After the Byzantines and the Sassanids fought each other to a standstill, the newly united Muslim Arabs were able to easily conquer most of the Middle East, Persia, and North Africa. In this early period, the Muslims were happy to learn and adapt the ideas and sciences of their neighbors and those that they conquered. As time went on, the Muslims began to become much more conservative, favoring tradition over innovation. That is what began their long decline in power.
