ISLAM GREW AND DEVELOPED as the minority faith of. ruling elite surrounded by. sea of foreign faiths, primarily Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism. This fact shaped the growth of Muslim tradition, especially in Syria, which was the main center of Islam for its first century. Apocalyptic traditions are no exception to this. They were apparently shaped by the beliefs and prejudices of the surrounding population, and especially those of the new converts. The atmosphere of. ruling elite, which was none too certain of its control over the population, was the prime contributing factor towards the development of apocalyptic traditions. This lack of political security led to. need to express oneself using the medium of apocalyptic. In addition to this, there existed. polemical atmosphere between the different communities that contributed, in the development of the faith, to the use of apocalyptic. It would seem that there existed and continue to exist. number of separate apocalyptic cycles in Islam, of which some are indigenous developments usually related to either historical events or to the exegesis of passages in the Qur'ān, while others are taken from foreign sources. In this latter sense, Islam was the heir to. vast apocalyptic tradition handed down from the classical world. Elements that could be connected to the core teachings of the Qur'ān were adopted and elaborated upon, while continuing to use phrases and ideas that gave the new traditions. familiar and acceptable tone. However, this should not be taken to mean that Islamic apocalyptic lacks originality. It is. development from classical themes, some of which were grafted onto the tradition, while others were rejected. No cycle or tradition accepted by the Muslims remains totally unchanged in its pristine state.

The transfer of religious knowledge and symbols from the classical and Christian worlds into Islam was no less important in quantity or significance than the transfer of scientific and philosophical material that took place during the eighth through tenth centuries.