Because Islam represented a threat to their power as a trading entity, Muhammad preached as a prophet faced with hostility by the established religious authorities of his time and place. His followers were gained under the threat of martyrdom, a fate spared Muhammad only by virtue of the protection of his uncle, a powerful regional leader. (MidEastWeb for Coexistence, p. 1) With the death of his uncle, Muhammad was forced to take on a more militant stance as he expanded his influence. With some followers departing for North Africa and employing similar tactics of conversion by conquest, the influence of Islam spread quickly. As the MidEastWeb for Coexistence reports, "From their base in Medina, the Muslims took to raiding Meccan caravans. In 624, they won the battle of Badr and took much booty. Now secure in Medina, Muhammad expelled the Banu Qaynuqa, one of the three main Jewish tribes, and ordered...

In 624, they won the battle of Badr and took much booty. Now secure in Medina, Muhammad expelled the Banu Qaynuqa, one of the three main Jewish tribes, and ordered the assassination of the poetess Asma bint Marwan and then the poet Abu Afak, who had been critical of his rule." (p. 1)
This strategy would characterize the continued rise in influence of Islam, with the militant strategies employed by adherents to the faith to this day reflecting the strategy that helped Muhammad to leave behind, in his death, an exponentially growing religious movement.

Works Cited:

MidEastWeb for Coexistence. (2007). Muhammad. MidEastWeb.org.

Katz, J. (2001). The Prophet Mohammed. Eretz Yisroel.