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After Muhammad's death, the territory from the Atlantic to the borders of China were conquered by the Muslims. However, the people of these territories did not instantly adopt Islam, and its gradual adoption took centuries.

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The Quran states that Muslims cannot force people to convert to Islam. This, in addition to the Sunnah, compelled Muslims to practice a policy of tolerance towards those of other religions. As a result of this, there still exists religious groups that pre-date Islam even after 1400 years of Muslim rule.

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A person must make the profession of faith (shahada) in front of two or more witnesses to accept Islam. Following this, they must learn and apply its practices. This results in diversity as there were many different levels of understanding and practice.

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Although the expansion of an empire is easy to illustrate, historians call areas "Muslim region," "Muslim society," "Muslim civilization," and sometimes "the Islamic world." This is when most of the people in these places chose to accept Islam, but it is difficult to comprehend when and what effects occurred.

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In the years following Muhammad's death, nearly all Arabs accepted Islam except the Christian and Jewish communities. Despite being allowed to practice their religion, non-Arabs began to accept Islam during the early caliphates. This first took place among the lower classes and gradually expanded with Muslim rule.

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In 1192, other Muslim Turkish military groups conquered parts of India, bringing Islam to these lands. When entering regions where Buddhism, Hinduism, and other religions exists, Islam took centuries to become well-established. It would later spread among the Turks and western China.

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Before 1000, the town of Gao was the most major town with a Muslim majority in Africa. Despite this, Islam did not become the majority faith in West Africa until the nineteenth century. Traders would expand the faith along the coast in East Africa.

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Islam spread most rapidly when Muslim rule was weaker. Decentralization and disunity resulted in the flourishing of the religion. The embracing of Islam was usually a result of the efforts of merchants, teachers, and traveling Sufi preachers.