Truth Seekers Stockholm

The story of Islam begins in Mecca in the late 6th century CE. At this time it is a trading hub with caravan routes connecting Yemen in the south to Syria and the Byzantine Empire in the north. It's also a home to the Kaaba, a cube-shaped stone structure that was revered as a holy site and sanctuary by the polytheistic tribes that inhabited pre Islamic Mecca.

The prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was born at this time and he would have been exposed to a diverse religious landscape. He himself grew up in a polytheistic clan that worshiped a pantheon of gods and spirits that were linked to features of the natural world; such as stones, trees and springs. The creator god of this system was called Allah. This would have been the dominant religion at the time. But in addition to this he would likely have come into contact with Jewish traders and settlers, exposing him to stories of Abraham, Moses and the concept of a single God. Christianity had spread into Arabia through contact with Byzantium and Ethiopia, bringing him into contact with the stories of Jesus and of scripture and of monotheism.

Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad received his first revelation in a small cave near Mecca where he would often retreat to contemplate. Visited by the angel Gabriel he was commanded to recite the words "Recite in the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot of congealed blood.", which was the first verse of what would become the Quran. Being illiterate he would memorize the revelations when they came to him - sometimes Gabriel would appear as a man, others as a powerful presence with wings, or communicated through sounds or inspirations.

Initially he would preach privately to friends and family—his wife Khadija being the first convert—followed by his cousin Ali and his close friend Abu Bakr, both of whom would become key figures. Gradually, he grew bolder, preaching publicly in Mecca and drawing people in with the poetic style of the Quran. As his following grew, he began to unsettle the ruling order. Persecution of the early Muslims became commonplace, and assassination attempts signaled that there was no future for them in Mecca.

The community gradually fled to Medina where they were warmly welcomed. Impressed by Muhammad's leadership the Medinans had invited him to resolve disputes between feuding Arab clans and Jewish tribes. This gave the Muslims a fresh start and a much greater opportunity to spread Islam. This marks year 1 of the Islamic calendar.

The years in Medina, before Muhammad's death, is marked by consolidation of the Muslim community, conflicts with Mecca and expansion of Muslim influence. Through diplomacy and warfare, he manages to turn a small band of followers into a powerful religious and political entity. This shift away from being a persecuted minority can be seen in the Surahs of the Quran that move from short, poetic calls to faith in Mecca to longer, more detailed revelations in Medina, increasingly focused on laws, governance, and the rules and ethics of warfare.

When Muhammad died at age 63 the Muslim community faced immediate challenges; he had left no instructions on who should succeed him. Some thought that it should be Abu Bakr, Muhammad's steadfast companion and competent leader, others thought the succession should follow in Muhammad's blood line and saw Ali as the natural choice, a courageous warrior and Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law. Ultimately the rule went to Abu Bakr, but competing claims were left unresolved and this seed later grew into the Shia - Sunni schism.

This began the Muslim conquests under the caliphs, forging an empire that stretched from Spain across North Africa and the Middle East to Central Asia by 750 CE. With swift cavalry and tactical raids they toppled giants like the Byzantines and Sassanids. Conquered peoples who were "people of the book" - Jews and Christians - could become dhimmis, second-class citizens who paid a tax called the jizya to continue practicing their faith. Polytheists, however, faced harsher terms: convert, be enslaved, or die.

At the same time, Islam’s emphasis on monotheism, social justice, and community life won many voluntary converts, and in some regions, it spread peacefully through trade, diplomacy, and scholarship.

During this time and for many centuries after Europe came into contact with the growing Muslim empire. The Ummayad caliphate conquered Spain in 711 and held it until the Christian Reconquista in 1492. The Ottoman empire entered the Balkans in 1350 and were driven back at 1683 at Vienna.

In Europe, the rise and conquests of Islam struck deep fear into Christian hearts, as three-quarters of Christendom - including the Holy Land - fell to Muslim hands by 750 CE. Reading the Quran, they saw not divine truth but heresy of the gravest kind, a challenge to their faith. In response, they launched centuries of campaigns, seeking to regain territories and defend their religious and cultural identity.

Today, centuries later, Europe encounters Muslims again, though under vastly different circumstances. In a globalized world where migration and travel is done with comparable ease, European countries host a 5-10% Muslim population.

What do we make of the situation that we find ourselves in?

Islam spread through conquest, toppling empires and subjugating people - so has Islam evolved or does a return to scripture and the example of Muhammad inevitably lead to an echo of its past?

We often hear it called a religion of peace, yet how does that square with its martial history?

How do Muslim extremists draw justification from the Quran and Hadiths, texts revered by millions, to fuel their violence?

And can Islam coexist with Western secular societies, rooted in Christian soil yet now distanced from it, or are the tensions too deep to bridge?

Join us this Saturday as we open the first of several discussions on this complex, nuanced, and highly relevant topic—welcoming all perspectives in a spirit of honesty, curiosity, and respect.