Islam in History

teaching of their Prophet. This special feature of their missionary character contributed extraordinarily to the spread of the Christian religion. They made such headway, that they gave new meaning to the principle of peaceful proselytism. And then, along with their teaching, they engaged in such social service as proved an effective means of bringing the madu’ closer to them. It was the result of this particular dawah style that Christianity spread all over, becoming the greatest world religion. There is a tradition recorded in Sahih Muslim which foretells us this rapid spread of the Christian religion: Mustaurid Qarashi related that he heard the Prophet say that Doomsday would not come until the Christians were the greatest in number. When these words of the Prophet were conveyed to Amr ibn al-As (a senior companion of the Prophet and the conqueror and governor of Egypt) he asked Mustaurid: ‘What is the nature of these traditions you are narrating?’ Mustaurid replied: ‘I narrate only what I have heard from the Prophet.’ Amr ibn al-As said: ‘If you say so (that is, if it is an authentic hadith) then the Christians are undoubtedly the most forbearing in times of adversity, take no time in setting themselves in order after a calamity and are better than others in caring for their weak and deprived.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan) From these details we find that a major aim of the revolution brought about by the Prophet and his companions was to remove all obstacles in the path of da’wah, so that such conducive conditions would prevail as would encourage people to practice God’s religion and invite others to the