The question is short and sweet, Muhammad never founds Islam so if the Arab tribes were to unify under a branch of Christianity, which form was the most likely for them to adopt? I personally think Nestorianism was the biggest candidate bit I'd like to know the odds for the other options as well such as the Orthodoxy or Miatheism.
WI: Christian Arabia
- Thread starter Kaiser Tito
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- arabia arabs christianity no islam
To me it was the Ghassanids who would have the most useful and best chance of conquering Arabia. They were very close to the Red Sea and would have a much easier way of invasion into Hejaz and Yemen, two of Arabia's most prosperous regions at the time. They were the perfect heralds for a Christian Arabia, since the Lakhmids were always playing at the Zoroastrians due to Iran.
Weren't the Lakhmids Nestorian Christians themselves? If memory serves they had their own church structure independent of Rome (or Sassanids obviously). I reckon they would be ideal since the Church of the East in that period was in any case very active and successful at proselytizing.
I guess Arabia would be divided between Coptic Church championed by the Ghassanids and the Nestorians, led by the Lakhmids.
The Yemeni are trickier, the Himyarite Kings had been dabbling in Judaism and were generally opposed to Christianity to such a degree that it prompted outrage and invasion from Aksum. OTL this had pushed them into the Sassanid orbit, so I would think Nestorians would prevail there eventually, as they were generally gaining ascendency among the Persian affiliated tribes.
In that scenario I don't think that the Arabs would have unified in the short/medium term under any brach of the Christianism.
The Ghassanids would have followed their own branch of Orthodox Eastern Christianism (they had alredy rejected Myaphisitism, so I don't think they would have embraced the Coptic Church) while the Lakhmids would have followed some Nestorian branch. The remaining Arabic Pagan tribes would have converted to one or the other with the pass of the time, depending on the influence they would have received.
The Ghassanids would have followed their own branch of Orthodox Eastern Christianism (they had alredy rejected Myaphisitism, so I don't think they would have embraced the Coptic Church) while the Lakhmids would have followed some Nestorian branch. The remaining Arabic Pagan tribes would have converted to one or the other with the pass of the time, depending on the influence they would have received.
The ghassanids had declined since the 6th century while other poweres like Mohamed tribe had become powerfull the center of power in Arabia had moved south by the 7th century
Do you mean the Quryash ? Also , though the Ghassanids had weakened, they were always a good buffer state for the Romans And had remained so until the Islamic Conquests and Yarmouk.
Yes the quarysh had just in the first years of the 7th century won a war that put their rival the taif to become a non factor and gained control of the njad trade routes the quarysh had gained a lot of power and Mohamed had to win a series of battles to take that position
And yes good buffer state and conquering the quarysh , Yemen and other tribes is another
I still believe that in a Arabia not unified by Islam the Quarysh would not have had the numbers to beat either the Ghassanids or their Byzantine patrons. The Ghassanids would have eventually themselves felt the effect of the arab migrations (like they did otl by migrating to syria, the levant, etc etc) and would have saught to expand. Their easiest way is South, not against the Byzantines.
Carter I'm Yog
Banned
IIRC the Banu Ghassan embraced Syrian Orthodoxy, but that church is also a miaphysite (or broadly speaking, anti-Chalcedonian) church, so if the Banu Ghassan were juiced up in some 7th century POD they would still be champions of Miaphysitism. Just not for the Coptic Church.
I don't believe they would expand that much but the Quraysh would get become one of the most powerful Arabian powers without Mohamed distracting them for years they would consolidate their position in Hejaz
The ghassanids would have to attack many tribes to get the red sea coast and as shown by mohamed the Quraysh could extent power beyond mecca so the expasion to the south is really limited due to the desert and their tribes and if they manged to push south enough the Quraysh themselves
PakistaniGuyUK
Banned
Well Arabia had more than half a millenia if it wanted to become Christian, but didn't. So why are we assuming it will suddenly want to become Christian in 570AD?
It will probably remain Pagan until an outside power from the North invades it and forces the tribes to become Christian, or the Ethiopian Empire will turn it Christian through trade/encroachment (you racist shits didn't think of that one coming, did you
)*
*entirely tongue-in-cheek, no offence meant hahaha
It will probably remain Pagan until an outside power from the North invades it and forces the tribes to become Christian, or the Ethiopian Empire will turn it Christian through trade/encroachment (you racist shits didn't think of that one coming, did you
)**entirely tongue-in-cheek, no offence meant hahaha
Christianity was widespread in Arabia before Islam , yes there was no one unified Christian Arab state but their influence was so strong in the ummayyad court that some of the most capable and trusted advisers were ChristiansWell Arabia had more than half a millenia if it wanted to become Christian, but didn't. So why are we assuming it will suddenly want to become Christian in 570AD?
It will probably remain Pagan until an outside power from the North invades it and forces the tribes to become Christian, or the Ethiopian Empire will turn it Christian through trade/encroachment (you racist shits didn't think of that one coming, did you
*entirely tongue-in-cheek, no offence meant hahaha