Islam Rediscovered
20. The Revolutionary Role of Islam
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crossed the border of the Roman empire to attack it.
Circumstances proved favourable and they
succeeded to the extent that the Roman Emperor
Heraclius decided to flee from his Palace in
Constantinople. But again, events took a new turn.
Heraclius regained his lost confidence and after
making full preparations, attacked the Sassanid
empire, destroyed their armed forces and
penetrated right into the heart of Jerusalem.
These civil wars, lasting for about twenty-five years,
considerably weakened both these empires.
Therefore, during the pious caliphate when the
Arab forces entered the Roman and Sassanid
empires, they managed to advance with great
speed.
HISTORICAL REVOLUTION
This expansion of the Islamic empire was not
simply a political event. Its aim, in fact, was to set in
motion a revolutionary process in history. This
process had been initiated in Makkah itself, then it
travelled from Makkah to Madinah, to Damascus
and Baghdad from where it entered Spain and
thereafter it spread all over Europe and the entire
