ABSTRACT
On the eve of the rise of Islam, two competing imperial states, the Roman-Byzantine Empire in the west and the Sasanian Empire of Iran in the east ruled the settled lands of the Middle East. The widespread experience of the Arabs in warfare would be a significant factor in the early expansion of Islam. Notwithstanding the divisions inherent in the tribal structure of pre-Islamic Arabia, forces of cultural unity were present. The Bedouin ethos of bravery and honor was celebrated in a special style of Arabic poetry known as a qasidah. In the short span of time from the Prophet Muhammad's death in 632 to the transfer of the imperial capital from Damascus to Baghdad in the 750s, the Islamic um-mah had expanded from its Arab origins to embrace a universal world empire. The new and vibrant Islamic civilization arose found its first—but by no means its last—expression in the period of the high caliphate (750-945) of the Abbasid Empire.
