The Spread of Islam With Timeline and Map!

The spread of Islam was actually a multifaceted process including some main contributing factors such as Da’wah (the call to Islam), trade, migration, education, and the unique nature and teachings of the Islamic religion.

In a world full of misconceptions and biased views, especially when discussing issues related to Islam. Narratives often reflect the interest of the most influential media figures.

This article is an attempt to reveal the origin and rise of the Islamic religion, how and where it spread, and the key factors that contributed to the widespread adoption of the Islamic religion, in addition to a timeline and map showing the distribution of the Muslim population worldwide.

How Did Islam Spread?

When asking about the methods by which Islam was spread, an important question, in fact, a misconception, arises which is, was the spread of Islam peaceful? The answer to this question can be simply concluded by understanding the meaning of the word Islam.

The word “Islam” shares the same word root with “salam” which means peace, and the word “Salamah” which means security or safety. By definition “Islam” refers to the voluntary submission to God in sincerity, which actually contradicts the popular saying that Islam was spread by the sword. In other words, you can not actually force someone to become Muslim, otherwise, it is not sincere and does not align with the true essence of Islam as a religion.

Now, let us shed some light on the factors that led to the spread of the Islamic religion with a special focus on the rise and spread of Islam, the origins of Islam, the spread of Islam timeline and map, the distribution of Islam worldwide and the main characteristics that render Islam one of the most rapidly spreading religions worldwide.

1. Muhammad’s Call to His Family and Companions

When prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him was sent by God, he stayed for 13 years in Mecca, peacefully calling to Islam. He was faced with denial and harm by his people (Quraysh), but he responded to that patiently and peacefully.

In the beginning, the call to Islam was secret, but then he was commanded to speak out, so he revealed his call to the people in Mecca and was patient to their harm and so were the companions, may Allah be pleased with them all.

Among those who first adopted Islam were his wife, Khadijah, his friend Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, and his cousin Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb, as well as his adopted son Zaid Ibn Haritha.

2. The Peaceful Call of the People in Mecca

Some people in Mecca converted to Islam through peaceful call and guidance and the beauty of the Quran. The messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him used to read the Quran to the people in Mecca and explain it to them and they would accept the religion of Allah and become satisfied with it.

Additionally, Abubakr Al-Siddaq who was a nobleman, was respected among his people and known for his generosity and kindness. He was also known for his wealth and trade, used to preach Islam and call to Allah in secret. This led to the conversion of a large number of people to Islam at his hands, including, Uthman Ibn Affan, Al Zubayr Ibn Al-Awwam, Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Awf, Talhah Bin Ubaidillah, and Saad Ibn Abi-Waqqas.

3. Calling the Nearby Arab tribes to Islam

It was clear from the beginning of the revelation that the Islamic message was addressed to all mankind, and not only to the Arabs of Quraysh, as Allah said in the Meccan verse:

“And We have not sent you (O Mohammed) except as a mercy to the worlds”, (Al-Anbiya’: 107).

Hence, from an early time, Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him planned for the spread of Islam outside Mecca. So, he asked Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari, when he converted to Islam, to go and reside near his tribe, Banu Ghifar, and call them to the Islamic faith. The same thing happened when Tufail Ibn Amr Al-Dawsi called his tribe, Daws, which resided between Taif and Yemen, to adopt Islam. However, they did not respond to his call until the year 9 AH after the conquest of Khaybar.

Although most of the people of Quraysh did not respond to the peaceful call of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, during the Meccan period, they collectively converted to Islam and showed deep sympathy and strong faith upon the conquest of Mecca (630 CE).

4. The Role of Pilgrimage in the Spread of Islam

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him used to present Islam to the Arab tribes during the season of Hajj (pilgrimage) every year. He asked them to support him until he conveyed God’s message. However, Al-Ansar, may God be pleased with them, were the only ones to accept his call.

The first pledge of allegiance and Islamic spread in Al-Madinah

Six young men from Al-ansar responded to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and they gathered at Al-jamarat for the first time. The Prophet called them to Islam, and they accepted it. Then they became messengers to their people. The six men went to Al-Madina and they called their tribes to Islam. A large number of Al-Ansar responded to them and accepted Islam.

Then, 12 of them came to the Prophet the next year, including the old six. Among them was Asaad Ibn Zarara, may God be pleased with him, and a group from Al Khazraj tribe, in addition to 2 men from Al-Aws. They met the Prophet in the middle of Al-Tashreeq days and he read the Quran to them. They pledged allegiance to him to become Muslims. They then returned to Al-Madinah and called their people to Islam. Most of Al-ansar became Muslims except a few, and they agreed to invite the Prophet to migrate to them, saving him from the harm and oppression of Quraysh.

