Religious Foundations of the Islamic State

Abstract: With the advent of the prophet Muhammad in the seventh century CE, Arabia was unified under a single state. Such a historical development is essential to understand and appreciate. The life and career of the Prophet has been analyzed by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. There is generally a lot of overlap between both groups of interpretations. However, the hierarchy of contributing factors to the unification of Arabia remains controversial. In my thesis, I put forth the significance of the Islamic religious teachings in this process of unification and centralization of power.