Spread Of Islam Dbq Essay

Many Americans are unaware of the flourishing religion that is Islam. In America, Muslims only make up about 1% of the population, however, a survey put the global muslim population at a shocking 1.6 billion, adding up to roughly 23% of the global population. Christianity reached a total of 2.2 billion followers, encompassing only 32% of the population, while Judaism fell far behind with only 14 million and a devastatingly low 0.04%. Originating in the seventh century in Mecca, the powerful religion has seen rapid growth over the years. Innovative ideas in economics, religion, and science made the religion unique from others in the past and allowed for this spread. The most significant factors in the expansion of the Islamic Empire were tolerance,

When Muhammad first gained control of Mecca, many of different beliefs feared their destruction and were surprised to find that he was accepting, unlike previous rulers. Mohammad argued that Islam was founded on kindness and mercy and didn’t seek revenge. According to an excerpt from The Caliph Omar: Arab Imperialist (Document 2), “Mohammad respected the older monotheistic faiths...he called them “People of the Book”...they were not forced into Islam but were allowed to retain their ancestral religion on payment of tribute” (Saunders). Muhammad refers to the people of the book, as in the people of the bible such as those in Spain believing in Christianity. By maintaining peace between these other religions, citizens of other faiths willingly contributed to the Islamic empire. They participated in the community like citizens of the Islamic faith, sharing ideas and partaking in trade. The religion was able to expand with the conversion of people from other religions, but more importantly the accepting nature of this religion made other Islamic innovations

This is evident in The Legacy of Islam (Document 5) where it states, “Natural products, which by their name indicate they were imported from Islamic countries——fruits, like oranges, lemon, apricot; vegetables, like spinach, artichokes, and saffron…Finally our commercial vocabulary itself has preserved…proofs that there was a time when Islamic trade and trade customs exercised a deep influence on the commercial development of Christian countries—-such words as “traffic” [derived from the Arabic tafriq] which means distribution”(Kramers). Islam became the center of trade in the world, as people flocked to Islamic trading centers for products unique to Arabia. Due to this economic success, muslim people lived by a higher standard of living than most other civilizations at the time. While Timbuktu saw booming success and wealth, Europe was in the dark ages marked by frequent warfare and disappearance of urban life. This economic growth and wealth collapsed societies and motivated supporters of the faith. The economic growth throughout the golden age was magnificent, drawing people from around the world to this new, prosperous