Muslim And Islam Dbq Essay

The Arab and Islamic Empire made some of the greatest contributions to the world during its reign. During a time when Europe was in the midst of the Middle Ages was cut off from the rest of the world, the Arab Empire flourished with trade and intermingling. As Christian Europeans struggled to reclaim Jerusalem for themselves with the Crusades, the Muslims’ vast territory not only housed Jerusalem, but Mecca, and land as far as Cordova, Spain. Where European Medieval doctors were untrained and performed numerous amputations, and leeching, Islamic doctors studied and practiced advanced medical treatments. The Muslims made great contributions to education, science, and trade alike. The Muslims were able to make contributions that impacted the

world through their vast trade empire, sea routes and conquering methods, and desire to learn and improve their world.
The Muslims had the biggest trade empire of their time that encompassed most of West Asia and parts of North Africa. This trade empire allowed them to reach a vast amount of people both Islamic and not. They traded many goods found in their native regions and spread them to parts of the world that would otherwise not have them. Depression Era historian J.H. Kramer shows in Document 9 that valuable goods such as muslin, gauge, cotton, satin, and various agricultural products came from Islamic countries and were named by the Islamic people. These are all products used today all over the world and would not have gotten there without the Islamic trade empire that spread them. Cotton, muslin, and satin are all used in fabrics and clothing in both the West and in Islamic countries. Produce such as citrus fruits, spinach, artichokes, and saffron have been integrated into diets and recipes all over the world. Not only were goods spread by trade, but also ideas, as evidenced in Document 4. In Document 4 Al-jab, more commonly known as Algebra, is shown by a Muslim mathematician. At the time his practice and helpful examples of Algebra in this document were most likely meant for himself, Islamic students, and other Islamic mathematicians, but now it is seen as the foundation of a math that is used in all types of schools everywhere. Practices such as Algebra were spread through the trade empire by merchants, students, and teachers alike. It is now used in education systems all over the world and it would not have gotten to such places without the Islamic trade.
Not only were the Muslims great at trade, they were also great at traveling the Sea Routes and conquering other lands. The Islamic territory encompassed the Mediterranean, Black, Red, and Arabian Seas as well as the Persian Gulf. This gave them access to many different lands so they could spread ideas and products throughout the world. Along with all of these territories came the desire to map them out, figure out how long travel would take, and have an easy trail to follow to their destinations. In Document 5 the astrolabe and armillary sphere developed by Muslim scholars who were well traveled are shown that helped them figure out the time and places for calendars and maps. These were extremely helpful for someone traveling the Sea Routes. These devices also helped the Muslims to become better sailors, scientists, and mathematicians. However, these devices served as a basis for practices such as trigonometry and astronomy that would go on to become the fascination of scholars everywhere. Document 8 was written from the perspective of a British scholar. At the time Great Britain owned and had conquered India by force much like the Muslims conquered other areas. In this case the author was more likely to look at the Muslims in this way. In this document the author directly discusses that Muslims were “masters of the sea” and conquered other lands by force. They were eager to explore their new land and spread their empire and by doing so they paved the way for many travelers after them, such as the Europeans. Years later famous travelers such as Christopher Columbus would voyage in the same manner as the Muslims to discover new lands, but at the times Europe was still stuck in the Middle Ages, an isolationist period. Thus, traveling was beneficial for the Muslims and their contributions and isolation was not for the Europeans. Much like the U.S. during the Great Depression, Europe would not grow stronger until they reached beyond their own territory.
Muslims had a great desire to learn and improve their world which caused them to develop new practices and products to do so, most notably in medicine and health.

Document 1 shows that vaccines and other important medical practices used in the West at that time were developed in the Islamic empire centuries before. The document says early on Muslim rulers wanted qualified doctors and professionals treating their sicknesses. Before hand, anyone could practice medicine and treat sick people. It was Muslims who spread the practice of having safe and tested doctors treat patients. This has carried all the way to today, where in countries like the United States it is illegal to practice without a medical license. The Muslims wrote many medical texts on their practices and wanted to preserve them for future use. In Document 3 was written by a modern day physician who most likely studied from texts inspired and influenced my Muslim texts since they were used in Europe and Asia for over 6 centuries. He writes that when the Europeans discovered these texts they immediately wanted to translate them into Latin. These texts survived and guided doctors for 600 years. The texts included drawings of 200 medical tools which became a prominent textbook of surgery in Europe. Without the ambition of Muslims, many of the medical practices that exist today wouldn’t be available or as advanced as they

are.
The Muslims impacted the world through their contributions by their large trade empire, ability to travel the Sea Routes and conquer other lands, and ambition to improve the world around them. They used their huge trade empire to their advantage and spread products and ideas. They conquered the Sea Routes and developed technologies to help them travel. Those technologies served as a basis of astronomy and trigonometry. They wanted better care when they were sick and improved medicine and science. Their practices helped to create modern day medicine such as vaccines that saved millions of lives. All of their contributions helped create the world today. Without the Muslim people there would not be all of the products, advanced maths and sciences, and advanced medical care in the world today.