Spread Of Islam Dbq Essay

How do your beliefs affect your daily life? In what ways does your religion dictate your actions? A particular religion, Islam, is a very important aspect of Muslim lives. Islam was first developed in 610 C.E. when an Arabian man named Muhammad traveled to Mount Hira. Muhammad was seeking a quiet place to pray, when the archangel Gabriel descended and showed Muhammad the way of Allah. With his newfound beliefs, Muhammad sought to teach others of his religion. The question at hand, however, is how did Islam spread so rapidly? Thankfully, it is clear that Islam was able to spread so quickly due to military force, trade, and appealing values. The first key factor of the spread of Islam was military force. The Muslims were able to declare holy war, jihad, against those who opposed converting to Islam or agreeing to the pact (Document E). This means that the Muslims were able to use force against their enemies until they were either defeated or paid the increased tax that was required to practice a differing religion. Not only did this increase the amount of people following the Islamic faith, but the tax also benefitted the government and economy. In addition, a muslim army also waged war against the Byzantines and succeeded in defeating the army (Document F). When the Byzantines attempted to halt the expansion and growth of Islam,

Many Muslim missionaries traveled along the Silk Road, a trading path, in order to convert others to Islam (Trade Route Review worksheet). These missionaries were able to travel through many different empires while sharing the knowledge and beliefs of the Islamic faith. To add, Muslim merchants helped to bring awareness to not only the Islamic culture, but the way of life (The Pre-Classical Era packet). All of the fellow traders and merchants were exposed to the Muslim morals. This introduced others to Islam and assisted the growth and spread of the