Discuss Muhammad's role in the rise and spread of Islam

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Until the sixth century C.E., the Arabs remained polytheistic and disunited, but the birth of the prophet Muhammad in 570 in Mecca changed these circumstances dramatically. After spending years amongst Jews, Christians, and pagans, Muhammad underwent a transformation: according to Muslim teachings, the archangel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and commanded him to receive the revelation of the one and only Allah (the Arabic word for "God"). At forty-one years old, Muhammad declared himself the final messenger in a history of religious revelation that had begun with Abraham and continued through Moses and Jesus.
At the outset, Muhammad's message attracted few followers. Since his attack on idolatry threatened Mecca's prominence as a prosperous pilgrimage site, the polytheistic Meccan elite actively resisted the new faith. Eventually, Muhammad conquered Mecca and destroyed the idols in the Kaaba, with the exception of the Black Stone, the revered ancient cornerstone of the Sacred House. Thereafter, Muhammad assumed spiritual and political authority—establishing a theocracy that bound religious and secular realms in a manner not unlike that of the early Hebrew kings. By the time Muhammad died in 632, the entire Arabian peninsula was united in its commitment to Islam.