Jihad Through History

The following is a chapter of Islam 101:

In 622 AD (year one in the Islamic calendar), Muhammad abandoned Mecca for the city of Medina some 200 miles 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

[ return to the Table of Contents of Islam 101 ]

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.