In the earliest of times, religion played pivotal role in society. Most of the religions we know today, developed during the earliest civilizations. All the major ones we know today evolved in many cases from a single, very influential, individual, who took their beliefs or thoughts, which were usually quite different than that of the time, and formed them into a unique and accepted system, which gave those current non-believers, a new way to think - and someone to follow.
One of these religions is Islam and was started by a single man ultimately known as Mohammad. His ending impact of this new faith resulted in uniting the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and launched them into a mission of conquest (Kishlanski, p.209). Mohammad lived approximately from 570 to 632 b.c., and within a century of his death, Islam engulfed an unprecedented following throughout Asia, India, north Africa, and Spain. To truly understand how this was accomplished, one should explore the roots of Mohammad and his "new" faith.
Mohammad entered this world in a very troublesome manner. It started with the death of his father a mere three months before his birth. An effort to ensure he was properly cared for, his mother had Mohammad stay with a "wet-nurse" until he reached the age of five (Dijskra, p. 1084). During this period, he was raised in the Bedouin culture. Following his fifth birthday, his mother finally allowed him to take up residence with her, but unfortunately did not last too long. Within eight months of his arrival, she suddenly died. With no other close relatives, he was taken in by his grandfather were he resided until the age of nine (Dijskra, p. 1084).
Following his grandfather's death shortly after his ninth birthday, he then moved in with his uncle who raised him until early adulthood. He learned several trades by which to earn a living, with one of his last jobs working for a very successful widow (Khidijah) who had a thriving business.