From its modest beginnings on the Arabian Peninsula nearly 1,400 years ago, Islam has grown into the world’s second-largest religious faith, with more than 1.6 billion believers worldwide. Islamic civilization has a long and rich history characterized by magnificent achievements in the arts, science, and culture. Many individuals have played important roles in the development and spread of the Islamic faith and Islamic civilizations. This book provides brief biographies of a handful of those individuals, whose deeds have served as a powerful inspiration for other Muslims. This book also examines the places that Muslims consider sacred, explaining how those sites figure into Islamic history. Each title in this series contains color photos throughout, maps, and back matter including: a chronology, a detailed index and further reading lists for books and internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definitions--building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Text Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader’s comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. And a Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter containing terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader’s knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.
