ABSTRACT
The Rise, Development, and Expansion of Islam The early Islamic centuries, especially from the eighth into the eleventh, have often been described as a golden age; expansion and trade figure prominently in the positive image. During this time, Muslims had a crucial impact not only over a vast land area but also in the Mediterranean basin and along the Indian Ocean littorals. Factors external to the Islamic world created opportunities that help to explain this maritime phenomenon. An example is the economic expansion of the Chinese during the Song era, discussed later in this chapter, which had ripple effects in the Middle East. But there were also factors internal to the Islamic world that contributed to Muslim maritime success. To identify these, it is necessary to look at the rise, development, and expansion of Islam.
