Rise And Spread Of Islam

Defining the Rise and Spread of Islam Although the religion of Islam is the second most followed set of beliefs, many people don’t know much about, only that there are various issues where the religion is followed, such as the organization known as ISIS in the Middle East. There is more to learn of it, as the Islamic belief has quite a rich history. Now the definition of Islam itself is the Muslim faith, which was taught to them by Muhammad, the prophet of their god, Allah. This includes the Five Pillars of Islam, which are similar to a religious checklist that a Muslim must do, like prayer and a pilgrimage to Mecca. The religion has its roots set in the Middle East, beginning with Muhammad himself. Born in 570 CE, Muhammad grew up as an …show more content…
Muhammad led his army against rival tribes, winning wars and converting his defeated enemies and their cities to Islam. In 632 CE, Muhammad underwent an Islamic pilgrimage, with his death occurring a few months after, with his death having happened on June 8th, 632, where he was buried in the city of Medina. After his death, his succession became a disagreement amongst his followers, as some of them believed that the blood relatives of Muhammad should become the new leader, dubbed Caliph,( these people would come to be known as the Shia). The other faction, was known as the Sunni, who thought that the successor of Muhammad should be elected. Despite the schism between the Muslim people, Islam continued to gain great power, and within a decade had conquered Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt and parts of Persia. Although the people of these lands were supposedly converted, the Muslims conquered these areas for its resources, with real conversion occurring later on. This gaining of power throughout the Middle East led to the creation of multiple Caliphates, which were actually Islamic governments whose leadership was the Caliph, whose purpose was to lead the Muslim