Spread Of Islam In North Africa Essay

Pre-Islamic Arabia was a culture knit together by kinship. In this society there was no emperor or ruling elite. The people of pre-Islamic Arabia were bound together by nomadic tribes who made profit by trading and most importantly “raiding”. These raids were often described as small-scale warfare and were instrumented by tribal leaders in order to increase the wealth and power of the tribe (Gordon 5). This was the society in which Islam came to power. Warfare and raiding were essential in order to be successful in pre-Islamic Arabia. The integration of warfare into the Islamic religion created a similarity among Muslims, those who follow Islam, and non-Islamic Arabian people. This relationship and common interest established by the prophet Muhammad helped in the rise of Islam among non-Islamic

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.

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.

Mecca was known as a trading city, for its camel caravans that would constantly visit, and an important religious shrine known as the Ka’ba which was economically beneficial since traders would pay to visit it and its other idols. Islam would begin with the teachings of Muhammad: monotheism, support for the weak and the poor, and that Muhammad was allah’s prophet. Muhammad would be unaccepted by the people of Mecca because his teachings threatened their economy and he wanted to eliminate idol worship. Muhammad fled to Medina and began to create a following known as the Ulma and later developed into a political leader. Eventually, Muhammad would return and conquer the city of Mecca, establishing Islam and destroying everything but the Ka’ba.

Islam is one of the major world religions that quickly proliferated across the world. The spread of Islam started when Prophet Muhammad began to address the public a new revelation that he received from God in 632 CE. It was later written in the Quran, which is the Islamic sacred text. The religion united everyone under one rule and appealed to all because there was no hierarchy. It particularly diffused during the Middle Ages, when Islam had a great desire in exploring new information, developing extensive trade and creating a powerful military system in the Middle East and North Africa, which helped the Islamic World dominate politically and religiously.

In 570 C.E., a man was born who would later go on to become the final prophet of the fastest growing religion in the world. Muhammad was a merchant trader from Mecca. He was praying in a cave near Mt. Hira when he first heard the words of Allah from Archangel Gabriel. Muhammad kept silent about the encounters besides telling his wife until two years later. He decided it was time for the world to hear the message of Allah. From there stemmed the religion of Islam in Mecca. The lifestyle of Islam spread quickly due to pre-existing trade routes, the appeal of the religion and through military conquest.

Military conquest also played a big role in Islam’s growth. “In the year 636 the Byzantine Emperor… gathered an army… to resist the expansion of Islam. The people… are the… Syrians…

The conversion of Africa to Islam is known as one of the most important transformations of precolonial Africa. The spread of Islam in Africa can be credited to its regard for neighborhood societies. Muslims didn't drive Africans to change over to Islam and endured changes over joining components of indigenous religions with Islam. The Arabs additionally brought training and set up great focuses of learning in Cairo and Timbuktu. The feeling of fellowship between Muslims likewise fit well with the African feeling of group, and their faith in tending to the less lucky has affected various African people group. The spread of Islam also led to Swahili Urban Development, State Formation and an overall new way of life.

In the 7th and 8th centuries, Islam spread from its beginnings in Arabia to cover the entire Middle East and parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. As (Document 8) shows, by the year 750, Islam stretched from Eastern Persia in the Middle East, all the way to the westernmost edges of Spain and North Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Islam expanded so rapidly because of its techniques on conquering unstable areas and converting people to Islam, preventing setbacks and obstructions. Islam had three main reasons for its eminent prosperity. The way that Muslims treated the conquered people allowed for peace throughout the empire. Tolerance, combined with the military power, a disciplined army, and an overall appealing religion of Islam, provided the template that allowed the empire to expand to encompass an enormous amount of area.

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

In the 1900's at the twilight of a fresh new century in the 700th year of its presence the Ottoman E, moire started to die a brutal, climatic death. The team that damaged this elder and once powerful state launched the Middle East, Europe, and the world, but this enhanced instability and chaos. The Ottoman Empire was one of the most triumphant empire in the Middle East until WW1, thats where it all began. During WW1 the Ottoman Empire took the side of the Central Powers, and they were against the Allied Powers. As the war went on the Central Powers were losing and continued to lose. So the war ends and the ryAllied Powers came out with the victory, and this leads to the Ottoman Empire being weakened strongly. However, after WW1 Britain and France went on to dividing the Empire,

During the early history of Islam, the Arabian Peninsula was transformed due to the rise of Islam. Thanks to the increase of Islam across the Arabian Peninsula, Arabs were able to construct an enormous empire after the death of Mohammod due to several reasons. The reasons include having a shared faith, Arab citizens found wealth and social promotion in the military, the Persian and Byzantine empires were weakened, and expansion of the empire became a shared task among the Arab community (Strayer 369-71). One of the ways the Arabs were able to construct their empire so rapidly is because the shared faith in Islam enabled the new organized state to mobilize the military protentional all throughout the Arab population (Strayer 371). Arab citizens/individuals found great wealth and social promotion by being a part of the military and having the same religious beliefs (Strayer 369).

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

With the rise and further development of Islam, the Middle East emerged as a key world region. The religion not only dominated the Middle East but was also spread to the West, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa as it gained followers and influence. Why was the spread of Islam so quick, extensive, and influential? What was it about Islam that appealed to so many individuals and converted such a large geographical part of the world? This can further explained by the process of globalization and “the great world convergence—the opportunities that worldwide communication and transport, as well as empire building, offered to introduce the faith to more people across greater distances” (Panorama 568) as the world became more interconnected as well as ideal circumstances and factors such as the increased spread of knowledge, extensive maritime trade, and new military capabilities. The variety of methods and processes that promoted the religion such as through militant conquers and missionaries, the appealing beliefs and notion of equality that converted individuals, and the overall trend of increased trade and empires that held Islamic ties also contributed immensely to the spread of Islam. While political, economic, and social aspects contributed to the expansion of Islam, the spread of the religion had ultimately altered the social and cultural aspects of geographical areas. (thesis probably needs more clarity)

One cannot have an adequate and well-versed discussion about Islamic civilization without first defining two key terms: Civilization and Islam. Associate Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Ahmet Karamustafa, defines civilizations as, “nothing more than a particular, even unique combination of ideas and practice that groups of human actors – who are the real agents of human history – affirm as their own and use to define and develop their own sense of presence and agency in the world” (Karamustafa 103). Thus, guided by this definition, we have an understanding of Islamic Civilization as a religious movement guided by the mandates of God. Of course, anywhere where there is human organization and interaction, there will be politics involved. Although there were some political aspects in the community of the Believers under the leadership of the prophet, at the core of this movement was the belief in his prophetic authority. I will argue that Islam, despite all the political implications it has had throughout history, is ultimately rooted in religious belief, submission to God, and living a pious life in accordance with God’s commands for achieving eternal salvation. Furthermore, In the course of this paper, I will give a brief introduction of Islamic civilization broken up into four parts that are integral to understanding Islamic civilization: Politics and religion in the early community of the believers, governance after the death of the prophet,