THE SPREAD OF ISLAM

From the oasis cities of Makkah and Madinah in the Arabian desert, the

message of Islam went forth with electrifying speed. Within half a century

of the Prophet's death, Islam had spread to three continents. Islam is not, as

some imagine in the West, a religion of the sword nor did it spread

primarily by means of war. It was only within Arabia, where a crude form

of idolatry was rampant, that Islam was propagated by warring against

those tribes which did not accept the message of God--whereas Christians

and Jews were not forced to convert. Outside of Arabia also the vast lands

conquered by the Arab armies in a short period became Muslim not by

force of the sword but by the appeal of the new religion. It was faith in

One God and emphasis upon His Mercy that brought vast numbers of

people into the fold of Islam. The new religion did not coerce people to

convert. Many continued to remain Jews and Christians and to this day

important communities of the followers of these faiths are found in Muslim

lands.

Moreover, the spread of Islam was not limited to its miraculous early

expansion outside of Arabia. During later centuries the Turks embraced

Islam peacefully as did a large number of the people of the Indian

subcontinent and the Malay-speaking world. In Africa also, Islam has

spread during the past two centuries even under the mighty power of

European colonial rulers. Today Islam continues to grow not only in

Africa but also in Europe and America where Muslims now comprise a

notable minority.