Discussing the period after the emigration to Medina, Britannica notes that “most of the clans of Medina had accepted Islam by the time of Muhammad’s death in 632.” It further explains that through a combination of treaties and expeditions, “many Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula had also entered into alliance with Muhammad and accepted Islam as the basis of their allegiance.”

In its section on the rise of Islam, Britannica states that by the end of Muhammad’s career “he had brought most of Arabia under the control of the Islamic state based in Medina.” It mentions that “a number of nomadic and settled tribes, including those of the Hijaz, parts of Najd, and Yemen, had accepted Islam and acknowledged Muhammad’s political authority” before his death in 632.

This study argues that "Muhammad’s building of alliances with Arabian tribes was central to the early expansion of Islam. From 622 to 632, delegations from numerous tribes came to Medina to offer their submission and to accept Islam in what later Muslim historians would call the ‘Year of the Deputations’." It concludes that "by the end of Muhammad’s life, many—though not all—of the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula had at least nominally embraced Islam."

The Met’s overview notes that “Islam originated in the early seventh century in the city of Mecca, in western Arabia, during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad.” It continues: “Within the Prophet’s own lifetime, many of the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to the new faith, and by the time of his death in 632, a nascent Islamic polity united much of Arabia under his leadership.”

The timeline entry for the early 7th century states: "The start of Islam is marked in the year 610, following the first revelation to the prophet Muhammad at the age of 40. Muhammad and his followers spread the teachings of Islam throughout the Arabian peninsula." This indicates that during Muhammad’s own lifetime, the new faith was propagated across multiple parts of Arabia.

The Ridda Wars were a series of military campaigns launched by the first Rashidun caliph Abu Bakr against rebellious Arabian tribes, some of which were led by rival prophethood claimants, in 632 and 633 CE, following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[1] The Islamic prophet Muhammad died in June 632 CE and all the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam by then; the only exceptions were the tribes in and around the Syrian region, such as the Banu Kalb, who remained largely Christian, and some tribes in and around Mesopotamia, who remained largely pagan.[1] However, some of the tribes that had converted to Islam renounced the religion after Muhammad's death.[1]

Ridda wars, (Arabic: “Wars of Apostasy”), series of military expeditions conducted by the first caliph, Abū Bakr (reigned 632–634), against rebels and apostates following the death of the Prophet Muḥammad.[1] After Muhammad’s death, many of the tribes that had accepted Islam or submitted to his political authority broke away in a movement known as the ridda (“apostasy”).[1] Abū Bakr insisted on maintaining the unity of the ummah (Muslim community) and waged war against the tribes that attempted to secede.[1]

The BBC’s biographical sketch states that after the migration to Medina, “Muhammad’s community grew as tribes from across Arabia pledged their loyalty to him and accepted Islam.” It further notes that “by the time of his death in 632, Muhammad had unified most of the Arabian Peninsula under Islam, though some tribes later attempted to break away in the Ridda (apostasy) wars.”

The article notes that "Most of the significant expansion occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE," but also explains that in Muhammad’s own career he "unified Arabia into a single religious polity" and that Islam first took hold among the "animists and polytheists of tribal societies of the Arabian Peninsula" before moving beyond Arabia. This implies conversion and integration of multiple Arabian tribes during his lifetime.

Around 613, Muhammad began to preach to the public.[...] After several unsuccessful negotiations, he found hope with some men from Yathrib (later called Medina). The delegation from Medina pledged themselves and their fellow citizens to accept Muhammad into their community and physically protect him as one of their own.[...] This was followed by the general acceptance of Islam by the pagan population of Medina, with some exceptions. After eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, Muhammad gathered an army of 10,000 Muslim converts and marched on the city of Mecca. The attack went largely uncontested and Muhammad took over the city with little bloodshed. Most Meccans converted to Islam. Muhammad defeated the Hawazin and Thaqif tribes in the Battle of Hunayn.

In discussing a map of early Islam, the narrator notes: "Now what we see here in this dark brown is what was in control of this Muslim community at the time of Mohammed's death. You see even by that period they had control of a good chunk of the Arabian Peninsula." This control was exercised through the allegiance and conversion of many of the region's tribes under Muhammad's leadership.

The chapter describes Medina as "the crucible for the new faith called Islam" and notes that "traditional bonds of family, clan, and tribe were thus replaced with belonging through faith. In this way, Medina produced a new form of communal unity: the umma (‘band of the faithful’)." In the following sections, it explains that Muhammad’s leadership in Medina and later Mecca drew in surrounding tribes, forming a larger Islamic polity in western Arabia by the time of his death.

The Treaty of al-Hudaybiya ... was a pivotal treaty between Muhammad, representing the state of Medina, and the tribe of the Quraysh in Mecca in March 628. The treaty helped to decrease tension between the two cities, affirmed peace for a period of 10 years, and authorised Muhammad's followers to return the following year in a peaceful pilgrimage ... The treaty ... authorised tribal groups to enter into alliances with either side: "Whoever wishes to enter into a covenant with Muhammad will be allowed to do so, and whoever wishes to enter into a covenant with the Quraysh will be allowed to do so." ... The truce enabled Muhammad to expand his dominion elsewhere in Arabia unhindered, and by gaining access to the pilgrimage at the Ka'ba, Muhammad was able to increase Islam's appeal to those tribes who held the Ka'ba in high regard.