After the Pledge of Allegiance, the Prophet sent Musa’ab Ibn Umair (the first Muslim ambassador) to Al-Madinah to teach and guide people there. A large number of people accepted Islam at his hands, including Saad Ibn Moadh and Usayd Ibn Al-hudayr, the masters of Al-Aws. The entry of the masters of Al-Aws and Al Khazraj into Islam led to an even wider spread of Islam in Al-Madinah.

The second pledge of allegiance and migration to Al-Madinah

In the third year, 17 men from Al-Ansar came back to the Prophet and they pledged allegiance to him. They promised to provide support and shelter to the Prophet and his followers. This pledge of allegiance was in the presence of Al-Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet, may God be pleased with him. After that, Muslims started migrating to Al-Madina and calling to God there, spreading Islam among its people.

5. Sending Messengers to Major Empires

In the year 7 AH Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him sent his messengers to the kings and princes of the Major world powers at that time, including the Sassanian Empire, and the Byzantine Empire. This was considered the first contact between these empires and the new Muslim state.

Although the Sassanian King‘s reaction was violent, Al-Muqawqas in Egypt and Heraclius in the Levant showed some sympathy. However, they did not convert to Islam.

It is worth mentioning that the Islamic call at the time of the prophet Muhammad paved the way for the Muslim nation to confront external global powers and for the further spread of Islam later on.

The Spread of Islam in the Age of Abu Bakr

Aboubakar Al-Seddiq succeeded Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, after he died in 632 CE. Abu Bakr Al-Seddiq was able to unify the Arabs of the peninsula in his short period as a Caliphate. So, let us explore where did Islam spread during the rule of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him.

After successfully defeating the rebellion movements threatening the unity of the Muslim Ummah, Abu-Bakr decided to head to Al-Sham (the Levant) and spread the Islamic call there. The Muslim army set out on “23 Rajab 12 AH/October 3, 633 AD” taking the route designated for it

Below are some of the general rules set by Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq for the soldiers of the Islamic army sent to the Levantine region:

It is absolutely forbidden to kill children, elderly, or infants, because this will reassure the souls of the residents of the conquered areas, and will push them to adhere to what they have promised, and that is a great gain for Muslims.

Not to attack monasteries. While the polytheistic enemies who are loyal to Satan are given the choice between being killed, converting to Islam, or paying “jizya”. Another misconception to be clarified here, jizyah is a sort of tax paid by non-Muslims to the Muslim state; this tax was not imposed on Muslims since they already pay 2.5% of their savings every year as charity (also known as Zakat, which is the third pillar of Islam). Additionally, only Muslims were obliged to defend the land against potential attacks.

Where did Umar Ibn Al-Khattab Spread Islam?

Umar Ibn-Alkhattab became the Caliphate of Muslims after the death of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with them, in the year 634 CE (13 AH).

Under the command of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the Muslim state expanded north to Iraq and Syria and west to Egypt. In the year 636 CE, the Muslims conquered the Byzantine army and took control over Palestine at Al-Yarmook battle.

Then, in 637 CE the Persian Empire was ended in the battle of Al-Qadisiyah. In the period between 639-641 CE, the rule of the Muslim state extended to reach Egypt. By the year 641 CE the Muslim empire took over the whole Arabian peninsula, Palestine, Syria, and Egypt and then extended to the North African coast in the year 642 CE reaching all of Libya in 670 CE.

The Muslim empire took over Tunisia reaching Carthage in 693 CE. Later on, by the year 710 CE, the Muslims had already reached Morocco. Two years later, Muslims crossed the Mediterranean to reach Spain.

Spread of Islam from 1200 to 1450

This was considered the golden age of the Islamic religion. Its center was in Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, where the House of Wisdom was founded. It was the center of research and education for the whole world, at that time.

Although conversion was part of the spread of the large Islamic empire across Afro-Eurasia, non-Muslims were allowed to freely practice their religions.

Even after the Abbasids’ Caliphate started to decline in the ninth century, the Muslim land continued, expanding and connecting millions of people with common belief and language in wide regions of Afro-Eurasia, and the Islamic religion was incorporated with the political, cultural, economic and intellectual aspects of life.

Between 1000 CE and 1500 CE, the size of the Islamic Caliphate nearly doubled, reaching sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the eastern African coast, southeast Asian Islands, and India.

In the 13th century, the armies of the Mongols led by Chinggis Khan swept into Eurasia, defeating the armies of Arabs, Turks and many others. By the year 1258, the Mongol army took over the city of Baghdad killed the last Abbasid Caliph, and destroyed the House of Wisdom.

