The spread of Islam occurred differently in many different parts of the African continent in such places like North Africa, Western Sudan, and the Swahili coast. The Islamic religion spread slowly but was spread in a proficient way in that it grew to large numbers within Africa. After the spread of Islam in Medina, Muslim troops marched into Egypt around 641 A.D. and claimed Egypt as an Islamic State spreading the religion to the Egyptian people. Eventually, the Islamic Caliphate of Umayyad would travel to modern day Algeria and Morocco, in approximately 680 A.D., to spread to the word of Islam to Northern Africa. By the 10th Century, Islam was introduced by Berber traders from North Africa and created the three stages for adoption of …show more content…
By the 7th century, Islam had become many different divisional sects and started spreading to different parts of the world including North Africa. Egypt was the first conquest of the many Arab controlled cities in approximately 641 A.D. and the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb was to begin. As the Umayyad Caliphate started it conquest to create their Islamic States, the Byzantine Roman Empire would start losing its last remaining strongholds in Northern Africa. The Caliphate offered Islam to the Berber people as an alternative from the oppressed Byzantine government. The large number of Berbers inhabiting the Maghreb and thus created the spread of Islam in Northern Africa. These Berbers created an imperial dynasty in the 11th century, in Morocco, establishing the Almoravid State, lasting from 1040 – 1147 AD. The empire stretched over the North-Western Maghreb and Al-Andalus. The Berber people were known for their trading with products such as slabs of salt, textiles, and horses. They would travel across Sahara spreading Islam to the Western Sudan, while staying in their Islamic quarters for Muslims. Thus beginning the spread of Islam into Western …show more content…
As these people encountered the Berber trading groups they would be introduced to the religion and the spread of Islam would be a slow process consisting of the three stages; the Quarantine stage, “Court” stage, and the Majority stage. The Quarantine Stage was comprised of areas where Berbers stayed, or their Islamic quarters, once reaching West Africa. The “Court” Stage was the beginning of the adoption of Islam by elite traders coming across the desert and the advantage of doing so would be that they would be taught how to read and write so that they may be able to understand the Quran. The final stage, the Majority Stage, was when the majority of the Western Sudan people became Muslim. At this time in African Islamic history, Muslims adopted cosmopolitanism creating Islamic Empires and states. Some of the most dominant Islamic States, such as the city of Timbuktu in Mali, and was home to one of the most famous Islamic rulers the world may ever know, Mansa Musa. Mansa Musa lived from 1280 – 1337 AD as a 14th century emperor of the Mali Empire and is known as the richest man in history. Musa was a significant figure for his expedition to the holy city of Mecca in 1324. This Pilgrimage introduced him to the rulers of the Middle East and Europe, increasing Islamic education in Mali drastically with him adding Mosques, libraries, and universities in Mali.
Around the years of 632-750 C.E., Islamic followers created an empire that reached across North Africa into Europe and dominated the Middle East. Due to several aspects leading up to expansion such as war, geography, and establishing an organized impressionable government, the Islamic empire grew rapidly.
I’m sure everyone knew about how islam one of the most popular religions, but most people never realized how quickly it spread. Islam is a religion that was created in the time 610 C.E. by a judge named Muhammad who lived in Mecca. He went to pray at mt. Hira as he usually does, but then an archangel appeared. The angel then grabbed Muhammad and shared information about Allah or God and and called the religion Islam. This brings you to the question, how did Islam spread so quickly. I believe the main ways Islam spread so quickly was because of the protection they give you in the empire, conquering land, and through trade.
Mansa Musa and his masses of men journeyed through barren, scorching deserts, unfamiliar cities, and trekked thousands of miles to reach the birthplace of Islam, the city of Mecca. Mansa Musa was Muslim and on his hajj, or a religious pilgrimage to the city of Mecca. Although this religious aspect might have been a primary factor to Mansa Musa's travels through Africa, his venture was not purely for religious reasons. Mansa Musa had many motivating factors to travel through Africa to Mecca. One reason was Mansa Musa could put Mali on the map through his journey.
In 610 A.D., in a cave on the Arabian Peninsula, a merchant from Mecca, Islam named Muhammad was meditating when he was interrupted by the Angel Gabriel, who told him to recite and spread the words that Allah is the one God, which he would later be spread and known as Islam. So, why did Islam spread so quickly? Some people argue that Islam spread so quickly because of trade, military conquest, or treaties, taxes, and toleration. However, the main reasons why Islam spread so quickly was because of military conquest and taxes, treaties, and toleration. To begin with,
Hello! I'm Veronica, a Muslim soldier. I'm here to explain why Islam spread so quickly. In document A, it is stated that Mecca was a good place for trade and these traders went to many places for their dealings. While they were doing this, they also brought their religion and beliefs, and spread it upon the people they met. In document B, some of Islam's beliefs are stated. Many people seem to enjoy these beliefs, therefore converting to the Islam religion. In document C, traders took routes through Medina, Isahan, Merv, Bukhara, Kabul, Damascus, Constantinople, Cairo, Aswan, Caliruan, Tangler, Cordoba, Toledo, Saragossa, and Tours. These are all places where the brought and expressed their religious beliefs.
