Origins and Spread of Islam

Birth and Early Life of Muhammad (570) Muhammad is born in Mecca. Orphaned by age 6 and cared for by his uncle. At the age of 9 or 12, he began working as a camel driver on trade routes between Arabia and Syria. By adulthood, Muhammad ran his own caravan, becoming a successful trade merchant, a livelihood he continued up until the time of his visions at age 40. As a trade merchant, Muhammad was exposed to Judaism, Christianity, and a variety of polytheistic religions. Vision and Early Proselytizing (610) By adulthood, Muhammad (who refused to worship Arabian tribal gods) had begun meditating several weeks each year in a cave near Mecca. In 610, according to Islamic tradition, he was visited by the Angel Gabriel. Gabriel delivered the verses of the Qur'an to Muhammad, who committed them to memory rather than writing them down, as he could not read or write. He claimed to be instructed to preach and convert his fellow Arabs, to rescue them from their "idol" worship. He immediately encountered heavy persecution. Muhammad faced ridicule, but was physically protected by his prominent Hashim family. Opponents tried to persuade the Hashims to withdraw protection (meaning blood revenge required if he were killed), which they refused. Muhammad attempted to make Islam less threatening to fellow Arabs by positioning it as another Arabian religion, replete with reminiscent pilgrimages and rituals, but with belief and worship of the one and only "Allah" (God) instead of the various Arabian gods. (Continued Below) Muhammad Flees Mecca for Medina (619) Muhammads wife died, as did his uncle, leader of the Hashim clan. The new clan leadership withdrew protection of Muhammad. He moved to Medina after converts offered protection there. Converts grew substantially in Medina. All converted Meccans followed him to Medina. Muhammad eagerly began preaching among the Jewish tribes of Medina, presenting Islam as a continuation to Jewish prophecy, and himself as the last in line of Hebrew prophets. He also taught that believers should pray toward the direction of Jerusalem. When they rejected him as a prophet, he changed the prayer direction toward Mecca. Muhammad Rises to Power in Medina and War with Mecca (620-28) Muhammad is nominated as a judge in Medina in 620. Mecca confiscated property and land of departing Muslims, prompting Muslims of Medina to raid Mecca caravans. Muhammad gave a decree in the Qur'an calling for Muslims to wage war against Mecca. From 624-28, Muhammad leads Medina Muslims in an inconclusive war against Mecca.

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Conquest of Arabian Peninsula (628-32) In 628, Medina and Mecca enter into a peace treaty. Muhammad redirects focus to surrounding Arab and Jewish tribes, in an attempt to convert them to Islam via military

force. By 630, the Muslims had gained substantially in strength and numbers. When Mecca aided an ally tribe in their invasion of a tribe allied with Medina, the truce was broken, and Muhammad conquered Mecca. All of Mecca was converted to Islam, and vestiges of traditional polytheistic religions were destroyed. Through military conquest and negotiations, Muhammad proceeded to conquer nearly all remaining Arabic tribes throughout Arabia, with most Arabs being converted to Islam. Death of Muhammad and Expansion of Muslim Empire (632-1000) After the death of Muhammad in 632, the Muslims aggressively expanded north to gain control over badly needed resources to support the emerging Arab-Muslim Empire, which was growing powerful in military might, but confined in the resource-deprived Arabian Peninsula. Initially, Muslim Arabs did not intend to convert conquered peoples, who were allowed to practice their existing forms of worship. The primary expectation was that they comply with Arab-Muslim rule. Islam was still viewed primarily as an Arab religion, and early on during the expansion of the Muslim Empire, conversion was often discouraged.

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As garrisons of Arab soldiers were stationed throughout the Near-East, in places such as Iraq, they intermixed with the local populations, establishing Islam as the family religion, spreading Islam in the process. Others voluntarily converted, due to the break-down of their own religious heritages, which suffered when they were no longer upheld by local political entities. Plus, Islam was accompanied by tax breaks and increased social-political status. Initial converts were often treated with hostility, by the non-pious Umayyad Dynasty (661750) in particular, who were concerned over the dilution of Arab favoritism and reduced tax revenues. The Umayyads actively limited conversions. The more pious Abbasid Dynasty (750-930) made conversion to Islam widely available, increasing the percentage of Muslims within the empire from about 40% before their rule, to nearly 100% during their reign. Following the collapse of the Abbasid Dynasty, ending Arab rule of the Muslim Empire, much of the former empire would be conquered by nomadic Turk and Mongol tribal confederacies. Turks and Mongols generally converted to Islam themselves, carrying the Islamic mantle forward, and further spreading its reach throughout Central/Southern Asia and into Europe.

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