Spread of Islam

The Prophet Muhammad

By casting himself as a prophet, Muhammad was able to crystallise many of the ideas associated with Islam into one faith.

As there were many distinct groups living in Mecca at the time, there was an opportunity to unite them through one faith and one god.

Muhammad was instrumental in changing the worship at the Kaaba, the sacred Meccan pilgrimage site, to focus on a single deity. When Muhammad declared that the Angel Gabriel spoke to him in 610 CE, he gained traction and set out a new religious practice with prayer as the cornerstone, replacing offerings and idols.

The Qu'ran

The basis of Muhammad's teachings came from the Qu'ran.

When he was meditating on Mount Hira in 610, he claimed to see the Angel Gabriel, a messenger of Allah. Muhammad relayed the message sent by the deity to his followers and continued to do so for 23 years. As a prophet, who mediated between Allah and the people, Muhammad gained huge respect. Important messages such as monotheism, the Pillars of Islam and the use of the Kaaba became cornerstones of the faith.

After Muhammad died, the first caliph Abu Bakr commanded that the sacred text be written down. Such is the esteem that the text is held in, it cannot be placed on the ground and ritual washing is performed before touching it.

The Early Spread of Islam

The Quraysh, who oversaw Mecca, shamed Muhammad and his followers for their ideas. They even reacted violently at times. This meant that the prophet had to look elsewhere in order to spread his message.

The first attempt came in the form of sending 15 followers across the Red Sea to Abyssinia in 615 with the notion that they may be more accepting as the Abyssinians also did not see eye to eye with the Quraysh. However, after three months they missed their homeland and returned to Mecca.

A year later, as prosecution worsened, 101 followers went to Abyssinia, where Christian King Al-Najashi sheltered them from violence and granted them asylum, refusing the bribes of the Quraysh who wanted their return.

In 622, immigration to Medina, which lay 200 km from Mecca, proved even more successful, when Muhammad acted as a mediator for quarrelling factions. He unified all the groups and became the leading political and religious force in the city.

Spread of Islam: Timeline

We have seen how Islam began to show its influence in Mecca and the surrounding areas during the lifetime of Muhammad; now let's examine what happened after his death. The following periods can be divided into different caliphates. We will look at the important moments that defined each one.

The Rashidun Caliphate (632 - 661)

The first caliph after the death of Muhammad in 632 was Abu Bakr. He had a relatively limited two-year reign, but proved to be instrumental in the developing split between different factions within Islam.

During a relatively short period, the first four caliphs managed to spread Islam to modern-day Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Iran, taking advantage of the weak Byzantine and Sassanid empires. However, the Rashidun caliphs did not master centralised control as Muhammad had, which caused a split within the faith and the First Fitna, ending the caliphate.

The Ummayad Caliphate (661 - 750)

Although the Ummayad Caliphate had far greater success than the Rashidun Caliphate, this period was characterised by several fitnas, whereby opposition had to be silenced as caliphs wrestled for control.

The Abbasid Caliphate (750 - 1258)

The Abbasid Caliphate would significantly outlast the Ummayad Caliphate and usher in the 'Golden Age' for Islam. It would also result in the fragmentation of the Islamic state, from forces within and without, which allowed the religion to spread even further afield.

It is important to consider that the style of leadership was far different from the Ummayad Caliphate. Rather than one central figure, each region was governed by a ruler or emir. This became abused as power was soon derived from a bloodline.

As time progressed, the size of the caliphate began to dwindle with the influence of foreign forces. Some adopted the Muslim faith, whilst others wanted to avenge the oppression of their religion in what became known as The Crusades. With the influence of the Abbasid Caliphate soon confined to Baghdad, it was difficult to mount a sturdy and unified defence.

Islam remained prominent thanks to the Mongols and the Turkish Ottomans who also had an empire and continued to spread, though the 'Golden Age' of the Caliphates was over. Now, most Muslims lived as a minority in states dominated by other religions.

Fig. 6 - Portrait of Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan

Reasons for the Spread of Islam

There are many factors that contributed to the spread of Islam before 1258. Let's look at some of the significant ones below.

Aspects of the Culture

At the very core of the Islamic faith was the principle of unity. The pilgrimage to Mecca and the ritual of prayer five times a day fostered a community feel and was able to bridge differences between cultures. Also, the cultural prominence of the Arabic world through immense architecture and scientific and medical breakthroughs brought a level of respect to Islam. Finally, the ability of the Qu'ran to be wielded in different ways could convince people to join the Islamic faith. These methods were evident in the Mongols and the Ottomans, who both conquered the Muslim world.

Various Agreements

At the centre of the early success of Islam was its ability to tolerate other religions through a clever method of coercive conversion. Through jizyah, financial gains could be acquired for the Caliphate should members of other faiths decide not to join Islam. Collection of this payment often occurred in humiliating ways and Islamic supremacy was consistently preached. This, coupled with the financial hit, pressurised many non-believers to convert.

Also, many inter-faith marriages resulted in conversion, following the example of the Prophet Muhammad. Trade deals from Muslim maritime merchants in search of rare spices resulted in the spread of Islam to Sumatra Island in Indonesia. The Silk Road trade route across Asia and the huge Mongolian Empire also allowed for this spread to the Far East.

Military Effectiveness

The Rashidun and Ummayad Caliphates in particular benefitted from being in the right place at the right time. Surrounding much of their territory was the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires that were reaching the end of their cycle. The Ummayad Empire was effective and able to dramatically increase the size of the Caliphate because of its focus on self-preservation.

Once other empires rose and different factions developed within the Caliphate during the Abbasid epoch, it was always a matter of time before it began to dwindle and eventually reach the end of its own cycle.

Facts about the Spread of Islam

• Islam means 'surrender to god'. This single-minded approach to faith struck a chord and helped the religion gain many followers.
• The Pillars of Islam are Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting and Pilgrimage.
• The term 'jihad' means to struggle and is often given to conflicts involving Muslims so that they take on religious significance.
• Sunni is the dominant sect of Islam with 85% of the 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide. Shia is the next largest with around 15%.¹ There are other sects within the faith such as Sufism.
• The first Ramadan (fasting month) took place in Medina during the life of Muhammad.