Holy War Summary and Analysis

Muhammad was very successful after the move to Medina. He became a political leader who changed Arabia. The fact that he had to fight to achieve his goals gave Islam the name of the religion by the sword. Muhammad was born into an era of fighting in the Arab world. In Medina, he began to work for Arab unity and the Quran began to change as Muhammad became more involved in political issues. The Muslims were being told to take part in the jihad, or what is known in the West as holy war.

Jihad is not one of the five pillars of Islam, but it is a duty for the Muslim to fight when required to do so, and they knew they would have to fight after the hijra. The Quran was beginning to preach the concept of...