PROLIFERATION OF ISLAM THROUGH TRADE AND COMMERCE

 PROLIFERATION OF ISLAM THROUGH TRADE AND COMMERCE 


In Islamic society, The merchant enjoys respect and consideration that is closely connected with the origin of this faith, for Prophet Mohammad (saw) the messenger of Islam, who had himself been a merchant, and this conferred upon the profession of the trader an elevation and a dignity which has gained for him an entrance onto the highest society, several sayings traditionally ascribed to the prophet(saw) assigned an honorable position to the merchant on the Muslin hierarchy . for example, ‘ on the day of judgement an honest truthful Muslim merchant will take rank with the martyrs of the faith’, and on another tradition the prophet(saw) says that ‘the truthful merchant will sit under the shadow of the throne of God on the Day of judgement’. The Prophet(saw) commends the merchants to his successors for ‘ they are the couriers of the world and the trusty servants of god upon earth.’ The greatest of early khalifas, Umar farooq(RA) said: “There is no place where I would be more gladly overtaken by death than in the market place, buying and selling for my family’.  The same great ruler is reported to have set honesty in the commercial life above the punctual fulfillment of religious duties, as a test of worth and excellence of a man.  The muslim traders did commerce in precious stones, pearls diamonds, turquoise, cornalion, onyx, coral etc. - then scents such as musk amber, camphor, sandalwood and cloves. It was because of this trade that following areas came in the light of Islam

Reference: Evolution of Geographical Thought- Majid Husain

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1)West Africa:  The kingdoms that developed on this region relied heavily on the trans sahara trade, which provided a market for their goods, chiefly gold and salt. That same trade brought more than just wealth to west Africa, it also brought Islam.  Muslim merchants who made the trek across the desert began to settle in West Africa, and by the eleventh century, immigrant Muslim communities could be found in many cities and towns across the savannah.


2)East Africa-Merchants from the Arabian Peninsula, in particular the region of Hadramawt in yemen began to settle in cities along the east African coast in the centuries following Yemen’s conversion to Islam.


3)China and Southeast Asia-  Chinese Muslim Zheng He(1371-1433) was given the responsibility of trading with distant lands and establishing diplomatic relations between them and Ming China. His voyages touched dozens of modern day countries throughout Asia, the Middle East and even Africa, but he is perhaps most fondly remembered in southeast Asia, where he is revered as a figure who helped spread Islam in the Malay archipelago.

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