This paper traces the path of the prophet Muhammad. It traces his life, teachings and the history surrounding Islam and Arab
History. Muhammad is rightly recognized as one of the most influential persons in history. His strong character and the astute political and spiritual leadership he provided helped shape an amazing age of human progress and unify most of the Arab world with a creed that has lasted over a thousand years. From the paper: "In addition to arriving at a time when political and religious weaknesses were present in the Middle East, Muhammad was also able to capitalize on the need for linguistic unity during this period of history. There was no dominant language used throughout the Arabian Peninsula, only various dialects of Arabic, but Muhammad brought a common language forth through Islam. While not requiring citizens of his expanding empire to become Muslims, he did insist that the Quran and God's messages had been given to him in the Arabic language. The Quran was the first book to written in Arabic and Muslims believed it was the language in which it had been revealed; thus it had a huge impact on Islamic history and the cultural growth in the empire.