How Did Islam Spread

The religion of Islam was able to spread by geographic means because trade routes and military campaigns connect its heartland to other areas in the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad was the first Muslim. He was born in Mecca, a great trade city where the religion of Islam was born. Mecca lies in the center of the Arabian Peninsula and connects both land and sea routes to neighboring empires including the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire (A). Islam was able to spread by usage of these trade routes because Muslims could engage with the rest of the world through trade, spreading their ideas and values. Muslim merchants could communicate with others by speaking Arabic (272). A common language allows ideas, including those of Islam, to spread