Describing the transformation of Yathrib, the article states: “In 622 CE, Muhammad and around 70 Meccan Muhajirun believers left Mecca for sanctuary in Yathrib… The longstanding enmity between the Aus and Khazraj tribes was dampened as many tribe members, and some local Jews, embraced Islam.” It notes that these local Muslim converts native to Yathrib were known as the **Ansar**, encompassing members of the Aus and Khazraj tribes.

“The Treaty of Hudaybiyah, concluded in 628 CE, was a pivotal moment in early Islamic history. This research paper examines the background and effects of this treaty between the nascent Muslim community in Medina and the ruling Quraysh tribe of Mecca. The paper argues that despite initial appearances of compromise, the treaty proved to be a strategic victory for the Muslims. Key terms of the treaty included a ten-year ceasefire, provisions for Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, and the establishment of a framework for alliances. The treaty's consequences included a crucial period of peace that allowed for the growth of Islam, both politically and religiously.” The author notes that this change in the balance of power led to “a large number of Arab tribes becoming subject to the Medina state, and they recognized the political power of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)... after the fact came to light that there was no force to stop the flow of Islam, we see that the tribes of Arabia moved towards Islam, and in groups they came to Medina and began” to enter the new religious-political order.

By the time of the death of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), almost the entire Arabian Peninsula had entered Islam in some form or another.[1] However, with his passing, many tribes sought to break away from the authority of Medina: some abandoned Islam entirely, while others refused to pay zakat but still professed Islam.[1] Abu Bakr fought against various groups including tribes from Yamama (Banu Hanifa), Asad, Ghatafan, Tayy, and parts of Tamim during the ridda campaigns.[1]

During the Prophet’s lifetime, large numbers of Arab tribes entered into Islam, especially after the conquest of Mecca and the so‑called ‘Year of Delegations’ (9/630), when deputations from tribes across Arabia came to Medina to declare their submission.[1] These conversions, however, were often politically motivated alliances with Muhammad as leader rather than deeply rooted religious adherence.[1] After his death, many of these same tribes – among them sections of Banu Hanifa, Kinda, Asad, Ghatafan and others – attempted to renounce their obligations to Medina or followed rival claimants to prophethood.[1]

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica’s biography of Muhammad, after the establishment of the Medinan community and a series of conflicts with Mecca, “Within a few years Muhammad had brought most of the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula into the Islamic polity.” The article describes how truces and agreements, including Hudaybiyah and subsequent diplomatic efforts, enabled Muhammad “to receive delegations from many of the Bedouin tribes” and that by the end of his life “most of Arabia acknowledged his religious and political authority,” either through formal alliance or conversion.

Many Arab tribes had converted to Islam during Muhammad's lifetime because of the power and influence wielded by the Prophet during his last years.[4] When Muhammad died in 632 CE, several of these tribes saw their obligations to the Muslim community as ended and either stopped paying the zakat tax or outright rejected Islam, triggering the Ridda Wars under Abu Bakr.[4] The conflicts involved tribes from regions such as central Arabia, Yamama, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, and Hadhramaut that had previously been linked to the Islamic polity.[4]

In the section on the ‘Year of Deputations’, the author writes: “In the ninth year of Hijra, deputations from all over Arabia began to arrive in Medina to declare their allegiance to the Prophet and to accept Islam.” The narrative lists tribes from Najd, Yemen, and eastern Arabia among those sending delegations and concludes that “by the close of the Prophet’s life, nearly all the tribes of Arabia had entered the fold of Islam, though the depth of their commitment varied.”

The article describes the so‑called ‘Year of the Deputations’: “The ninth year of the Hijra is called the ‘Year of Deputations’, as delegations from all over Arabia came to Medina to accept Islam and to swear allegiance to Muhammad.” It also notes that after the conquest of Mecca and subsequent campaigns, “tribes from across the Arabian Peninsula entered Islam in large numbers (afwaj).”

The narrative explains that after the move to Medina, "Muhammad continued to overtake towns and summon surrounding nations to follow Islam." It then states that "After Muhammad’s death, Muslims spread Islam throughout Arabia by both missionary activity and military action against rebellious tribes," indicating that a substantial initial spread and the bringing of tribes under Islam had already occurred before his death, with further consolidation afterward.

The article explains that in 628 AD “the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was drawn up between Muhammad and the Quraysh tribe of Mecca.” It notes that one of the effects of the agreement was that “The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah assisted many people in converting to Islam during the time. For one, it introduced a time of peace between Muhammad and the powerful Quraysh, and Muhammad could continue expanding his community and fighting forces.” With the Medinan base recognized as an “official state,” Muhammad was able in the following years to return and conquer Mecca and consolidate control over other Arab groups.