The spread of the Islamic faith throughout the Middle East is through the presence of these Muslim cities. As discussed in Document 4, the establishment of Medina contributed to the spread of Islam. This was where it started. Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina when the ruling class of Mecca started to persecute them. There, Muhammad was able to help the people accept the Islamic faith which helped the overall spread of Islam. Muslim cities are scatted throughout the Middle East (Document 9). The location of these holy cities allowed for a proper diffusion of the faith and is significant because, without these establishments, the spread of Islam would have come to an abrupt halt. Muslim cities are the driving force in the diffusion of Islam, and because of them, the Islamic faith has grown to become a worldwide leader in religious affairs.
The rise of the Islamic religion and the growth of Islam’s territory happened rather quickly. During the life of their prophet and Islam’s originator, Muhammad, and interestly it even increased after his death, but how? Islam spread so fast after it was originated because of three things: trade, military conquest, and the appeal of its government.
West Africa has experienced migration, because of the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups it contains, and because of the minerals, and goods it can produce. Around the ninth century C.E., in the trans- Saharan route, slave trade became popular. These slaves were used by the Arabs for military service, administration, domestic service, and concubinage. Extensive trade in the region led to urbanization, as well as the introduction of Islam. Muslim Berbers contributed to the expansion of Islam, by controlling the trade routes in Africa, and becoming conduits for economic activities, by the tenth century. During the mid-11th century, cities like Gao and Timbuktu had Muslim scholars traveling the routes, because of the intrusion of the Almoravids, and this resulted in turning these cities into hotspots for study and trade. The eleventh century brought the acceptance of the Islamic culture, and led to conversion of the elites, so they can have legal, political, administrative, cultural, and economic benefits. The Islamic culture did not disrupt indigenous African shamanist and animist beliefs, it united ethnic groups, and led to the development of Islamic states throughout Africa. (Africa, 3000 B.C.-A.D. 1500 / West African Trade /
In the beginning, Muhammad started to preach his teachings, called Islam, in a populous trade center known as Mecca. Though, at first, his preachings were resisted as the people worried that idol worship and pilgrimages, or journeys to a sacred place, would end. This, in fact, proved to be true as with enough support, Muhammad ordered that the idols be destroyed and that a shrine dedicated to Allah be built instead, making Mecca the birthplace and foundation of Islam. However, within 100 years of Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, Islam had spread to multiple other countries including Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The question is, how did Islam spread so rapidly over the course of 100 years? Briefly put, Islam spread rapidly due to trade routes, military campaigns, and non-Muslim converts.
The trade between Islam and many other countries helped spread Islam. Trade leads to a good economy meaning more jobs (less unemployment). As people move around to trade they sometimes stay they traded to causing the spread of
Changes in political and cultural traditions during the post-classical period occurred in Africa because of intensive Islamic contact. When Arab conquerors introduced the Islamic faith into northern Africa, they expanded the region of commerce. Muslim merchants established trading centers for copper, iron, salts, and cotton textiles. The newly established trade affected traditional social and religious beliefs. After 1000 C.E., the kin-based social structure experienced difficult challenges. Increased conflict between peoples led to the creation of military forces for both offensive and defensive use. This led to the formation of chiefdoms exhibiting more formal structures of governing such as in the kingdoms of Kongo, Ghana, and Mali. Because most traders were Muslim, many African societies converted to Islam to improve their relations with the
The lower part of Africa below the Sahara, that area was never really isolated but it was hard and difficult to contact. Between 800 and 1500 C.E the contact with the “outside world” grew intensely.
Islam is a major world religion. Its origin can be traced back to 610 CE in Arabia. The basis of this religion is the revelations to the prophet Mohammad. Dissatisfied with his life, he traveled to deserts, hills, and the wilderness surrounding Mecca, where he lived, to meditate and reflect. He became a new man through his revelations, which many of his followers believe Allah transmitted to him through his angel Gabriel. Islam was originally an Arab religion, but many different beliefs and practices were added to it, making it extremely popular and aiding in its rapid spread. This new religion spread to many different areas surrounding Arabia, both under Mohammad and after his death. The Muslim Empire grew to encompass Spain and
It all began in a cave. Muhammad started Islam in 610 BC and after that it spread throughout Arabia and regions near it. Islam was able to do this quickly because of its military success, trade connections, and political order.
parents at an early age and working as a merchant most of his life . He retreated to a cave in a near