reading reflection 4

Reading reflection #4

A speedy empire, thanks to religion?

That sounds a little bit weird, or unexpected. When I think of how an empire is created, I think of battles, wars, fighting and conquering other nations, which the Arabs did. Shortly after the death of Muhammad, around 630, the Arabs started war with the Byzantine and Persian empires. That was the very beginning of the Arab empire. About twenty years later, the Arabs defeated the Chinese in the battle of the Talas River.

Yes, the Arabs had a fierce army, but I don’t believe their army was the biggest reason for the quick spread of their empire. I feel that the reason their empire grew so quickly was due to the rapid spread of the Islamic religion. Under Muhammad, from 622-632, Islam was wide spread through Mecca and Medina, but didn’t travel much further beyond that. After the death of Muhammad in 632, the Islamic religion spread like wild fire. One of the reasons that the religion helped the empire grow was because the merchant leaders of the Islamic communities attempted to make or obtain all of the wealthy agricultural regions, so they could grow the top products. Once they had a grip on the agricultural market, their goal was to capture the profitable trade routes. Capturing the trade routes was a great way to ensure that your empire would grow.