26 April, 2024

17 Shawwal, 1445 H

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"Silence saves you from regret"

- Imam Ali (as) -

Learning
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Core Curriculum
Section 1 - God, Religion and Islam: An Introduction

  • Topic 1.1 - God, Allah and Religion

  • Topic 1.2 - What is “Religion” and What’s the Point of it Anyways?

  • Topic 1.3 - Introduction to Islam

  • Topic 1.4 - A Brief Introduction to the Prophet Muhammad (s), the Prophet of Islam

Section 2 - Foundations of Islam - Theology

  • Topic 2.1 - Satan, Jinns and Angels: Their Influence in the World

  • Topic 2.2 - The Islamic Concept of the Nafs: Battling the Human Ego

  • Topic 2.3 - The Sharīʿa: Purpose and Practice

  • Topic 2.4 - Nubuwwa: The Purpose of Prophethood in Islam

  • Topic 2.5 - Tawhīd: The Unity and Oneness of God in Islam

  • Topic 2.6 - The Usūl al-Dīn: The Fundamental Beliefs of Islam

  • Topic 2.7 - Adala: Divine Justice in Islam

  • Topic 2.8 - Entering Islam: The Shahada

  • Topic 2.9 - Maʿād: The Day of Judgment in Islam

  • Topic 2.10 - Imāmah or divinely guided leadership in Islam after the Prophet Muhammad.

Section 3 - Foundations of Islam - Obligatory Acts

  • Topic 3.1 - Accepting Islam: Putting Faith into Action

  • Topic 3.2 - The Furūʿ al-Dīn: The Fundamental Practices of Islam

  • Topic 3.3 - Salāt: Obligatory Ritual Prayers in Islam

  • Topic 3.4 - Fasting in Islam, its Purpose, Dos and Don’ts

  • Topic 3.5 - The Hajj Pilgrimage

  • Topic 3.6 - The Purpose of Zakat and Khums in Islamic Law

  • Topic 3.7 - Jihād in Islamic Law and Spirituality

  • Topic 3.8 - Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil in Islam

  • Topic 3.9 - Tawalla and Tabarra, its Basics and Purpose

  • Topic 3.10 - The Five Categories of Islamic Law

  • Topic 3.11 - Niyya: Religious Intention as the Foundation of Islamic Practice

  • Topic 3.12 - Ritual Purity in Islamic Law: Understanding Tahāra and Najāsa

  • Topic 3.13 - Other Obligatory and Forbidden Acts in Islam

Section 4 - Prophethood in Islam

  • Topic 4.1 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Childhood (PART I of III)

  • Topic 4.2 - Bio: The Prophet Muhammad as a Prophet of God (PART II of III)

  • Topic 4.3 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Character (PART III of III)

  • Topic 4.4 - The Prophet Muhammad (s) as Messenger and Teacher

  • Topic 4.5 - The Prophet and his Relationships

  • Topic 4.6 - The Prophet’s Sunnah and Hadith

  • Topic 4.7 - Ghadīr and Arafah: The Two Last Sermons of the Prophet

  • Topic 4.8 - Jesus and Mary in Islam

Section 5 - The Qur'an and Hadith

  • Topic 5.1 - Islam and Other Religions

  • Topic 5.2 - What is the Qur’an? A Short Introduction to Islam’s Holy Book

  • Topic 5.3 - The Structure of the Holy Qur’an

  • Topic 5.4 - The Quran and Islamic law

  • Topic 5.5 - The Qur’an, Allah and Humankind

  • Topic 5.6 - Hadith and Sunnah, difference and variations

  • Topic 5.7 - The Reliability of Hadiths

  • Topic 5.8 - A Reflection on Verses of the Holy Qur’an

  • Topic 5.9 - Hadith al-Thaqalayn

  • Topic 5.10 - Imam Ali (as) and Nahj al-Balagha.

