Rise Of Islam Research Paper

The Islamic World emerged in Medieval Europe during the seventh and eighth centuries corresponding to the development of Latin Europe and Byzantium. The new religion was slowly absorbed at first, but eventually grew rapidly along with the vast expansion of the territory. It all started when Muhammad, a traveling sail man in the city of Mecca, became the last prophet of God's final and perfect revelation: the Qur'an. Angel Gabriel told Muhammad to recite the teachings in the Qur'an-written by God. This indicates that the Arabs are God's new chosen people. Therefore, Muhammad spent the rest of his life reciting the backbone of a new religion known as Islam. Despite the public's skepticism in the beginning, Islam followers increased rapidly after

When Muhammad first preached the Qur'anic teachings, some of his followers were his family and those who didn't belong to a tribe. The people of Mecca were criticizing the monotheistic view which disregarded the importance of the Ka'ba, a temple for all the gods. Therefore, Muhammad's teaching was a threat to the polytheistic tribes. Being exiled from his own city, the Hijrah in 622 indicates the emergence of Islam as Muhammad and his followers migrated to Madinah for safety. During this period of spiritual ignorance, different clans were fighting one another and the people living in tribes were seeking a different type of community. They were drawn to the new Islamic community, the ummah, where all were treated equally. The poor ones in need were especially attracted to Islam because they would be taken care of if they were a part of the ummah. Monotheism was another aspect of Islam that attracted these pagans. Instead of trying to please all the gods to change an inevitable destiny, they prefer to worship and directly communicate with Allah-an omnipotent and loving figure. Their fear for the pagan deities couldn't be compared to their love for Allah. Furthermore, Islam's ideology welcomes everyone with its simplicity as the followers didn't have to interpret the straight forward

Muhammad began by blocking Mecca's trade routes to the south. Since the region of the Arabian Peninsula was dependent on food transported from the outside for survival, the Meccans had no other choice but to surrender. By 630, Muhammad successfully conquered Mecca. Most of Meccans became the faithful followers of Islam. Muhammad was then in command of a powerful army consisted of converted Bedouins for conquests. The spread of Islam was through both violence and non-violence. Muhammad used the military to take control of the region first. Then he welcomed new followers by preaching the doctrine from the Qur'an. Christians and Jews were allowed to keep their faith, but they must not express their faith in public. Nevertheless, becoming a Muslim would receive more benefits and special treatments from the government which also motivated many people to convert. Thousands of troublesome Christians and Jews who refused to convert were executed for rebellious actions. Consequently, the tension between Islam and Christianity became even worse. In 632, Muhammad's death provoked the split of Islam into Sunni Muslims and Shi'ite Muslims. The Sunnis' victorious conquests led by Abu Bakr finally took over the entire Arabian