The spread of Islam through the Mediterranean did not mean the creation of a uniform religious society or the expulsion of native inhabitants. Indeed, Christians and Jews were permitted to maintain their religious beliefs on the condition that they paid a levy.
Economic activity, especially trade, and cultural exchanges helped to bring different individuals and communities together.
Thus followers of the three monotheistic religions, known in the Qur'an the 'people of the book' (ahl al-kitab), coexisted in the towns and villages of the Muslim West promoting mutual material and intellectual enrichment.