Spread of Islam timeline

Now, that we have discussed, the different stages of Islamic spread, let’s summarize the most important events in the history of Islam in this spread of Islam timeline map

Why did Islam spread so quickly?

Islam has always been considered one of the most rapidly spreading religions worldwide. The image below shows the expected count and distribution of Muslims by the year 2020. The estimates showed that the expected count of Muslim population worldwide would be 1,500,000,000 as shown in the map below. However, the actual count of Muslims worldwide in the year 2020 AD was actually 1,800,000,000. That is to say, it was 300,000,000 more than expected.

In the year 2024, the Muslim population reached more than 2 billion worldwide (around 25.8 % of the global population). Below is the spread of Islam mapping that shows the distribution of the Muslim population in the year 2024.

The main contributing reasons for the spread of Islam rapidly can be summarized as follows;

1. The Spread of Islam through Trade routes

After the spread of the Islamic religion in the peninsula in the seventh century, it started expanding towards the East through trade routes along the “Harira” maritime roads. Muslim traders were known to have excellent sailing and trading skills, in addition to their honesty and elite behavior derived from Islamic teachings.

All these factors played an important role in the peaceful spread of Islam in the Indian subcontinent, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Moreover, the kings of the Sumatra Islands started following the Islamic religion after the arrival of Muslim traders in the 12th century AD.

2. How did education help Islam spread?

Islamic educational activities started in the eighth century. With the aim of disseminating the teachings of the Quran and the sooner of the prophet Mohammed, peace, and blessings be upon him. This activity began with recording written manuscripts as well as oral traditions. Which were then systematically organized around the second century AH.

This educational activity resulted in creating specific Islamic sciences of literature, tradition, and history. They also shared the knowledge of other civilizations, such as the Greek civilization preserving different sciences, such as mathematics, medicine, and philosophy through translation. This led to the spread of these sciences, in addition to encouraging and promoting cultural exchange.

3. The Appeal of the Islamic Message

Islamic teachings come in line with human nature, it respects the characteristics of humans allowing them to live a balanced life in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

Now, let us discuss in brief some of the causes that made the Islamic message appealing to more than 2 billion Muslims ….. worldwide and how did the teachings help Islam spread.

4. Universality of the Islamic Religion

Islam is a universal religion. This is evident in almost all aspects including the freedom of belief, since it recognizes the coexistence of people of other monotheistic religions as allowing them to live side-by-side and freely practice their beliefs. Additionally, it regulates all aspects of life including worship, economy, state, politics, etc. Thus, it ensures the welfare of all citizens equally without any sort of discrimination based on color, gender, or faith.

5. Justice and Equity as core Islamic values

Perhaps one of the major factors that led people to accept Islam is that the Islamic message was greatly concerned with the disadvantaged and poor who usually comprise the major majority of the population. It’s always ain’t at liberating them and improving their lives. This was described by Richard Eaton as the thesis of “Religion of social liberation”.

6. Compatibility of Islam with all times and places

Among the factors that helped the spread of Islam is that it is compatible with all times and places.

Allah, the Almighty, says (what means): ”This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion” [Quran 5: 3]

This verse means that Allah has perfectly completed the religion. So, there will be no need to send other prophets after Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him. This proves that the Islamic religion is sent to all humans and for all times.

What is the Effect of the spread of Islam?

The spread of Islam had a positive impact on the various aspects of life. This includes the spiritual, social, economic, political, and intellectual aspects. Some of which are as follows

Social Impact

The spread of Islam put to an end the battles between the Arab tribes, spreading brotherhood and equity between them. It also favored the rights of women providing them the opportunity to inherit property, participate in social life and in spreading knowledge.

Economic Contributions

Muslims facilitated the exchange of goods between the Arab peninsula and Eastern Asia. In addition to that, they introduced new irrigation techniques that enhanced the agricultural activity and the production of new crops.

Intellectual Contributions

Moreover, the spread of Islam contributed to the preservation of the knowledge of other civilizations through translation, in addition to introducing new sciences.

To Sum Up!

Islam is one of the most rapidly spreading religions worldwide since Muslims comprise around 25% of the global population.

In this article, we reviewed the origin and rise of the Islamic religion, how Islam has expanded from one person which is the prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, to exceed 2 billion Muslims nowadays. Additionally, we highlighted the most important reasons that helped the spread of Islam, including the peaceful call, trading education migration, as well as the noble values of the Islamic religion, such as justice, equity, and compatibility with all times and places.

If you are a new convert or have any queries about the Islamic faith, do not hesitate to contact Explore Islam for more information. We are always glad to guide you along your way to Allah!