The document outlines aspects of daily life, society, politics, culture and religion in the Islamic caliphates including prohibited and required behaviors like not drinking alcohol or eating pork, praying 5 times a day, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. It discusses the caliphates of the Umayyads, Abbasids and Orthodox rule as well as the roles of craftsmen, peasants, merchants and slaves within the economy and social hierarchy. Core beliefs included believing in one God and that Muhammad was his prophet as outlined in the teachings of the Quran.