More and more people joined Muhammad in Medina, including Bedouin tribes who made alliances with him. Men in Mecca killed 20 of Muhammad’s men during a pilgrimage, and by that broke the peace. When Muhammad’s men marched on Mecca nobody fought them. He executed a few of his most ardent enemies, but quickly managed to unify the people of Mecca. From this basis Islam spread rapidly over most of the Middle East the next decades to Spain in the west and India in the east. A new religion and a new empire were born.
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| Byzantine and Sassanid empires 600 CE. The area of the Quraysh tribe on the Arabian peninsula centre-right. |
In the late antiquity the Middle East was dominated by two empires, the Byzantine or East Roman empire and the Persian. They fought each other repeatedly during centuries for control over land and resources. At the beginning of the 7th century they were weakened by this. South of this area lay the Arab peninsula, with different tribes. Some were nomadic Bedouins, others formed kingdoms mostly Christian, who lived in relative peace. Much of the area was arid or desert and the Byzantine and Persian saw little of value there. On the West coast lay a strip of more fertile land the Hejaz. In conflicts between tribes holy wise men functioned as mediators. They lived in a neutral area where carrying arms was prohibited. Trade grew as the area was considered safe. Mecca was one such place. Many tribes me here and each had their religious idols placed in a house made from a meteorite the Kaaba.
Main tribes and
settlements of Arabia in Muhammad's lifetime.
Muhammad
In the 6th century the Quraysh tribe dominated Mecca, and
their leader functioned as the holy man. Here Muhammad was born around 570 CE. His
parents died early and he grew up in the house of his uncle Abu Talib. Muhammad
worked as a trades man for the widow Khadija, whom he later married. Around
year 610 he got revelations in the desert from whom he identified as Gabriel the
archangel. He started to preach and got followers. Many of them young, they
came from different social layers and the flock grew over the years to around
70 people. Abu Talib was the leader of the Hashim-clan a part of Quraysh-tribe,
and protected Muhammad. Muhammad got a revelation that there was only one God
and that all the idols had to go. But the Kaaba was holy. Then Khadija and Abu Talib died in 619 and the
new leader threw Muhammad out because of political reasons. People in a neighbouring
city Yathrib had heard about him and invited him to mediate in conflicts. He
accepted on one condition, that they converted to the new religion Islam. They
accepted and he left with his followers to the city that was later known as
Medina. This was a big decision as they broke with their families. The date for
the departure in 622 is considered the start of the Muslim calendar.
Muhammad receiving his first revelation from the
angel Gabriel.
Life in Medina
Muhammad and his followers created a new society in Medina. It was not based on tribe as the rest of society but something for them entirely new, on following the religion. Medina was a fertile oasis in the desert, with a considerable population of Jews. Muhammad was willing to learn from the Jews and adapted some of their rituals. But the Jews didn’t accept this new religion, and criticized him. But most of them stayed neutral in his conflict with Mecca. Some were driven away others massacred later, probably not for religious reasons but for political. There was no room to be neutral. Muhammad’s goal was to go back to Mecca and win the city. He needed a solid basis and demanded that everybody except the Jews should convert to Islam. To run the new society decisions needed to be made, and slowly a set of rules was established. Muhammad was a political leader, and because of this Islam became “political”. The people of Mecca didn’t accept that some of their youth had left to form a new “tribe” and the Muslims didn’t accept that Mecca was pagan.
Map of the Badr campaign.
Fighting Mecca
The conflict grew and the Muslims attacked trade-caravans to get more
capital. They planned to attack a major caravan of Abu Sufyan one of the
richest men of Mecca. Rumours about it reached Mecca and they mobilized a force
of 1000 men superior to the Muslims and fought the battle of Badr. Muhammad’s
men won and new recruits came. They fought again in other battles and then made
a truce. More and more people joined Muhammad, also Bedouin tribes made
alliances. Some men in Mecca killed 20 of Muhammad’s men and by that broke the
peace. When Muhammad’s men marched on Mecca nobody fought them. He executed a
few of his most ardent enemies, but quickly managed to unify the people of
Mecca. From this basis Islam would spread rapidly over the next decades.
Expansion of the caliphate under the Umayyads:
Expansion under Muhammad, 622–632
Expansion during the Rashidun Caliphate, 632–661
Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661–750
Sources and more information
Knut Vikør, Ei verd bygd på Islam, Det norske samlaget, Norway, 2004.
http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/48575/Battle-of-Badr
I am open to your comments and proposals.
Warmly
Bjarte Bjørsvik
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