Rise

Prophet Muhammad brought big changes to Arabia, a land of hot deserts, sand, and very little water. Life was hard, and many tribes fought over land and resources. Muhammad helped unite these tribes that had been fighting for a long time. He taught people to believe in one God, to be fair, and to treat others kindly. After Muhammad died, many of his followers stayed united. This led to the rise of the Umayyad Caliphate, the first large Arab empire, which continued spreading Islam and the ideas Muhammad taught.

At this time, two huge empires nearby — the Byzantine Empire and the Sassanid Empire — were very weak. They had just finished a long and destructive civil war against each other. Their cities were damaged, their armies were tired, and many people were unhappy with high taxes and strict religious rules. This made it easier for the Muslim armies to move in.

Arab armies used fast, clever desert fighting. They did not always fight big battles. Instead, they used hit-and-run attacks, striking quickly and then disappearing into the desert. Sometimes they tied branches to camels, kicking up huge clouds of dust that looked like sandstorms, making their armies seem much larger than they really were. This confused enemies and spread fear.

Islam’s message was also simple and powerful. It taught belief in one God, charity, prayer, and fairness. Many people found this message easy to understand and were allowed to keep their own religions if they paid taxes, which made Islamic rule more acceptable than the old empires. Because of this, many cities surrendered peacefully.

Under the Umayyad rulers, Muslim armies conquered an enormous amount of land — from Spain in the west, across North Africa and the Middle East, all the way to Central Asia in the east. In just a few decades, the Islamic world became one of the largest empires in history, changing the world forever.