NoteSheet 10.3

1. NoteSheet 10.3 Muslim Culture (pg. 273)

2. 1. What were the four social classes in Muslim society? • Upper Class • Muslims at birth • Second Class • Converts to Islam • Third Class • Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians • Lowest Class (fourth class) • Slaves • POW’s, all non-Muslim • Performed household work or worked for the military

3. 2. What was the role of women in the Middle East? • Qu’ran says • “Men are the managers of the affairs of women.” • “Righteous women are therefore obedient.” • Qu’ran also says • Men and women , as believers, are equal • Expected to submit to men • If the husband wanted to divorce his wife all he had to say 3 times “I dismiss thee.” • The divorce became final in 3 months • Responsibilities depend on wealth • Poor = fields • Rich = supervise servents

4. 3. What are examples of Muslim advances in science and art? • Literature • Qu’ran • Poems about nature and the pleasures of life and love • Art and Architecture • Calligraphy • The art of beautiful handwriting • Blended with cultures of the past • Intricate and colorful • Doesn’t usually contain images of living beings • Medical Advances • Al-Razi was the greatest physician between A.D. 500-1500 • Wrote and encyclopedia called the Comprehensive Book that drew on knowledge from Greek, Syrian, Arabic, and Indian sources • Math and Science • Would conduct experiments rather than logical reasoning • Astronomy by charting stars, comets, and planets