Answer to Question 1
Works written between the ninth and thirteenth centuries . . . considered the scientific nature of music from its importance in the universe, to the measurement of pitch intervals, to the construction of musical instruments . . .
Musical life in medieval Baghdad (in Iraq, formerly Mesopotamia) was described through the writings of Al-Isbahani whose many anecdotes about music reveal the complex position of music and musicians in medieval Baghdad.
Answer to Question 2
The Qur'an is not only essential for Muslim ritual, it is also a source for guidance on everyday matters, including music. The Hadith, traditions of the prophet Muhammed preserved by his closest companions and like the Qur'an, also contains information on the attitudes toward and the practice of music during the dawn and development of Islam (the 7th and 8th centuries).