How do Muslims understand their relationship to God? How do their views on this subject compare to those of Jews and Christians?
Drawing on the documents in this chapter, what evidence is there to explain the success of Islam? What factors might have influenced people to convert to Islam?
How does the architectural style of the Great Mosque of Córdoba (Document 9-4) compare to the Hagia Sophia (Document 8-4)? What are the notable similarities and differences?
Franz Rosenthal, trans., Ibn Khaldūn, the Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History (New York: Pantheon, 1958), 403–408.