  • Topic 5.11 - Taqlid and Tawḍih Al Masail Genre of Literature

Section 6 - Measuring Good and Bad in Islam

  • Topic 6.1 - Guidance According to Islam

  • Topic 6.2 - Life and Death in Islam

  • Topic 6.3 - Heaven and Hell in Islam

  • Topic 6.4 - The Effects of Our Actions in this World

  • Topic 6.5 - The Gray Areas of Islamic Law and Morality

  • Topic 6.6 - Benefits of Islamic Law in this World

  • Topic 6.7 - Good and Bad Deeds: The Spiritual Consequences of our Choices

  • Topic 6.8 - The Effect of Culture and Environment in Shaping our Religious Choices

  • Topic 6.9 - Fate and the Consequences of our Choices in Islam

  • Topic 6.10 - Trivializing the Harām

  • Topic 6.11 - Sinning Against Others and their Delayed Punishment

  • Topic 6.12 - The Three Kinds of Rights in Islam

  • Topic 6.13 - Major Sins in Islam

  • Topic 6.14 - Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins in Islam

  • Topic 6.15 - Kufr in Islam

  • Topic 6.16 - Why Allah Allows People to Sin

Section 7 - The Legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as)

  • Topic 7.1 - Islam and Knowledge: the Importance of Islamic Education

  • Topic 7.2 - The Ahl al-Kisa

  • Topic 7.3 - Imamah in the Qur’an

  • Topic 7.4 - Fatima al-Zahrah (as)

  • Topic 7.5 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam al-Hasan until Imam Muhammad al-Baqir)

  • Topic 7.6 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam Jafar al-Sadiq until Imam Hasan al-Askari)

  • Topic 7.7 - A Brief Look at the Life and Importance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj)

  • Topic 7.8 - Salawat and Atonement in Islam

  • Topic 7.9 - The Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet According to the Qur’an

  • Topic 7.10 - Clerical Hierarchies in Muslim Communities

  • Topic 7.11 - Mosques in Islam

  • Topic 7.12 - The Philosophy of Karbala and Majalis

  • Topic 7.13 - A Brief Biography of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)

  • Topic 7.14 - The Battle of Karbala: A Brief History

Section 8 - Islamic Relationships, Sects and Conflicts

  • Topic 8.1 - Islam and Rights

  • Topic 8.2 - Islam and Religious Conflicts

  • Topic 8.3 - Major Sects of Islam

  • Topic 8.4 - Sunnism and Shi’ism, beginnings and historical developments.

  • Topic 8.5 - Misconceptions about Shi’ism

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Special Topics
Section 9 - Independent Topics

  • Topic 9.1 - Muslim Converts – Welcome to Islam!

  • Topic 9.2 - Basic Dos and Don’ts of Being a Muslim

  • Topic 9.3 - Halal Food and Zabiha

  • Topic 9.4 - Modesty in Islam

  • Topic 9.5 - Family, Parents and Marriage in Islam

  • Topic 9.6 - Marriage in Islam

  • Topic 9.7 - Islam and Sex

  • Topic 9.8 - Women’s Menstruation in Islam

  • Topic 9.9 - Music, Alcohol, Drugs and Pork in Islam

  • Topic 9.10 - Islam and Science

  • Topic 9.11 - A Reading List of Islamic Knowledge

  • Topic 9.12 - Islam and Sufism

  • Topic 9.13 - Ritual Prayers and Supplications in Islam

  • Topic 9.14 - Death & Burial Rituals in Islam

  • Topic 9.15 - The Battle of Armageddon: An Islamic View

  • Topic 9.16 - The Muslim Calendar

  • Topic 9.17 - Muslims and non-Muslims in the Shariah

  • Topic 9.18 - A Timeline of Major Events in Islamic History

  • Topic 9.19 - Introducing the Qur’an: Why it is the way it is

  • Topic 9.20 - The School of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq

  • Topic 9.21 - Major Fields in Islamic Studies

  • Topic 9.22 - The Caliphate in Sunni and Shia Islam

  • Topic 9.23 - The Spread of Islam: After the Prophet until the Ottoman Empire

  • Topic 9.24 - Islam, Racism and Anti-Semitism

Section 10 - Islam, Religion, and Modern Controversies

  • Topic 10.1 - Modern Fallacies about God: where Theists and Atheists Agree

  • Topic 10.2 - Tawhīd: The Muslim God according to the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt (as)

  • Topic 10.3 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Being (Wujūd)

  • Topic 10.4 - God’s Existence: The Kalam Cosmological Argument

  • Topic 10.5 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Design

  • Topic 10.6 - The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain

  • Topic 10.7 - Why did God Create Us? The Purpose of our Creation

  • Topic 10.8 - Why Humans Need Religion according to Islam

  • Topic 10.9 - Jahl and Spiritual Ignorance in Islam

  • Topic 10.10 - Faith in Islam: Belief without Evidence?

