OCR A-Level History A H505
Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016Unit group 1
Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035–1107Unit group 1
Y103: England 1199–1272Unit group 1
Y104: England 1377–1455Unit group 1
Y105: England 1445–1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VIIUnit group 1
Y106: England 1485–1558: The Early TudorsUnit group 1
Y107: England 1547–1603: The Later TudorsUnit group 1
Y108: The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603–1660Unit group 1
Y109: The Making of Georgian Britain 1678–c.1760Unit group 1
Y110: From Pitt to Peel 1783–1853Unit group 1
Y111: Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846–1918Unit group 1
Y112: Britain 1900–1951Unit group 1
Y113: Britain 1930–1997Unit group 1
Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750Unit group 2
Y202: Charlemagne 768–814Unit group 2
Y203: The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095–1192Unit group 2
Y204: Genghis Khan and the Explosion From the Steppes c.1167–1405Unit group 2
Y205: Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445–1570Unit group 2
Y206: Spain 1469–1556Unit group 2
Y207: The German Reformation and the Rule of Charles v 1500–1559Unit group 2
Y208: Philip II 1556–1598Unit group 2
Y209: African Kingdoms c.1400–c.1800: Four Case StudiesUnit group 2
Y210: Russia 1645–1741Unit group 2
Y211: The Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526–1739Unit group 2
Y212: The American Revolution 1740–1796Unit group 2
Y213: The French Revolution and the Rule of Napoleon 1774–1815Unit group 2
Y214: France 1814–1870Unit group 2
Y215: Italy and Unification 1789–1896Unit group 2
Y216: The USA in the 19th Century: Westward Expansion and Civil War 1803–c.1890Unit group 2
Y217: Japan 1853–1937Unit group 2
Y218: International Relations 1890–1941Unit group 2
Y219: Russia 1894–1941Unit group 2
Y220: Italy 1896–1943Unit group 2
Y221: Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919–1963Unit group 2
Y222: The Cold War in Asia 1945–1993Unit group 2
Y223: The Cold War in Europe 1941–1995Unit group 2
Y224: Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948–1999Unit group 2
Y301: The Early Anglo-Saxons c.400–800Unit group 3
Y302: The Viking Age c.790–1066Unit group 3
Y303: English Government and the Church 1066–1216Unit group 3
Y304: The Church and Medieval Heresy c.1100–1437Unit group 3
Y305: The Renaissance c.1400–c.1600Unit group 3
Y306: Rebellion and Disorder Under the Tudors 1485–1603Unit group 3
Y307: Tudor Foreign Policy 1485–1603Unit group 3
Y308: The Catholic Reformation 1492–1610Unit group 3
Y309: The Ascendancy of the Ottoman Empire 1453–1606Unit group 3
Y310: The Development of the Nation State: France 1498–1610Unit group 3
Y311: The Origins and Growth of the British Empire 1558–1783Unit group 3
Y312: Popular Culture and the Witchcraze of the 16th and 17th CenturiesUnit group 3
Y313: The Ascendancy of France 1610–1715Unit group 3
Y314: The Challenge of German Nationalism 1789–1919Unit group 3
Y315: The Changing Nature of Warfare 1792–1945Unit group 3
Y316: Britain and Ireland 1791–1921Unit group 3
Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839–1989Unit group 3
Y318: Russia and Its Rulers 1855–1964Unit group 3
Y319: Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992Unit group 3
Y320: From Colonialism to Independence: The British Empire 1857–1965Unit group 3
Y321: The Middle East 1908–2011: Ottomans to Arab SpringUnit group 3
Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750
- 6 subtopics
- 15 things to know
- Unit group 2
- Non-British period study, one unit of twenty-four
What Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750 covers
The Rise of Islam C.550–750 is unit Y201 of OCR History A, one of the twenty-four options in unit group 2, the non-British period study; a student sits one of them. Its four key topics are the Middle East c.550–620, the establishment of Islam c.620–632, the beginning of the Empire and the rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the establishment and expansion of the Umayyad Empire. 244 recall questions across 6 subtopics.
Where it is assessed
Unit group 2
Non-British period study, one unit of twenty-four.
