Problem
A. Compare and contrast the theological world view of Sunni Islam with Shi'i Islam. Here, it is important to think about how each branch of the tradition views "worldly" authority.
B. What is a "madhab" and what is the relationship between a "madhab" and an individual or a society's practice of Islam?
C. What impact did the Mongol invasion have on Islamic thought and practice?
D. How did the new empires (Savafid, Moghul, and Ottoman) differ from prior empires with respect to their relationship to Sharia? Why is this important? Attention should be paid to the use of Islam and the Ulama as a means of legitimizing new, autocratic forms of the government as well as the way that it was also now being thought that the leaders of empire were themselves subject to Sharia. The paradoxes of this relationship should be observed.
E. What is the religious and political significance of the passion play known as taziyeh, mourning ritual memorializing the martyrdom of Husain (the fourth Caliph, Ali's, son) in Shii Iran? When did this ritual change from a predominantly spiritual practice to one encompassing a political meaning?
F. Compare and contrast the rule of the Safavid empire with that of Akbar of the Mongol Empire. Pay attention in particular to religious diversity under each.
G. Identify at least two factors that led to the demise of the Ottoman Empire.
H. Who was Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Wahab and why is he important?