DBWI: Islam expanding beyond arabia?

As we all know, Islam is currently a minority religion in the Arabian Penninsula. Not particularly large or important, but still moderately relevant.

However, I recently read the first book of an obscure AH series, the name of it's author currently eludes me, in which the muslims manage to conquer more than half of the (then) known-world in less than a century.

In this story, it all begins with the Islamic prophet Muhammad much like in OTL, but ITTL he established a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun (The Rightly Guided Caliphs) and Umayyad Caliphates sees a century of rapid expansion of Muslim power.

Basically, they grow well beyond the Arabian Peninsula in the form of a Muslim Empire with an area of influence that stretches from the borders of China and the Indian subcontinent, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Longobardia, and the Iberian Peninsula, to the Pyrenees.

The Muslim conquests bring about the collapse of the Sassanid Empire and a great territorial loss for the Byzantine Empire. I know that sounds extremely ASB, and it's not very well explained in the story either, where the author just writes that centuries of fighting each other left them extremely weak, but some critics note that he also implies that this ATL muslims actually have God's favour with them.

I haven't read the rest of this series, but I have spoiled myself a little for the next book, and apparently the muslims manage to take Constantinople in the mid 1400s :/
 
As we all know, Islam is currently a minority religion in the Arabian Penninsula. Not particularly large or important, but still moderately relevant.

However, I recently read the first book of an obscure AH series, the name of it's author currently eludes me, in which the muslims manage to conquer more than half of the (then) known-world in less than a century.

In this story, it all begins with the Islamic prophet Muhammad much like in OTL, but ITTL he established a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun (The Rightly Guided Caliphs) and Umayyad Caliphates sees a century of rapid expansion of Muslim power.

Basically, they grow well beyond the Arabian Peninsula in the form of a Muslim Empire with an area of influence that stretches from the borders of China and the Indian subcontinent, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Longobardia, and the Iberian Peninsula, to the Pyrenees.

The Muslim conquests bring about the collapse of the Sassanid Empire and a great territorial loss for the Byzantine Empire. I know that sounds extremely ASB, and it's not very well explained in the story either, where the author just writes that centuries of fighting each other left them extremely weak, but some critics note that he also implies that this ATL muslims actually have God's favour with them.

I haven't read the rest of this series, but I have spoiled myself a little for the next book, and apparently the muslims manage to take Constantinople in the mid 1400s :/

Take Constantinople! Ha! I take insult that my great city will fall to some Arabian nomads! Whoever wrote this book needs to have his head checked.
 
I have encountered a few Muslims...

...and I can tell you that this is impossible. The theology of Islam is so intimately tied to Arab language and culture that anyone who converted would essentially have to abandon his or her community. Also, the long-standing prejudice of the Levantine people for the desert nomads has only started diminishing in the last few decades. It is completely unrealistic to have them heed the preaching of nomads and abandon their long-held Christianity.
 
...and I can tell you that this is impossible. The theology of Islam is so intimately tied to Arab language and culture that anyone who converted would essentially have to abandon his or her community. Also, the long-standing prejudice of the Levantine people for the desert nomads has only started diminishing in the last few decades. It is completely unrealistic to have them heed the preaching of nomads and abandon their long-held Christianity.

Even more so that they would destroy my great country. Remember, it was us Romans that crushed even the army of the mighty Khan. We can handle some nomads.
 
I think the only way this could occur if some how the Aksumite Empire is somehow stunted in its constant expansion. If the Himyarite Kingdoms never adopt Aksumite Christianity, Aksum would be much weaker Yemen and possibly have to withdraw. I've read that Judaism had some toe holds, perhaps they could zealously adopt that ancient religion. Mohammed and his followers could use that opening to expand, probably northwards into Egypt and Syria.
 
Take Constantinople! Ha! I take insult that my great city will fall to some Arabian nomads! Whoever wrote this book needs to have his head checked.
I don't see it as that ASB. Just have a succession of corrupt and incompetent Byzantine emperors with a shrewd Arabic tribal leader. Said leader then conquers Constantinople and proclaims himself as leader of the Romans. Trouble is, he may decide to convert to Christianity to solidify his grip over a wealthy empire. Islam would have spread as a minority far beyond its heartland.
 
Maybe the Arabs could have taken a shot at the Sassanians during the Turko-Khazar invasions of the late VII century...
 
I don't see it as that ASB. Just have a succession of corrupt and incompetent Byzantine emperors with a shrewd Arabic tribal leader. Said leader then conquers Constantinople and proclaims himself as leader of the Romans. Trouble is, he may decide to convert to Christianity to solidify his grip over a wealthy empire. Islam would have spread as a minority far beyond its heartland.

I think that would be plausible, especially if at this time the Western powers like Langobardia and the Norman Kingdom of Mauretania take this time to ignore the or even strike at the Byzantines. Remember as much as the Byzantines like to claim that it was their "Roman" Armies that defeated the Khan, in reality it was as the so called "Barbarian" Normans, and the support of the Western allies that saved the day.
 
Top