Rise and Spread of Islam Essay Example

The religion of Islam has risen up and spread throughout the world to become one of the world’s three largest religions. Islam originated in the desert of present day Saudi Arabia amongst the Arabs. The Arabs were a Semitic-speaking people. They were also a polytheistic society that worshipped an enormous number of gods and goddesses. There was almost one for every day of the year. The entire way of life that the Arabs knew was about to change with the birth of the prophet Muhammad. This man was responsible for bringing about the religion of Islam. The polytheistic religion that all Arabs practiced soon became a monotheistic faith. Islam was able to grow and expand throughout the world because of Muhammad and other Islamic followers. Islam all started with the birth of a man named Muhammad. Muhammad was born in the town of Mecca during the year 570 AD. Mecca was a small town located on the desert plateaus of the Arabian Peninsula. He was born into the clan of Hashim, which was part of the Quraish tribe. His mother and father’s names were Amina and Abdallah. Unfortunately, Muhammad's parents died when he was just a young boy. He was eventually raised by his uncle, a merchant in Mecca, named Abu Talib. As Muhammad grew older he assisted his uncle with his business. He would assist by accompanying caravans to different trade centers. When Muhammad got into his early twenties he found a job under a wealthy tradeswoman, Khadijah. He was in charge of escorting her caravans to their destinations. According to Richard Gabriel, author of Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General: “Khadijah’s assignment of her caravan to Muhammad was apparently a testament to his merchant skill and honesty” (Gabriel, 56). Due to this, upon the return of one of his journeys Khadijah proposed to Muhammad. They got married around the year 595. During their marriage they had four daughters and two sons that died in infancy. After many years of witnessing the religious