive oil, and delicious sweetmeats and fruit. Rice was an important addition to the European diet. The Islamic Civilization also taught the growing techniques for cherries, peaches, apricots, and gooseberries. Choice D is the correct answer.

The early Muslim caliphates (empires), first the Arabs, then the Persians and later the Turks set about to create classical Islamic civilization. Therefore, the correct answer is A.

The Arabian Peninsula was populated with polytheistic Semitic people at that time, therefore the correct answer is B.

Hz. Mohammed (s.a.v.) was born in 571. Therefore, the correct answer is E.

Hz. Mohammed instruct his followers to take refuge in Ethiopia in the year 614. Therefore, the correct answer is C.

Islam does not insist on the supremacy of the material, it is a well-balanced civilization and it determined by a balance between the material and the spiritual life. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Quraysh is the name of a tribe in Mecca. It is not one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, therefore the correct answer is D.

During the Abbasids Dynasty between 750 CE and 1517 CE Baghdad became the center of arts and sciences for the entire world. Therefore, the correct answer is A.

The purpose of these Crusades was to recapture the region, especially Jerusalem, for Christianity. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

The greatest of the medical books was by Ibn Sina. Therefore, the correct answer is E.

The diet of medieval Europe was poor. It was mostly meat and bread, leeks, garlic, onions, cabbage and a few root vegetables. Rice, sugar, coffee and olives did not exist in their diet, therefore the correct answer is E.