This was enforced by strict ban on leaving Islam with death being the punishment for apostasy. The key however was not selection of Abu Bakr, but his attempt to establish unity of Islam as social project inseparable from religion complete unification of religious and secular roles of top leader – Khalifa.
Abu Bakr was given preference over Ali due to his age and overall respect that he enjoyed in community. It begins with fight over inheritance between Abu Bakr, older and richer member of community, Omar more militaristic leader, and Ali, Muhammad’s adapted son and son in law. This chapter is about history after Muhammad’s death. The expansion started with return back to Mecca in AH6 and its complete conquest in 8 AH. The beginning of this entity is considered startup year or Hijra (0 AH) – the year when Muhammad ran away from Mecca to Medina to avoid suppression by local tribes and find the place to consolidate his military-religious community designed to bring the world into submission. This is history of Muhammad and his creation of Islam religion that proved to be capable unify Arab tribes, stop internecine warfare, and create highly effective military-ideological entity capable to conquer not only weaker tribes nearby, but also incorporate massive remnants of the empires of the past. This chapter deals with pre-Islam history that occurred on this landmass. Here author reviews somewhat unusual look at geographical and cultural history of humanity as parallel history of Mediterranean world of Greece and Romans that produced Western civilization based on sea going trade and Middle world of landmass to the East based on caravan roads that produced Islamic world. DETAILS:Ĭhapter 1 – The Middle World: THE MIDDLE WORLD BEFORE ISLAM The point is made that Islam as so big and rich culturally, religiously, and historically it deserves to be taken seriously. The main idea of this book is presented in introduction as an attempt to provide western reader with a narrative of Islam both as religion and as civilization from point of view of a Muslim born and raised in Afghanistan, who is well versed in traditions and history of this civilization, but, nevertheless, spent most if his adult live as teacher in American university becoming well familiar with people and ideas of the West.
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