The Rise Of Islam, And Its Subsequent Diffusion Across Eurasia

Islam’s spread throughout 630-1600 CE was extremely rapid and sudden; however, it led to many favorable aspects. Over the span of 630-1600 CE, Islam managed to spread throughout Arabia, Mesopotamia, Persia, North Africa, Spain, and parts of Central Asia. Women and education were on a rise, socially. Also, flourishing trade contributed to Islam’s economic wealth. Furthermore, political and legal reforms were also established during its spread. Overall, the spread of Islam brought forth many positive social, political, and economic impacts.

One of the first major reasons for the swift spread of Islam was

The geography of a desert town was very unbearable. It was very unlikely that you would see any children being born in a desert town, mostly because of that heat. Too hot for basically anyone to be living there.

Islamic civilization was spread using a variety of useful techniques, ranging from extreme violence, to the use of peaceful doctrine. Without these practices and methods, the spread of Islam would not be as profound as it has shown to be, especially from 632 to 750 CE. Islamic civilization spread to encompass such an extensive empire through the “way of the sword”, use pre-existing roads, ruthless fighting techniques, and the way of salvation and religious doctrine. One of the biggest methods that were used to spread Islam was the way of the sword, and other practices of intimidation. When new lands were taken over by Islam, Muslims gave a few options.

As a matter of fact, Mecca was the crossroads of the lucrative caravan trade. Vast camel trains, bearing spices, perfumes, precious metals, ivory and silk, filed through the town, headed north on the way from Yemen to the markets of Syria, etc. (Doc A). In addition, Doc A, also illustrated on a map that these trade routes lead all across the East, from Arabia, all the way to China proving that Islam had the means to travel rapidly. For instance, on trade routes such as the Silk Roads, traders could spread Islam all the way to China and India, making it easy for Islam to spread large distances. However, this information doesn’t explain why it traveled rapidly along these mentioned trade routes. Certainly, this can be explained by the process of cultural diffusion, in which a group’s cultural beliefs are spread from one group to another. In fact, through cultural diffusion, traders could pick up some Islamic influence, and spread it to the other trade

A clear similarity between the two trade routes was that both had led to the spread of the world’s second largest religion, Islam. Such is seen when observing the provinces the Silk Road trade network went through into china, Henan, Yunnan, Gansu, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. Between the years 610 AD to 620 AD, Islam had already spread to portions of western China through Islamic merchants, spreading the religion all the way to Eastern Asia along the Silk Road trade route. Similarly, the Trans-saharan trade route has a secondary effect of spreading religion to Western Africa due to the merchants that came from caliphate controlled North Africa.

In Document C, a map of the Arabian Peninsula shows how Islam spread through military campaigns. The campaigns were successful because during the seventh and eighth centuries the empires surrounding the Arabian Peninsula, Persia and the Byzantine Empire, were weak after battling each other for almost a century. This allowed for the followers of Islam to conquer them, allowing for the religion to spread easily.Document D explains how military operations aided the spread of Islam. Under the Ummah Muslims are not allowed to attack other Muslims, leading to an increase in ghazu raids against non-Muslim communities around the Middle East. Persia and Byzantium were still weakened, causing effortless raids. In these raides the Muslims would spare those they were attacking who then converted to Islam. These raids were simple for the Muslims and produced copious amounts of followers for their

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

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.

HIX: INFLUENCE OF CHINA ISLAMIC EMPIRE: Persia fell under Islam at an early date, especially after the Abbasid dynasty and the founding of it's capital Baghdad. Persian traditions deeply influenced Islamic political and cultural leaders. Persian administrative techniques

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.

In the Post-Classical Era, trade was crucial for the diffusion of cultures because it connected major areas of the world. With many different trade routes such as the Trans-Saharan and the Silk Roads, religions, ideas, and technology were able to spread with ease. Religions that traveled along those trade routes are Islam and Christianity. Both religions spread far and wide through the practices of trade and warfare. Merchants had a significant impact on the spread of both religions, as they were the ones traveling along these trade routes and learning about different religions and cultures. As both religions spread through vast regions, the different peoples and cultures they came in contact with began to use these religions as a unification tactic as well as a way to identify themselves as individuals. For example, as Christianity spread through the Silk Roads, the Roman emperor Constantine converted, so Christianity

In the article, “A Silk Road Legacy: The Spread of Buddhism and Islam” by Xinru Liu, the author discusses the dominance of Buddhism in Central Asia and how the religion made its way from Central Asia into China, India, and other parts of Asia. Xinru Liu also discusses how the regions in Central Asia were divided into many city-states that never unified. Because of this, no region in Central Asia ever had an official religion and there was a variety of religions practiced by the people, such as Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism. Xinru Liu also points out the Arab conquest to Central Asia and the important Silk Road trading stations that were located there that they wanted control of. Xinru Liu discusses the introduction of Islam to Central Asia during this conquest and how it was established there and then later spread to other parts of Asia, such as India. Finally, Xinru Liu discusses the influence on Central Asians from many different outsiders and what life was like for the people before, during, and after the rise of the Islamic Empire and how Central Asians have survived and thrived under the constant changing environment.

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

The rise and expansion of Islam has had a significant impact on the role and rights of women throughout history. Since its origin in the seventh century until modern times, the Muslim faith has somewhat broadened, but has mostly restricted women’s rights in numerous Islamic communities. The history of Muslim women is complex, as it involves many advances and declines in numerous locations, such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and Iran, concerning several subjects, including both civil and social rights. Thus, in general, the rights of Islamic women did not improve significantly over time, instead, conditions remained the same or became worse for women as Islam evolved and spread as a world religion.