  • Topic 10.11 - Do Non-Muslims Go to Hell?

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The Spread of Islam: After the Prophet until the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

 Was Islam spread peacefully or spread by the sword? In this lesson, we see how Islam was spread peacefully and mostly by unarmed Sufis. 

 

INTRODUCTION 

 

Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Peace be upon you brothers and sisters. 

 

Welcome back to the Muslim Converts Channel! 

 

A subject that a lot of people like to talk about, is the history behind the spread of Islam. The reason why people like to talk about it so much is because it carries so much political weight; The question many people are discussing is, did Islam spread by violence or did it spread through peace?  

 

It's difficult to paint history in black and white in this manner. Unfortunately, many people who try to do so are those with some type of political agenda (either pro or anti-Islam).  

 

In this lesson, we’re going to overview the spread of Islam from the death of the Prophet Muhammad (s) until the Ottoman Empire. Since we have covered the life of the Prophet Muhammad (s) elsewhere, we will begin with the events that unfolded after his death. 

 

BODY OF TEXT 

Let's begin looking at the history of the spread of Islam, beginning with the death of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and the beginning of Ummayad Dynasty (610 CE to 750 CE) 

 

The first phase of Islam’s spread after the death of the Prophet was during the reign of the first four Caliphs.  

During the time of the first four caliphs, Islam expanded dramatically. At first, the whole of the Arabian Peninsula was taken, and by the time of the second Caliph Umar, Egypt and Persia had been conquered.  

It is important to note that none of these conquests were religious per se, and none of the conquering Caliphs ever claimed it to be so, at least according to reliable historical sources. The conquests were largely if not entirely political and economic in nature; conquering lands and it's respective resources for political and economical growth.  

 With the exception of Imam Ali (as), the first three Caliphs and the Ummayad rulers actively discouraged people from converting to Islam. The Ummayad Caliphs in particular saw Islam as a religion for Arabs and not for non-Arabs. 

By the end of the Ummayad Caliphate around 750 C.E, only 10% of the population of the newly conquered lands, that is, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Spain, Iraq and North Africa had converted to Islam.  

What was the role of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) in this? Well, Imam Ali (as) had opposed the conquests from the get-go. He did not participate in any of them. Naturally, he was against the forced conversion of people to Islam. On the contrary, he believed in converting others to Islam not by words, but by his own actions. People had to convert to Islam freely and without any pressure. 

Through his own spiritual aura, compassion and kindness, people in conquered lands converted to Islam after only having briefly met Imam Ali (as).  

 

Next came the Abbasid Period which lasted from 750 C.E to 1258 

During the Abbasid period, things started turning around. Unlike the Ummayads, the Abbasids did not oppose converting non-Muslim populations to Islam. However, they didn’t actively promote it either.  

The Abbasid period saw the rise of Muslim mysticism, better known as Sufism. Many Muslim traders were Sufis, and many Sufis travelled across Africa, the Middle East, Central, Western and South Asia.  

As the Sufis travelled, they settled in various towns and converted people to Islam. For example, many of the Turks living in central Asia and many people in India were converted to Islam by Sufis. This trend is also found all over Africa as well as in Persia. 

People in Indonesia, Malaysia and part of the Philippines began converting to Islam in the 13th century due to the influence of the Sufis and Sufi tradesmen who travelled to the area from Gujarat, India as well as China. No Muslim army ever set foot in Indonesia or Malaysia. 

For this reason, if you look at the pre-Wahhabi era of Islam, most Sunnis were in fact Sufis and most of their major towns or cities have Sufi shrines.  

It is around the 11th and 12th centuries where the majority of these non-Muslim regions became Muslim. The last ones to become predominately Muslim were Syria and Iran.  

 

The dramatic growth of Islam in these lands were due to the efforts of non-political elements of Muslim society, namely the Sufis. 

