Islam's Rise
The Arabs spoke Semitic and lived on the Arabian peninsula. They came from the Bedouins, and most of them were poor. They did not like the Arabs who lived in cities because they were nomads. They were polytheistic and had one god who they considered higher than the rest called "Allah". They didn't have priests either because everyone helped in their faith. Every tribe had a rock that was sacred because it symbolized Allah. The central city for all of the Arabs was Mecca, which contained the Black Stone and was in the shrine of Ka'ba. During the 5th and 6th centuries, trade increased and the Arabian peninsula became full of trade routes. This allowed the urban- dwelling Arabs to make a lot of money, and the Bedouin nomads became angry. This is when Muhammad was born.