7世紀にアラビアで誕生したとされるイスラーム教。一部地域の信者による小さなコミュニティでしかなかったものが、なぜ10億以上の信者を抱える巨大宗教へと成長するに至ったのでしょうか。イスラームの歴史に見る文化的・宗教的多様性を探り、この大きな疑問への答えを導き出します。また、その意義を明確にすると共に、現在のイスラーム社会の土台にあるものをあぶり出します。(cf. Islam, #007; Philosophy in the Islamic World, #445; Global Islam, #659; Islamic Law, #662)
   

• Provides a chronological survey of the origins and subsequent spread of Islam throughout the world
• Demonstrates the cultural and religious diversity of Islamic societies
• Explores the story, sources, and significance of Islamic history and considers the way it shaped the present state of Muslim societies
• Relates the subjects relevance to the modern world

  
Does history matter? This book argues not that history matters, but that Islamic history does. This Very Short Introduction introduces the story of Islamic history; the controversies surrounding its study; and the significance that it holds - for Muslims and for non-Muslims alike.

Opening with a lucid overview of the rise and spread of Islam, from the seventh to twenty first century, the book charts the evolution of what was originally a small, localised community of believers into an international religion with over a billion adherents. 
Chapters are also dedicated to the peoples - Arabs, Persians, and Turks - who shaped Islamic history, and to three representative institutions - the mosque, jihad, and the caliphate - that highlight Islam's diversity over time.

Finally, the roles that Islamic history has played in both religious and political contexts are analysed, while stressing the unique status that history enjoys amongst Muslims, especially compared to its lowly place in Western societies where history is often seen as little more than something that is not to be repeated.

Some of the questions that will be answered are:

· How did Islam arise from the obscurity of seventh century Arabia to the headlines of twenty first century media?
· How do we know what we claim to know about Islam's rise and development?
· Why does any of this matter, either to Muslims or to non-Muslims?