So as you can see, populations were not forcibly converted to Islam. On the contrary, most of the rulers had opposed conversion to Islam. It is the local, unarmed and charismatic Sufis who turned people into Muslims. 

 

Now let's discuss the Mongols and the Reconquista  

 

In 1258, the Mongols invaded and took over Baghdad, the capital of the Muslim world at the time. Although Muslim scholars, institutions and libraries were oppressed initially, the Mongols soon found themselves converting to Islam as well. As such, the rulers and not the ruled were the ones changing their religion. 

In Muslim Spain, however, the story was different. For centuries Christian empires fought to reclaim the entirety of Spain from Muslims. By the end of the 15th century, they successfully managed to take over. The Reconquista period is the centuries long process of reclaiming land from Muslims in Spain. As Spain was conquered, Muslims and especially Jews were either kicked out, killed or forced to convert to Christianity. This is how much of the Sephardic Jewish community in Morocco was established. They fled Christian violence to the safety of Muslim Morocco. 

As the ruling elite governing Spain began doubting the genuineness of these conversions, they started the Inquisition where Muslims and Jews were tortured to “get the truth out of them.” It is important to note here that although the Catholic Church had initially supported the Inquisition, they shortly withdrew their support of it after learning of the horrors that took place. Despite the Church’s opposition, the ruling royalty of Spain still pressed on with the torture. 

 

Next we will look at The Ottoman Empire from 1299-1924 

 

The Ottoman Empire is one of the longest lasting empires in human history. Ottoman is an Anglicization of the word Osman or Othman and refers to the Turkish house of Osman. Osman the first, who died in 1324, is credited for having founded the Ottoman Empire in 1299. The Ottoman Empire expanded greatly in Southern, and especially South East Europe.  

In 1453, they conquered Constantinople, the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire. By conquering that city, they moved Westward and conquered what we know as modern day Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo, Servia, Sicily and much more. Like previous Muslim empires, the Ottomans never forced anyone to convert to Islam.  

Evidence that the people of these lands retained their religion can still be found in most of the countries that were conquered.  

The populations of Albania and Kosovo, however, had mostly converted to Islam at the hands of Sufi mystics who travelled and settled in their towns and cities. 

 

Finally let's look at Post-Ottoman Empire Until Today 

 

Conversion to Islam did not cease with the end of the Ottoman Empire. However, it did gradually decrease. Statistically speaking, conversion to Islam saw another peak after September 11th 2001, when Islam took front page in the media. Many people who had not known anything about Islam started researching about it and converting to the religion.  

Hundreds and thousands of people in the West have since converted to Islam. I myself being one of them! 

 

Until Next Time, Thank you for watching. As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh 

Reconquista

Christian conquest of Spain (or Iberian peninsula) from Muslims.  

Ottoman Empire

Turkish empire that lasted from 1299 to 1924. 

Ummayad Dynasty

Founded by Muawiyah the First, (Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan) and lasted until 750 CE 

Abbasid Dynasty

 Defeated the  Ummayads, officially established all over the Middle Easy by 750 and lasted until 1258. 

Q1

Did Muslim Empires force people to convert to Islam?

 No, they were not interested in doing so. 

Q2

Who converted non-Muslim lands to Islam?

Mostly Sufis, who were either travelers or tradesmen 

Q3

When did most of the Middle East become Muslim?

By the 12th century 

Q4

Did Imam Ali (as) support the conquests of non-Muslim lands, like Persia?

No, he never did nor did he participate in them. 

Q5

What did the Ahl al-Bayt (as) teach in regards to converting others to Islam?

The Ahl al-Bayt (as) taught that we should be good role models and convert people through our actions and not our tongues.  

Reconquista
Inquisition
Spread of Islam
Persia
Egypt
Africa
Ottoman Empire
Mongols
Abbasid Dynasty
Ummayad Dynasty
Imam Ali
Ahl al-Bayt
Prophet Muhammad
Abu Bakr
Umar
Usman the First
Usman I
Constantinople
Sufis
Central Asia
South Asia
Islam spread by violence
Islam spread by the sword

An Introduction to the History of the Spread of Islam by A . Ezzati