The Postclassical Period

Though Islamic jihads spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and North Africa (even into Europe), they rarely forced conversion by the sword and instead wanted people to come to it of their own will, which allowed a “truer” believer. The reason for this difference is probably due to the threats that the early western European church faced from constantly invading nomads and thus wanted those under their control to be Christian and nothing else. Islam was not as concerned with this due to the overwhelming nature of their conquests. This is also demonstrated in the eastern Roman empire (Byzantine Empire) because they never “collapsed” and thus allowed a diversity of religions within their empire unlike western Europe. The structure of these religions allowed both regions to have a sense of stability and common beliefs even though both had a diversity of cultures within their regions. This structure allowed for political systems to get stronger and protect the people during this period of constant invasion (especially for Europe) and allowed the rise of more advanced civilizations. One sees this with rise of the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe and the caliphate empires of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. This similarity in the impact of structured religion in both regions can be explained by the need for people to latch on to any stable, organized entity that would allow them to survive the chaos after 500 CE.

During the Post-Classical Era, the leadership of Prophet Muhammad aided in the creation of the religion of Islam. Unlike any other religion, Islam spread exponentially through trade routes, appealing to the needy and conquest of new areas. As the religion began to gain massive coverage across Afro-Eurasia, it impacted the Post- Classical World both politically and culturally. During the Post-Classical Era, the spread of Islam led to significant political effects such as rise of caliphates, sultanates and empires that expanded to new areas. Furthermore, the spread of Islam had various cultural contributions such as spread of new traditions and arts.

Immediately after the Classical Era of World History, the period that came along was the Postclassical Period. This period, within the year 500 CE and 1450 CE, was built up by “third-wave civilizations”. In other words, it was built up by large empires characterized by constant patterns of change, trade, and considerable changes in technologies. In 1492 CE these civilizations got global, meaning that the interactions among these different societies stopped being regional. Two empires who were very important during the Postclassical Period were the Byzantine Empire and China. Geographically these civilizations were far apart, but as they developed, they became two of the most influential empires of the time. Also, as they developed they

The spread of Islam and Christianity. Both belief systems spread both rapidly and were efficient religions that brought great change for the greater good. They were the largest religions in the entire world and both happened to be monotheistic. Both religions share a similar history and tradition. Christianity appealed to the people because of their unwillingness to live on and how hopeless they were to move forward in poverty. Travel played an enormous role in conversion because of the missionaries sent out to unknown lands to spread the faith through trading routes (Christianity) and contacts (Islam). Islam prospered, on the other hand, with a vision of the angel Gabriel from Muhammed (became a god messenger and prophet of Allah). Interactions with other civilizations developed the Islamic World. These new religions led to more growth in the aspects of their social, economic, and political systems in addition to influencing other upcoming religions in history.

    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.

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.

The emergence of Islam in the seventh century is a turning point in history due to its high conversion rates and its advances in literature, science, and fine arts that affected the lives of many.

The “Post-Classical Period,” was a time of change, expansion, and vast cultural diffusion. The Islamic civilization is a group that emerged from the Semitic groups of southwestern Asia, and moved to the Arabian peninsula in tribes, known as the Bedouin tribes, due to lack of water and food. The Islamic Civilization encountered the cultures of the Europeans, Asians and Africans, and connected into these civilizations because of the spread of the Muslim religion. The Bedouin Arabs intensified cultural diffusion also through trade, migration, and warfare. The movement of the Islamic culture resulted in the

It grew from a local, oppressed faith that was pioneered by Muhammad and his close family and friends, to a force that united nations under one of the largest empires that the world had ever seen. It would have never become what it was without the incorporation of whole populations into the faith, the unified network of trade it provided, and the scholarly developments it pioneered and renewed. Without the deliberate conquests of different nations, Islam would not have grown so rapidly. If Islam had not grown so large, so quickly, the entirety of Afro-Eurasian trade would not have been so standard and unified. Likewise, if there was no such established network of trade, the ideas and innovations of Muslim education would not have become so widespread. Therefore, it is evident that each of these effects of the Islamic faith and its empire needed the others. Without all of them, Islam would not have been so influential to the history of Afro-Eurasia and would have produced a very different outcome that would have affected the history of Islam up until

From its beginnings within the time of Muhammad around 610, the Islamic Civilization's conquests led to its expansion to Persia and Egypt by 656, and to Africa, Spain, and other parts of Persia by 750. Around the end of 750, the Islamic empire was spread from western Persia, down south, and all the way to Spain. Some major mainsprings that caused such a movement are the following: the conquests of the military and how those who were overcome had the new influence of a Muslim presence in their societies, the aid coming from the government of those nations conquered to help convert to Islam, and the spread of the Islam religion through merchants traveling along trade routes helped in doing so.

There were changes to the Mediterranean World, but also continuities from the Roman Empire in 100 CE, to the Abbasid Empire in 800 Ce, to Feudal Europe in 1000 CE. Christianity and Islam, architecture, and the status of women all changed, even though some parts of them remained the same. Christianity and Islam developed and spread. New architectural advancements were added to the already existing Roman innovations, and the status of women improved overall.

One cultural change that developed from the incorporation of Islam is the widespread of literacy amongst sub-Saharan Africa. This change occurred because prior to the diffusion of literacy, Christian Ethiopia was the only literate society at the time. However, since literacy coincidentally spread with Islam at a similar time, the effects it had on the area were far more significant. From Ibn Battuta’s accounts, historians can acknowledge that literacy played an eloquent role even from the time of the Mali empire as he reports that several boys were confined in chains until one could properly memorize the many passages of the Quran. Notably, an economic change that derived due to the beliefs and practices of Islam, is the increase in long-distance trade between Africa and major trading countries.

From the time period of 1000-1750 C.E, Islam had a tremendous culture, economic, and political impact on Europe. It introduced Europe to new agricultural technology, exchange of ideas, trade goods that would influence Europe development.

The Patristic Period has great examples of theologians who believed in spiritual gifts as those demonstrated in the Apostolic church. Tertullian, in his work entitled “Against Marcion”, mentions the practice of interpreting tongues. In “A Treatise on the Soul”, Tertullian says,” For seeing that we acknowledge the spiritual ‘charismata’ or gifts, we too have merited the attainment of the prophetic gift.” In “Against Heresies” by Irenaeus, he states that there are believers who posses a prophetic gift and there are those who speak all kinds of languages through the Spirit. These are just two theologians who had witnessed or believed in spiritual gifts although most of the apostles, if not all had died by this time.

Historical context aids in comprehension as Islamic culture has a propensity to be static. By the conclusion of the 8th century, Islam superseded its once embryonic state by dint of swift conquests and aggrandizements of their domain. Central Asian provinces synergized with those thousands of miles away on the shores of the Atlantic in modern-day Morocco. With a cessation to the bloodshed of expansion, Islam began internal evolution. Therefore, two inimical social movements were wrought out of the dearth of skirmish and the succeeding introspection; an affluent cabal of flourishing secularists and a burgeoning sector of renunciationists. Of the