Islam Colonizes the Lands of the Early Church (AD 632-661)

In the first thirty years following the death of Mu- hammad, from around 632 to 661, Arab Muslims conquered and colonized the lands of the early church, including Persia, Syria, Egypt, and North Africa. Within the first decade, Islam controlled three of the five early church’s patriarchal centers—Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria. Only the cities of Constantinople and Rome were outside of Islam’s control.