This is the third and final installment in a three-part series analyzing the geopolitical and martial backdrop leading up to and during the rise of Islam and its context versus claims and narratives of extremists and critics. Read the first part here , and the second here .

In the previous two articles, I covered the protracted warfare between Rome and Persia (that began centuries before Islam) motivated by state-sponsored notions of religious supremacy, the intolerance and persecutions it spawned and its impact on Arabia. In this piece, I will cover the rise of Islam in the 7th century that would ultimately break up the Roman-Persian geopolitical order and bring about a much needed religious and social correction that led Bernard Lewis , Peter Frankopan, William Montgomery and other historians to term the event a revolution.

When Muhammad began proselytizing Islam in Mecca, he faced opposition and persecution from Meccan authorities who hosted a lucrative socio-economic platform based on idolatry and pilgrimage. Over a period of thirteen years, the persecution intensified and Muslims were ultimately compelled to migrate. Muhammad had received an invitation to serve as chief arbitrator of the feuding city of Medina and its multiple Jewish and polytheist tribes. He had no military experience at the time and had never advocated a militant rebellion against his persecutors. Muhammad was a believer in the Biblical prophets and monotheistic (like the Jews in Medina) yet he was raised in a polytheist society making him well acquainted with the various tribes and communities in Medina, and thus ideal for the leadership position. Given the trust and privilege placed in him, Muhammads immediate task at Medina was to forge a cohesive set of agreements and accords that would bring the citys feuding tribes onto a common and functional platform of governance.