The Rise of Islam & Early Muslim Civilisation (Years 7–9) — History

How, from 7th-century Arabia, a new faith and civilisation spread rapidly, building great cities and the early caliphates.

In the early 600s CE, a new civilisation began in the deserts and trading towns of Arabia. Within about a hundred years it stretched from Spain to the borders of India, linking many peoples, languages and old empires into one connected world.

Why this matters The rise of Islam reshaped the map of the medieval world. Its cities, trade routes and love of learning would later influence Europe, Africa and Asia for centuries.

Arabia before Islam

In the 500s and early 600s, Arabia was a land of desert tribes, oasis towns and busy trade routes. The town of Mecca was an important centre of trade and pilgrimage. To the north lay two great empires, the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) and the Sasanian Persian, which had exhausted each other in long wars.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born in Mecca around 570 CE. From about 610 he began teaching a message of belief in one God, honesty, charity and care for the poor and weak. In 622 he and his followers moved to the town of Medina, an event called the Hijra, which marks the start of the Islamic calendar. By 632, much of Arabia had accepted the new faith.

Common exam mistake: muddling up 622 and 632. The Hijra in 622 (the move to Medina, which starts the Islamic calendar) is a different date from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ's death in 632 — get them the right way round, and avoid writing that all of Arabia converted 'overnight'.

The early caliphates

After the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ died in 632, leaders called caliphs guided the growing community. Under them, Muslim rule spread with remarkable speed.

The early caliphs expanded into Persia, Egypt, Syria and North Africa.
The Umayyad caliphate (661–750) made Damascus its capital and reached Spain.
The Abbasid caliphate (from 750) founded Baghdad, which became a world centre of learning.

Put these events in order, earliest first:

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is born in Mecca (about 570 CE)
The Hijra: the move to Medina, which starts the Islamic calendar (622 CE)
Most of Arabia has accepted Islam (by 632 CE)
The Umayyad caliphate is founded, with its capital at Damascus (661 CE)
The Abbasid caliphate is founded, with its capital at Baghdad (from 750 CE)

A civilisation of cities

The new civilisation was famous for its cities, such as Damascus, Cairo, Córdoba and later Baghdad. These were places of trade, mosques, markets, gardens and schools. People of different faiths, including many Christians and Jews, lived under Muslim rule and often kept their own beliefs, while paying a special tax. This did not always mean equality, but it allowed different communities to share in a rich, connected world of ideas and commerce.

Exam technique: when explaining why early Muslim expansion happened so fast, name specific factors — the Byzantine and Sasanian empires exhausted by war, capable leadership under the caliphs, and shared belief and organisation — rather than a vague 'it just spread quickly'.