Islam, History

Definition

This entry covers the 1400-year history of Islam from Mecca to the modern day.

Introduction

Islam did not suddenly appear on the historical scene as something brand new or divorced from its immediate surroundings. Islam emerged in Mecca and the Hijaz – an area of the Arabian Peninsula – in the early seventh century C.E. As John Esposito wrote, “the Near East [of which the Arabian Peninsula is a part, along with other places in the Middle East we might know today such as Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran] spawned and nurtured a rich variety of religious traditions” (Esposito 2016).

Islam is one of them. And it must be seen against this backdrop. In order to be able to recall and describe significant elements from the life of Muhammad and the early Muslim community, identify the origins of the Medinan state and the Caliphate, and discuss the significant people, places, and events from early Muslim history, we must first start with pre-Islamic Arabia and...