Hey guys, currently I was thinking about what was it - which tenets, one might say - that made Islam "profitable" for the 7th (and later) century Arab man to pick up - outside of bing forced into it by conquest, I mean. I assume the OK to expand by conquest and the double standards for muslims/non-muslims played their part, but surely there must be more to it? Also, if any of you know any literature on this that you would recommend, I would very much appreciate that.
bump? I was really hoping someone would elaborate on this subject
>>325784
Sure, so if you're looking for a kind of cynical explanation for why so many Arabs converted, one explanation would be that the first Caliphs actually did not encourage conversion that much so that the jizya would be shared among a smaller group. This was one of the differences between the 'Alids and the Ummayads, among many others.
You realize of course that in this timeframe, literally everyone who was an "Arab" lived in Arabia and was part of the earlier conquests, most of which were completed during Muhammad's lifetime. If you're referring to people in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Levant, North Africa, etc. etc. then my answer would be a bit different.
What I would say is that Islam wasn't all that different than many of the ambient beliefs that people already had in many of these places, especially non-orthodox christians and Jews. Even the Arab polytheists had Allah as the master god to be worshipped at the Kaba. This just got rid of them with many of the other facets still there, like throwing the stones etc.
On a more personal but not quite "profitable" level, part of Muhammad's project initially at least was to breakdown the existing tribal hierarchies and increase equality. For that part of the world in the 7th century, there was something to that, even though we don't think of it that way now. Some of his early companions didn't have his status and were forced to go to Ethiopia to avoid persecution and then later joined him in Medina. For others, conversion meant that some of the societal fetters that constrained them would be loosened, especially if they could share in the results of the conquests.
>>325784
A sense of brotherhood and unity in a world where tribal ancestry was extremely important and blood feuds lasted centuries.
What you have to understand is that Islam was essentially a social revolution in Arabia, increasing rights for everyone and demolishing existing social convention. It's been compared to communism by some but that goes too far, but I'd say it had the same sense of calling everyone comrade and shit.
>>325977
Yeah, I meant Arabia, although the second part of your answer is also enlightening. So would you say that for lands outside of Arabia, the similarity of Islam to pre-existing dominant faiths was the dominant part of its rise? Also, would there be a term for the "double standards" of Islam (except for jizya, which is a rather special case.)
Anyways, thanks again for the answer, it was very helpful!
>>326019
Alright, but if the main point of the rise of Islam was the social revolution, why would you say was it limited to a religion? As in Christians, Jews, etc. were left out unless they converted. Do you think this was simplay because religion was such a key vector in that day and age?
>>326035
Yeah, religion was all. No one is going to listen to your ideas about social struggles if its not from some God.
Religion was ideology.
>>326035
This is a pretty good lecture about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RFK5u5lkhA
>>326184
Thanks, much appreciated!
>>326035
That and Christians who weren't perfectly Orthodox and all Jews were persecuted in the Byzantine empire and Christians were considered a fifth column in the Sassanid empire, many were fine with the "Pact of Umar" even if it was a double standard. Being a second class citizen is better than being an outcast. Then, when they decided it was important to move up, they could convert. Converting to Islam is extremely simple.
Islam was a social revolution at least until the Ummayad caliphs moved to consolidate the empire. At the time there wasn't much of a distinction drawn between religion and other aspects of life, and there still isn't in Islam and Orthodox Judaism.
Good books about it: http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Warner/e/B00FAWN654
>>326447
>Totally fair & balanced
>>326447
>The first step was realizing that the Islamic texts had been made deliberately difficult to read and comprehend
Is this guy retarded?
