>TL;DR: Shit was complicated. >Actual TL;DR: Rulers converted for economic, political, and personal reasons. Not much work has been done on popular conversion,

>TL;DR: Shit was complicated. >Actual TL;DR: Rulers converted for economic, political, and personal reasons. Not much work has been done on popular conversion, but so far it seems that the government and Sufis both helped spread Islam on a popular level. The new religion was perceived as magic, provided solace in a changing world, and finally became just a part of life.