It is not that easy to create a new religion and get people to follow it. It took about 300 years for the Romans to become Christian. Islam established itself rather more quickly.
Islam only took 1/3 of the time Christianity took to establish itself.
CHRISTIANITY
The death of Jesus is estimated to have taken place between AD 30 and 36. Let us say therefore that Christianity was established on the execution of Christ.
A single religion with a single God appealed to the Roman Emperor Constantine. He saw that Christianity could be harnessed to unite his Empire and achieve military success. From 313 AD onwards, Christian worship was tolerated within the Roman Empire.
Constantine the Great converted and died in 337 AD.
ISLAM
630 AD conquest of Mecca.
732 AD Muslim empire reaches its furthest extent. Battle of Tours prevents further advance northwards.
Another factor Islam became popular in the Middle East was the ruthlessness of the Byzantine Empire in pressing its authority and in imposing Christianity. This stirred nationalism and separatism among the Middle Eastern people. Even before the emergence of Islam, these people were willing to form alliance with non-Christian factions to liberate themselves from a government and religion that were alien to them.
Muslims promoted a high degree of tolerance for non-Muslims. For example, they were able to strike deals with these people by giving them protection. Christians and Jews, for example, received protection in exchange for tax payments.
Muslim leaders prohibited their Muslim soldiers from exploiting their conquered settlements. They were not allowed to settle or take any possession. Moreover, the Arabs distanced themselves from established communities. They essentially left the conquered lands to existing communities in exchange for paying a reasonable tax or rent.
From the aforementioned, accepting Islam seemed easier than embracing Christianity or following the disastrous leadership of the Byzantine and Sassanid empires. In other words, another reason why Islam spread quickly across and beyond the Middle East is that Muslim conquerors promoted a more fluid and liberal cultural and ethnic integration that allowed coexistence.
http://www.versiondaily.com/how-why-islam-spread-quickly-arabian-peninsula/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/earlyrise_1.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/uk_1.shtml
Islam only took 1/3 of the time Christianity took to establish itself.
CHRISTIANITY
The death of Jesus is estimated to have taken place between AD 30 and 36. Let us say therefore that Christianity was established on the execution of Christ.
A single religion with a single God appealed to the Roman Emperor Constantine. He saw that Christianity could be harnessed to unite his Empire and achieve military success. From 313 AD onwards, Christian worship was tolerated within the Roman Empire.
Constantine the Great converted and died in 337 AD.
ISLAM
630 AD conquest of Mecca.
732 AD Muslim empire reaches its furthest extent. Battle of Tours prevents further advance northwards.
Another factor Islam became popular in the Middle East was the ruthlessness of the Byzantine Empire in pressing its authority and in imposing Christianity. This stirred nationalism and separatism among the Middle Eastern people. Even before the emergence of Islam, these people were willing to form alliance with non-Christian factions to liberate themselves from a government and religion that were alien to them.
Muslims promoted a high degree of tolerance for non-Muslims. For example, they were able to strike deals with these people by giving them protection. Christians and Jews, for example, received protection in exchange for tax payments.
Muslim leaders prohibited their Muslim soldiers from exploiting their conquered settlements. They were not allowed to settle or take any possession. Moreover, the Arabs distanced themselves from established communities. They essentially left the conquered lands to existing communities in exchange for paying a reasonable tax or rent.
From the aforementioned, accepting Islam seemed easier than embracing Christianity or following the disastrous leadership of the Byzantine and Sassanid empires. In other words, another reason why Islam spread quickly across and beyond the Middle East is that Muslim conquerors promoted a more fluid and liberal cultural and ethnic integration that allowed coexistence.
http://www.versiondaily.com/how-why-islam-spread-quickly-arabian-peninsula/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/earlyrise_1.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/uk_1.shtml
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