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Kuwait
The Spread of Islam
Early Islamic polity was intensely expansionist, fueled both
by fervor for the faith and by economic and social factors. After
gaining control of Arabia and the Persian Gulf region, conquering
armies swept out of the peninsula, spreading Islam. By the end
of the eighth century, Islamic armies had reached far into North
Africa and eastward and northward into Asia.
Traditional accounts of the conversion of tribes in the gulf
are probably more legend than history. Stories about the Bani
Abd al Qais tribe that controlled the eastern coast of Arabia
as well as Bahrain when the tribe converted to Islam indicate
that its members were traders having close contacts with Christian
communities in Mesopotamia. Such contacts may have introduced
the tribe to the ideal of one God and so prepared it to accept
the Prophet's message.
The Arabs of Oman also figure prominently among the early converts
to Islam. According to tradition, the Prophet sent one of his
military leaders to Oman to convert not only the Arab inhabitants,
some of whom were Christian, but also the Persian garrison, which
was Zoroastrian. The Arabs accepted Islam, but the Persians did
not. It was partly the zeal of the newly converted Arabs that
inspired them to expel the Persians from Oman.
Although Muhammad had enjoined the Muslim community to convert
the infidel, he had also recognized the special status of the
"people of the book," Jews and Christians, whose scriptures he
considered revelations of God's word and which contributed in
some measure to Islam. By accepting the status of dhimmis
(tolerated subject people), Jews and Christians could live in
their own communities, practice their own religious laws, and
be exempt from military service. However, they were obliged to
refrain from proselytizing among Muslims, to recognize Muslim
authority, and to pay additional taxes. In addition, they were
denied certain political rights.
Data as of January 1993
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