Arabia 550-600 Essay

In the years 550 - 600 there was political disorder in Arabia and communication routes were not safe to use. Religions were different in every kingdom across Arabia and was a large cause of this crisis. Judaism was the dominant religion of Himyarite Kingdom, while Christianity became the official religion in the Persian Gulf. While much of Arabia believed in more than one god (polytheism), there was want for a more spiritual religion. Most did not want to be converted to a foreign faith, but those faiths gave reference points, and the old vocabulary of Arabic was replaced by Jewish and Christian loanwords. These words are usually adopted from another language with very few changes. On the day before the Islamic era, Quraysh was the leading tribe of Mecca. They were also a very strong force in Arabia at the time. To ensure that anarchy was avoided, they had "sacred months". In these months, violence was not allowed and travel was safe for everyone. The shrine in Mecca and the surrounding area
Muhammad began the new Islamic society, with some help from new verses of the Quran which provided guidance on law and religious observance. The surahs supported his place with the Biblical prophets, but also thought that the message of the Quran was taken from Christianity and Judaism. Meccans and Jewish tribes of the Yathrib area started trying to kill each other. After lots military confrontations and political maneuvers, Muhammad gained control of Mecca and earned the support of the Quraysh tribe in 629. Until his death in 632, chiefs across the peninsula entered into agreements with Muhammad, sometimes under alliance, others, knowing his prophethood, agreed to follow Islamic practices, including giving money to the poor, levy to his government, which consisted of a number of deputies, an army of believers, and a public