The Beginnings of Islam as an Apocalyptic Movement

Summary

The Early Ecumenical State of Islam

The importance of the development of Islam in the land of Syria during the seventh and eighth centuries has frequently been under-appreciated by scholars seeking to divine what the nature of the new faith was during this crucial period. According to the traditional Muslim historical interpretation, Arab tribesmen swept out of the Arabian Peninsula shortly after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632. Within the short time span of 10–15 years they conquered the lands of Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Persia, halving the territory of the ancient Byzantine empire based in Constantinople, and bringing the Sasanian Persian empire to a close. These tribesmen were inspired by the faith of Islam, and according to the Muslim interpretation of events, given divine aid to judge these two evil empires. The Byzantines and the Sasanians had engaged in a pointless war previous to the Muslim invasion lasting some 25 years and destroying nearly the entire region.

This interpretation, relying as it does upon divine intervention in human affairs, has not been well received by western scholars, who have offered more mundane interpretations. These range from the climatic changes, which apparently resulted in the desiccation of the Arabian peninsula (which according to this interpretation led to the exodus of tribesmen from the region), to the superior military tactics of the Bedouin against the trained armies of the Byzantines and Sasanians.