The death of Prophet Muhammad caused confusion and disunity among the Arab tribes who had recently converted to Islam.[3] These wars or battles were fought between the various Arab tribes who had recently converted to Islam and the new Muslim state that was being established under the leadership of the first four caliphs.[3] The final significant uprising during the time of apostasy was led by the powerful Kinda tribe, which inhabited the areas of Najran, Hadhramaut, and eastern Yemen.[3]

Traditional Muslim sources describe a wide extension of Muhammad’s authority over Arabian tribes by the end of his life, especially after the so‑called ‘Year of Deputations’, when representatives of tribes from all over Arabia came to Medina to submit and accept Islam.[1] The subsequent ridda involved the defection of many of these same tribes, particularly in Yamama (Banu Hanifa), Najd (Asad, Ghatafan, Tayy), and South Arabia (Kinda and others), indicating that Islam had been adopted by multiple tribal groups before the Prophet’s death, although often as a political allegiance rather than a firm religious conviction.[1]

Early Islamic historiography (e.g., al-Tabari) describes the Ridda or ‘apostasy’ wars under Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) as campaigns against Arabian tribes who sought to abandon Islam or withhold zakat after Muhammad’s death. The very framing of these conflicts as ‘apostasy’ presupposes that substantial numbers of tribes and tribal leaders had formally accepted Islam during Muhammad’s lifetime, even if their commitment was sometimes tenuous.

Describing the social and political consequences of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the article states that among its clauses, “Both sides could make alliances freely.” It emphasizes that the decade-long truce and recognition of the Muslims as a legitimate state created conditions in which “Over the next two years, Islam spread faster than it ever had before. The peace gave people space to think, listen, and accept the truth. More people accepted Islam during this time than in all the years before.” The piece notes that this surge included many tribal groups aligning themselves with Muhammad and the Medinan community.

The article calls the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah “a significant chapter in Islamic history, marked by a pivotal peace agreement between the Muslims of Medina and the Quraysh tribe of Mecca.” One listed consequence underlines how this affected wider tribal dynamics: “The peace agreement allowed Muslims to engage in trade and interact freely with various tribes, leading to an increase in conversions to Islam.” It further notes that Muhammad “used this period to send letters to various rulers, inviting them to Islam, thus broadening the reach of the faith,” and describes the treaty as “a cornerstone in the establishment and spread of Islam.”

In his narrative of the treaty, Sayyid Ali Ashgar Razwy explains that one of the stipulations agreed at Hudaybiyyah was that “any tribe that wished to enter into an alliance with Muhammad could do so, and any that wished to ally with Quraysh could do so.” He comments that the resulting truce “gave Islam the opportunity to demonstrate its moral and social teachings to the tribes of Arabia under conditions of peace,” and that in the period after the agreement “many tribes entered into alliance with the Prophet, and large numbers of their members accepted Islam.”

A historical overview on Islamicity notes that the treaty included a clause that “any tribe could ally itself with either party,” and that this provision “provided a framework for tribal alliances that would, within two years, alter the political map of Arabia.” The article argues that the period of peace “gave the Muslims a chance to spread their message far and wide,” and that as a result, “numerous tribes of the Arabian Peninsula either entered into Islam or became allies of the Muslim community in Medina” before the conquest of Mecca.

In a historical column, Dawn describes Hudaybiyyah as “one of the most important treaties in early Islamic history.” It summarises that the agreement not only brought a ten-year truce with Quraysh but also “allowed tribes to enter into alliances with either the Muslims or the Meccans, a clause that opened the way for many Bedouin tribes to align themselves with Muhammad.” The article notes that in the years immediately after the treaty, “Islam spread rapidly among the tribes of western and central Arabia, many of whom sent delegations to Medina to declare their allegiance.”

In this educational overview, the narrator explains one of the treaty’s key provisions: “tribes were free to align themselves with either the Muslims or the Quraysh… this provision allowed for a balance of power and gave various tribes the autonomy to choose their alliances.” Later the video states that with the cessation of hostilities, “Muslims were able to travel freely and engage in trade,” and that “the message of Islam could now be spread more effectively, reaching far beyond the borders of Medina. Additionally, the clause allowing tribes to ally with either the Muslims or the Quraysh led to a significant shift in alliances; many tribes, seeing the fair and just treatment the Muslims offered, chose to align themselves with Prophet Muhammad… this shift in alliances weakened the Quraysh’s influence and strengthened the position of the Muslims.”

In the Hijaz, the major cities had fully integrated into the Muslim state, embracing Islam and fulfilling the sadaqa tax obligations.[6] Conversely, in areas like Najd and northeastern Arabia, some tribes—such as the Ghatafan, Asad, and Tayy—largely accepted Islam and paid taxes, while others, particularly those farther from Medina like parts of Tamim, paid taxes without converting.[6] Outside of Hijaz the alliances and conversions established during the Prophet's final years began to unravel after his death, which is what later Muslim tradition labels the Ridda.[6]

In a biographical lecture on Muhammad, Mufti Menk recounts that one agreed term at Hudaybiyyah was that “whoever wished to ally with Muhammad could do so; whoever wished to ally with Quraysh could do so too.” He emphasizes that the companions later realised “this peace was greater than any battle, for through it Islam spread across Arabia,” attributing the rapid expansion among different tribes to the security and diplomatic space created by the truce.