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Spread Of Islam Dbq Essay

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There were hundreds of religions in the sixth century. However, only one became the fastest growing religion in the world today. Islam was started by a man named Muhammad. Muhammad was an ordinary man with and extraordinary purpose. In 610 C.E., Muhammad went into a cave in Mecca to pray. While praying, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him with revelations from God. He then used the revelations he received to introduce Islam to everyone around him. It was here that Muhammad was named Prophet, and Mecca became the birthplace of one of the largest religions in the world. Islam spread rapidly because of military conquests, existing trade routes, and the overall appeal to the message.

One of the first major reasons for the swift spread of Islam was …show more content…

Mecca's central location was imperative to the success the city had in terms of trade, which is a major key to the expansion of Islam. In the article Great Ages of Man: Early Islam, Desmond Stewart writes, "it [Mecca] was at the crossroads of lucrative caravan trade" (Document A). The centrality of the location of Mecca allowed for people from all over the Middle East and Asia to be introduced to the new religion of Islam. The ideas and customs then spread along these routes. As well as being located on land routes, Mecca was also located on sea routes which also increased trade. Along with the central location of Mecca, it was also a center of pilgrimage trade. People from other areas of Arabia, often entered Mecca in hopes of visiting the Ka'bah (Document A). The Ka'bah, at the time, was one of the holiest Pagan sites, thus bringing in many people of different religions. While on pilgrimage, people would trade and interact with those who had converted to Islam. In examining Arab trade routes in 570, many would conclude that Islam spread quickly because of the ideas that spread along existing trade

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