Final answer:
Muhammad's soldiers captured the city of Mecca in 630 CE, and he established it as the center of the Islamic world, requiring pilgrimage and integrating it into his kingdom.
Step-by-step explanation:
Muhammad's soldiers captured the city of Mecca in 630 CE. After a series of battles between the Meccans and Muhammad's followers, Muhammad successfully re-entered Mecca and established it as the center of Islam. He negotiated skillfully with his former enemies in Mecca, promising to make the city a pivotal point for the Islamic faith, requiring pilgrimage, and integrating it into his expanding kingdom. This conquest was a critical event in the history of Islam, as Muhammad then sent missionaries and soldiers across Arabia and to neighboring powers, resulting in most Arab tribes willing converting to Islam by the time of his death in 632 CE. The city of Mecca also became the location of the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, that Muhammad cleansed of idols upon his return.