Check the OCR specification ↗The 6 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The Middle East c.550–620: structure of pre-Islamic Arabia and commercial importance of MeccaRecall questions on the structure of pre-Islamic Arabia in the mid 6th Century, economic and social issues, religious beliefs in pre-Islamic Arabia, the commercial importance of Mecca.Open →
- The Middle East c.550–620: the rival empires, Arab military strengths and Muhammad’s Meccan yearsRecall questions on the Byzantine and Sassanian empires and their wars, plague and the Arab client kingdoms, Arab military strengths and raiding, and Muhammad’s early life, first revelation and Meccan opposition.Open →
- The establishment of Islam c.620–632: impact of Revelation and the hijraRecall questions on the impact of Revelation and the hijra, the Medinan period c.622–632, challenges to the Prophet Muhammad, the flight of the Prophet Muhammad, the Constitution of Medina and its significance, the early growth of Islam and reasons for its appeal.Open →
- The beginning of the Empire and the rule of the ‘Rightly Guided Caliphs’Recall questions on Disagreements about the succession, the succession of Abu Bakr, the Ridda Wars of Wars of Apostasy, the beginnings of the Empire and expansion into Persia, reasons for success, the rule of Abu Bakr.Open →
- The establishment and expansion of the Umayyad Empire: rule of Mu’awiya and Second Fitna of 680Recall questions on the rule of Mu’awiya, problems and achievements, succession crisis, the Second Fitna of 680.Open →
- The establishment and expansion of the Umayyad Empire: ‘Abd al-Malik’s reforms, expansion and the fall of the UmayyadsRecall questions on Abd al-Malik’s Arabic administration, coinage and Dome of the Rock, Umayyad expansion into Spain and beyond, Christian subjects, the mawali, the Third Fitna and the end and decline of Umayyad rule.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Why is 622 the first year of the Muslim calendar rather than the year of the first revelation?
Why was the victory at Badr in 624 more important than the size of the battle suggests?
How was the Meccan siege of Medina in 627 defeated?
How did Uthman's reign end?
Who opposed Ali at the Battle of the Camel, and what was the outcome?
Why did Abd al-Malik make Arabic the language of government?
How did Umayyad rule end?
What were the two main ways of making a living in sixth-century Arabia?
Describe the religious beliefs of most Arabs before Islam.
Who set himself up as a rival caliph at Mecca during the Second Fitna?
How was the Second Fitna finally settled?
Which monotheistic communities already existed in Arabia before Muhammad's preaching?
How did Umar become caliph in 634?
How did the Umayyads come to rule Spain?
Take Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750 further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Hijra vs Ridda Wars
Hijra: the migration of the Prophet and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622. Ridda Wars: the campaigns of 632 to 633 against the tribes that renounced their allegiance after the Prophet's death.
Constitution of Medina vs Diwan
Constitution of Medina: the agreement setting out the rights and duties of the clans and Jewish groups of the city. Diwan: the register of those entitled to a share of the state's revenue, established under Umar.
First Fitna vs Second Fitna
First Fitna: the civil war that followed the murder of Uthman and ended with the death of Ali. Second Fitna: the succession crisis of 680 that began with the killing of Husayn at Karbala.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How was society in Arabia organised in the middle of the sixth century?
Model answer
It was organised around kinship: people belonged to clans grouped into tribes, with no state authority above them, and a sheikh led by the consent of his fellow clan elders rather than by inherited right.
- 2
Explain why the blood feud mattered so much in pre-Islamic Arabia.
Model answer
With no government or police to enforce order, the threat that a victim's whole clan would exact vengeance was the main deterrent against violence, so a killing became a debt owed between tribes rather than a crime against an individual.
- 3
What were the two main ways of making a living in sixth-century Arabia?
Model answer
Nomadic herding of camels, sheep and goats across the desert pastures, and settled agriculture and trade in the oasis towns such as Mecca, Yathrib and Ta'if.
- 4
Describe the religious beliefs of most Arabs before Islam.
Model answer
Most were polytheists who worshipped tribal gods and spirits housed in local shrines, recognising a distant high god, Allah, alongside goddesses such as al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat.
- 5
Which monotheistic communities already existed in Arabia before Muhammad's preaching?
Model answer
Jewish tribes were established at Yathrib and other northern oases, and Christian communities existed at Najran and among the Arab tribes bordering the two empires.
- 6
Why was the Ka'ba so important to Mecca's position?
Model answer
It was a sanctuary housing the idols of many tribes, so pilgrims came to it from across Arabia, and the Quraysh who guarded it gained both religious prestige and the trade the pilgrimage brought.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750 revision questions
- What does Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750 cover in OCR A-Level History A?
- 6 subtopics: the middle east c.550–620: structure of pre-islamic arabia and commercial importance of mecca, the middle east c.550–620: the rival empires, arab military strengths and muhammad’s meccan years, the establishment of islam c.620–632: impact of revelation and the hijra, the beginning of the empire and the rule of the ‘rightly guided caliphs’, the establishment and expansion of the umayyad empire: rule of mu’awiya and second fitna of 680 and the establishment and expansion of the umayyad empire: ‘abd al-malik’s reforms, expansion and the fall of the umayyads. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750 organised?
- By the OCR H505 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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