(March 16, 2014 at 6:19 pm)Minimalist Wrote:Quote:Rashidun army crossing the Egyptian border
Pyramids of Gizah.
In December 639 'Amr ibn al-'As left for Egypt with a force of 4,000 troops. Most of the soldiers belonged to the Arab tribe of 'Ak, although Al-Kindi mentions that one third of the soldiers belonged to the Arab tribe of Ghafik. The Arab soldiers were also joined by some Roman and Persian converts to Islam. However, 'Umar, the Muslim caliph, reconsidered his orders to Amr, thinking it foolhardy to expect to conquer such a large country as Egypt with a mere 4,000 soldiers. Accordingly, he wrote a letter to 'Amr commanding him to come back.[6]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquest_of_Egypt
Well, they may have intended going there mainly for intellectual, materialistic, political, and/or nationalistic reasons, but such a military aggression is not justifiable just for the spread of Islam.
Expansion is not required by Islam. It is, however, allowed if the ruler of a Muslim state decides to do so. But that doesn't mean that it is attributable to Islam itself.
