Editing Arabian Peninsula (section)

===Rise of Islam===
{{main|Early Muslim conquests|Islamic Golden Age}}
[[File:Umayyad750ADloc.png|thumb|The [[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661–750)]]
The seventh century saw the rise of Islam as the peninsula's dominant religion. The [[Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]] was born in Mecca in about 570 and first began preaching in the city in 610, but [[Hijra (Islam)|migrated]] to [[Medina]] in 622. From there he and his companions united the [[tribes of Arabia]] under the banner of [[Islam]] and created the [[first Islamic state]]—a single Arab Muslim religious polity in the Arabian Peninsula.

Under the subsequent [[Rashidun]] and [[Umayyad]] [[Caliphate]]s, rapid expansion of Arab power well beyond the Arabian peninsula formed a vast Muslim Arab Empire with an area of influence that stretched from the north-west [[Indian subcontinent]], across [[Central Asia]], the [[Middle East]], [[North Africa]], southern [[Italy]], and the [[Iberian Peninsula]], to the [[Pyrenees]].

With Muhammad's death in 632, disagreement broke out over who would succeed him as leader of the Muslim community. [[Umar ibn al-Khattab]], a prominent [[sahaba|companion]] of Muhammad, nominated [[Abu Bakr]], who was Muhammad's intimate friend and collaborator. Others added their support and Abu Bakr was made the first [[caliph]]. This choice was disputed by some of Muhammad's companions, who held that [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]], his cousin and son-in-law, had been designated his successor. Abu Bakr's immediate task was to avenge a recent defeat by [[Byzantine]] (or [[Eastern Roman Empire]]) forces, although he first had to put down a rebellion by Arab tribes in an episode known as the [[Ridda wars]], or "Wars of Apostasy".<ref>See:
* Holt (1977a), p.57
* Hourani (2003), p.22
* Lapidus (2002), p.32
* Madelung (1996), p.43
* Tabatabaei (1979), p.30–50</ref>
[[Image:Ayyubid.png|thumb|right|The Middle East, c. 1190. [[Saladin]]'s empire and its vassals shown in red]]
On his death in 634, he was succeeded by [[Umar]] as caliph, followed by [[Uthman ibn al-Affan]] and [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]]. The period of these first four caliphs is known as ''al-khulafā' ar-rāshidūn'': the [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rashidun or "rightly guided" Caliphate]]. Under the Rashidun Caliphs, and, from 661, their [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad successors]], the Arabs rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim control outside of Arabia. In a matter of decades Muslim armies decisively defeated the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine army]] and destroyed the [[Sassanid Empire|Persian Empire]], [[Early Muslim conquests|conquering huge swathes of territory]] from the [[Iberian peninsula]] to India. The political focus of the Muslim world then shifted to the newly conquered territories.<ref>See: Holt (1977a), p.57, Hourani (2003), p.22, Lapidus (2002), p.32, Madelung (1996), p.43, Tabatabaei (1979), p.30–50</ref><ref name="L. Gardet">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Islam|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Online|last1=Gardet|first1=L.|last2=Jomier|first2=J.}}</ref>

Nevertheless, [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]] remained the spiritually most important places in the [[Muslim world]]. The [[Qur'an]] requires every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it, as one of the [[five pillars of Islam]], to make a pilgrimage, or [[Hajj]], to [[Mecca]] during the [[Islamic calendar|Islamic month]] of [[Dhu al-Hijjah]] at least once in his or her lifetime.<ref>Farah, Caesar (1994). Islam: Beliefs and Observances (5th ed.), pp.145–147 {{ISBN|978-0-8120-1853-0}}</ref> The [[Masjid al-Haram]] (the Grand Mosque) in [[Mecca]] is the location of the [[Kaaba]], Islam's holiest site, and the [[Masjid al-Nabawi]] (the Prophet's Mosque) in [[Medina]] is the location of [[Muhammad]]'s grave; as a result, from the 7th century, [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]] became the pilgrimage destinations for large numbers of Muslims from across the [[Islamic world]].<ref>Goldschmidt, Arthur Jr.; Lawrence Davidson (2005). A Concise History of the Middle East (8th ed.), p.48 {{ISBN|978-0-8133-4275-7}}</ref>