The Beginning and Spread of Islam

Islam began at a time when conditions were favourable for it to spread. Apart from a few towns
 on the coast and some oases in the interior, Arabia was desert land. Its people were mainly nomads,
wandering with their flocks and herds. In the small settlements there were merchants and traders
with strings of camels to carry goods.

    To the east was the Persian  Empire. and to the west, the Byzantine Empire based in Constantinople (modern Istanbul).
    The Persians  were mainly Zoroastrians who believed in a good and wise god(Ahura Mazda) and an evil god (Ahriman)

The Byzantine Eastern Orthodox christians. who worshipped  one god. Jehovah. and his divine prophet.
Jesus Christ.. Both of these empires were growing weak through constant wars, and their religions became
 less and less strict.

In Arabia, the great majority of people worshipped a large number of different gods. The main centre of their worship was at Makka, where there had been a shrine, the Kaaba, from very early times. The Kaaba had been built by the prophet
    Ibrahim (AS) and his son Ismail (AS), as a  special place for Allah's worship, but later
it had become a pagan temple with hundreds of idols. Here, at specific times, people came from allover the country for special worship and to hold great poetry festivals.

These regular events became both a pilgrimage for the pagan Arabs and a trade fair for the merchants. Makka at that time was ruled by the Quraish, a powerful tribe. Among them, the Bani Hashim, the ancestors of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) held a considerably important position. It was in Makka that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was born in 570AD. In 610AD, with the divine revelation of the Quran, he proclaimed his prophethood. The religion grew and strengthened as the divine messages continued, and by 632AD, the last year of ~u.ranic revelation, Islam had spread across Arabia. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a living example of the values taught by Islam. He was, and continues to be, a role model, in all aspects of life, for all Muslims.
The Spread of Islam
Islam was taken to other areas beyond Arabia by the groups of early Muslims who migrated to escape persecution
at the hands of pagan leaders in Makka.   A large number had fled to Abyssinia during the Prophet's (PBUH) life. The first migration in Islamic history took place before the Hijra to Madina. A group of about eighty Muslims, led by the cousin :­the Prophet (PBUH), Jafar ibn Abu Talib, went to Abyssinia with a message of peace from the Prophet (PBUH)
. The ruler of Abyssinia was an honurable Christian, Negus, who gave refuge ­to the Muslims.
   Islam spread westwards, eastwards and north-eastwards with incredible speed, Often it was taken by merchants from Arabia.
Sometimes, it was also spread by armies,

The spread of Islam
The Arab armies were relatively small but moved very quickly on their horses and camels. They were tough desert men
who had learned to live off the land - finding food from the countryside through which they passed.
They did not need huge supply lines with strings of animals and carts carrying food and weapons, as most armies did.
They were not, however, used to sieges, as there were almost no walled towns in their own lands.
But they learned quickly from their enemies, especially the Byzantines, how to build and use huge wooden
machines ­catapults - for hurling great rocks.
They also learned how to build siege towers for climbing city walls, and battering rams for breaking down walls.
Mostly, they avoided heavily defended cities, and swept past them. Later, when the fortresses had been cut off without supplies, the Muslim armies returned to attack them in their now-weakened state, or more often, just to receive their surrender.