Islam and Arabs: a concise history
Introduction - This page provides an overview of the history of Islam and the Arabs, which is a great part of the history of the Middle East. The subject covers more than twelve centuries, about a dozen empires and a vast territory, stretching from Spain in the west to the islands of Indonesia in the Pacific Ocean. It is impossible to provide a comprehensive treatment of the history of Islam in a brief space. However, I have attempted to present here, and in related pages that are linked or planned, a concise (relatively) treatment of the essential facts that everyone should know about Islam, the Arabs and the Middle East. Islam arose in the Arabian peninsula, and its history and rites are connected with it. This history is meant to be read in conjunction with the complementary article about the history of Arabia.
The Rise of Islam - Muhammad, a prophet astute in statecraft and military strategy ‎and an inspired statesman, changed the history and destiny of Arabia and of much of ‎the world. He was born about 570 to the Banu Hashim family, reputable merchants in ‎the tribe of Quraysh in Mecca. According to tradition, he was a penniless orphan who ‎married Khadija, the widow of a rich merchant, somewhat older than himself. He ‎probably engaged in trade, and is said by some to have had responsibilities in ‎connection with the Ka'aba stone. When he was about forty years old he began ‎preaching a new religion, eventually meeting the opposition of Meccan oligarchy. ‎Initially, Muhammad made few converts and many enemies. His first converts were ‎Khadija, Ali (who became the husband of Fatima), and Abu-Bakr.
The Hijra - From about 620, ‎Mecca became actively hostile, since much of its revenues depended on its pagan ‎shrine, the Kaaba, under the protection of the Quraysh, and an attack on the existing ‎Arab religion was an attack on the prosperity of Mecca.‎ Following the death of Khadija in 621, Muhammad married eleven other women.