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Muhammad the Prophet

THE WORLD IN 610 C.E.

At the time, the Greek and Roman world was in disrepair. The Catholic Church was going through struggles. Pagan worship was prominent. The Koran Commentary, at page 4 (C.14), describes the pre-Islamic world of 610:

For the glory of Hellas, and her freedom and wisdom had departed;
Rome's great systems of law, organisation, and universal citizenship
Had sunk into the mire of ecclesiastical formalism,
And dogmatism, and exclusive arrogance;
The living fire of Persia's Prophet [ Zoroaster] scarce smouldered
In her votaries of luxury;
In India, countless castes and kingdoms
Cancelled the unity of Buddha's teaching;
The wounds of China had not yet been healed by T'ang culture;
And Japan was still a disciple of China.

Muslims believe the time was right for a renewing of spiritual matters. At page 5 (C. 15), the Commentary says:

Then, in the sacred city of pagan Arabia,
Shone a light that spread in all directions.
It was centrally placed for the bounds of the world
Of men's habitations in Asia, Europe, and Africa.
It made the Arabs the leading nation of culture and science,
Of organised enterprise, law and arts,
With a zeal for the conquest of Nature and her mysteries.

"Spread in all directions" is certainly a good description of what happened. And the speed of the spreading was extraordinary. Within a short time after Muhammad's death, the Islamic faith extended well beyond the Arabian Peninsula, into Africa and Europe.