W. Robert Godfrey

Initially, very few people believed him, that he had revelations, were attracted to his monotheism.

And in 622, he was forced to flee from Mecca.

and was forced to flee north some 250 miles to the city of Medina.

And that flight becomes crucial in the history of Islam, and that's why Mecca and Medina remain holy sites, centrally holy sites for Muslims.

That's why ultimately it became a foundation of Muslim faith that any pious believer

Muslim who possibly can must make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in his life.

That's an essential part of the faith.

After his flight, he raised a small army and was able to return in triumph to Mecca in 630.

And the cry of the movement became, there is but one God and Muhammad is his prophet.

And so that's the essential message.

confession of Islam.

Islam believes there were other prophets that preceded the coming of Muhammad, but Muhammad is the final prophet, the last prophet who brings the final definitive word.

He died in Mecca in 632.

The brilliance of his mind and of the Koran, which he taught was received by divine revelation, the simplicity of the religion attracted followers very quickly and soon became a remarkably powerful movement.

And the spread of Islam is really remarkable.

And within 21 years of the death of Muhammad, Islam ruled a realm as large as what had been the Roman Empire.

So they spread both north along the eastern Mediterranean, capturing Jerusalem only a few years after the death of Muhammad, and then moving through North Africa,

By 707, most all of northern Africa was in the hands of Islam.

So that's only, what, 70 years, 80 years after the death of Muhammad.

By 711, they had crossed into Spain.