Jihad Through History

The following is one chapter of Islam 101:

In 622 AD (year one in the Islamic calendar, AH 1), Muhammad abandoned Mecca for the city of Medina (Yathrib) some 200 farther north in the Arabian peninsula.

In Medina, Muhammad established a paramilitary organization that would spread his influence and that of his religion throughout Arabia.

Because there has never been a separation of the political-military and the religious in Islam, this development was entirely natural by Islamic principles.

By the time of his death in 632 AD, Muhammad had extended his control in a series of raids and battles over most of southern Arabia. The conquered populations of these areas either had to submit to Muslim rule and pay a protection tax or convert to Islam.

The two subheadings for this section are:

i) The First Major Wave of Jihad: the Arabs, 622-750 AD

ii) The Second Major Wave of Jihad: the Turks, 1071-1683 AD

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See a Glossary Of Islamic Terms for definitions.

Islam 101 was written by Gregory M. Davis, author of Religion of Peace?: Islam's War Against the World, and the producer/director of Islam: What the West Needs to Know.