The Role Of Islam In The Ancient World

Islam was a very popular religion in the ancient world. It started in the Middle East. Now a days, Islam is the second most popular religion in the world, right after Christianity. It has around 1.57 billion believers. 80-90% of Muslims are spread around the Middle East, North Africa, and also in Indonesia, Philippines, etcetera. It will be argued that the Muslim empire was full of constant successful leadership, and was one of the most successful empires in History. This essay will discuss how the religion of Islam was spread throughout the ancient world.

Islam was introduced to the world in 610 AD, by a man named Muhammad. He was born in a village called Mecca in 570 AD. He claimed that he received a revelation from the archangel Gabriel

Abu Bakr became the first of the four caliphs. Each of the caliphs contributed significantly to the development of Islam. Abu Bakr was a caliph from 632, until his death in 634. He accomplished many major things, such as dealing with the problem of the nomadic Arabs. In 633, Abu Bakr defeated the Bedouin revolt, and secured the entire Arabian peninsula for Islam. After the death of Abu Bakr, Umar, another father-in-law of Muhammad, became Abu Bakr’s successor. His caliphate lasted from 634 to 644. One of his first contributions was to add “Commander of the Faithful” to his title (religion facts). He conquered many cities, such as Damascus in 635, and Jerusalem in 637, both from Syria and the Byzantine Empire. He also instituted a policy of religious tolerance in his new lands, and also instituted two taxes. The kharaj, for landowners, and the jizya, which non-Muslims paid in return for the privilege of practicing their religion. Umar also conquered the Ctesiphon in 637. He then set out for Egypt. Babylon fell in 641, and Alexandria in 642. Christians have not ruled in Egypt since. Umar was assassinated by a Persian Christian in 644. By this time, the Muslim Empire was only second to the Chinese Empire in

For example, Abu Bakr and Umar were father-in-laws of Muhammad, and Ali was his son-in-law and and cousin, and thus, the only one directly related to Muhammad.(Barber 8) Uthman was chosen as Umar’s successor, and over his years as caliph, he made many accomplishments, such as defeating the Byzantine attempt to recover Alexandria, and conquering Cyprus in 649. However, his most influential achievement during his reign was the creation of the first definitive written edition of the Koran, which was completed by 650(history today). Uthman died in 656, from being stoned and stabbed to death. The last of the four caliphs was Muhammad’s cousin, Ali. However, the choosing of him to be caliph wasn’t immediate, as after Uthman was assassinated, civil war erupted. Muslims fought each other over who would become the next leader. Ali then declared himself the fourth caliph, a claim which was challenged by Uthman’s cousin, Mu’awiya, who was also the governor of Syria. Rather unfortunately, Ali’s leadership did not last long at all. In July, year 660, Ali was taken out of the picture, and Mu’awiya was finally successful in claiming control of the Islamic Empire. This was the beginning of the Umayyad