1. how did the environment of arabia serve as a form of protection during much of the region's history? a. its fertile oases enabled farmers to grow enough food for themselves and for sale. b. its extreme heat and arid conditions kept invaders from attacking settlements. c. its landlocked location prevented traders from bringing in foreign goods. d. its mountainous regions kept farmers from mesopotamia from moving in for better land. 2. during the month of ramadan, muslims take part in which is one of the five pillars of islam. a. a pilgrimage b. a period of silence c. daily fasting d. religious feasting 3. the source of islamic thought that describes the words and actions of muhammad is called the a. quran b. sunnah c. eid al-fitr d. sharia 4. which of the following is a belief shared by sunnis and shias? a. that only descendants of muhammad should be caliph b. that any righteous male muslim can be chosen as caliph c. that the sunnah is the most important text of islamic faith d. that imams are divinely inspired muslim leaders 5. according to muslim belief, muhammad was praying in a cave when he had a revelation in which he was told to a. preach that there was one true god. b. found the holy city of mecca c. conquer the arabian peninsula d. build a shrine for pilgrims to visit. 6. which factor spread islam a. people were looking for new beliefs. b. merchants carried the faith to new lands. c. rulers required residents to convert. d. people found new ideas easier to follow. 7. drag and drop the social divisions in the arab muslim empire to arrange them with those at the top of society to those at the bottom of society. slaves arab muslims non-arab muslims jews and christians 8. who did shias think should succeed muhammad?  a. a relative of muhammad b. one of the "rightly guided caliphs" c. a member of the umayyad dynasty d. someone who had won many battle 9. which group established the first muslim dynasty? a. safavids b. umayyads c. abbasids d. mongols