Why Did Islam Spread So Quickly

In 610 CE, Muhammad ventured to Mt. Hira to pray. Visions filled his mind of the angel Gabriel, stating that Muhammad was the messenger and his mission was to spread revelation to all of Arabia. This is how Islam started. But, why did Islam spread so quickly? Islam spread so quickly because of military conquest, taxes, and trade. First of all, trade was one reason that made Islam spread. Mecca was a prosperous city and was the center of trade. It was surrounded by the Red Sea, leading to the Arabian Sea. Many merchants could travel overseas to trade luxury goods, such as spices, textiles, and spices all the way from Asia. Crossroads were invented for caravan trade and transport. “Vast camel trains bearing perfumes, precious metals, incense, and silk filed through town, headed north on the way from the coastal town of Aden to Mecca and off to the Peninsula…” This quote describes that goods spread all across Arabia, which probably lead to cultures being exchanged with one another. Many tribes came to Mecca for these goods, like Europe to Asia and even Africa.

In 713 CE, Abd al-Aziz and Theodemir signed a treaty for peace when the Muslim forces tried to invade Spain. The author is explaining that Theodemir won't be coerced to change his religion, his power will not be lost, Abd al-Aziz will not kill or take prisoners from his followers, but he must pay taxes, such as “..one dinar every year, together with four measures of concentrated fruit juice, four liquid measures of vinegar, four of honey, and four of olive oil.” (Document C) This relates to why Islam spread so quickly because Theodemir’s followers might have switched to an even more powerful leader than him. This source is reliable because it provided specific details of the treaty.