(Originais Teachy 2024) - Question Hard of History

Islam, one of the great monotheistic religions, emerged in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century with the revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, expanding rapidly and influencing vast regions of the world. This expansion was not limited only to the religious field, but also had profound political, economic, and cultural implications in areas such as North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. According to historian Albert Hourani in 'A History of the Arab Peoples': 'Islam and Islamic civilization were distinguished by belief in one God, by their rigorous ethics, and by their integration of pre-existing beliefs and practices into a new religious and cultural system.' Based on this statement, and considering your knowledge on the subject, write a text discussing to what extent the expansion of Islam transformed the societies and cultures it encountered along its path, and how these transformations were reflected in the social and political organization, economic system, and artistic and intellectual expressions of the impacted regions. In your argument, critically analyze Hourani's assertion and provide significant examples of how the integration and reconfiguration of pre-existing beliefs and practices occurred.