Just like trade, conquest was a key factor in the spreading of Islam. Conquest by Muhammed helped spread Islam throughout the Middle East. Before Islam was popular, Muhammed led conquests throughout the Middle East trying to spread this relatively new faith. During this time, most people in Arabia where polytheistic, so Muhammed and Islam had many enemies. There were three main ways that Islam was spread throughout Arabia. The dominance of Muhammad and his army, Muhammed and his army’s control of a certain area, and allies or enemies of enemies . Muhammed raised and led a powerful army with courage and perseverance which led to people thinking to side with them instead of being their enemy. This ended up attracting many new followers of Islam.