RT Book
T1 The crucible of Islam
A1 Bowersock, G. W. 1936-
LA English
PP Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England
PB Harvard University Press
YR 2017
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/872993817
AB Little is known about Arabia in the sixth century CE. Yet from this distant time and place emerged a faith and an empire that stretched from the Iberian peninsula to India. Today, Muslims account for nearly a quarter of the global population. G. W. Bowersock seeks to illuminate this most obscure and yet most dynamic period in the history of Islam--from the mid-sixth to mid-seventh century--exploring why arid Arabia proved to be such fertile ground for Muhammad's prophetic message, and why that message spread so quickly to the wider world. In Muhammad's time Arabia stood at the crossroads of great empires, a place where Christianity, Judaism, and local polytheistic traditions vied for adherents. Mecca, Muhammad's birthplace, belonged to the part of Arabia recently conquered by the Ethiopian Christian king Abraha. But Ethiopia lost western Arabia to Persia following Abraha's death, while the death of the Byzantine emperor in 602 further destabilized the region. Within this chaotic environment, where lands and populations were traded frequently among competing powers and belief systems, Muhammad began winning converts to his revelations. In a troubled age, his followers coalesced into a powerful force, conquering Palestine, Syria, and Egypt and laying the groundwork of the Umayyad Caliphate. The crucible of Islam remains an elusive vessel. Although we may never grasp it firmly, Bowersock offers the most detailed description of its contours and the most compelling explanation of how one of the world's great religions took shape.--
AB The Arabian kingdom of Abraha -- Arab paganism in late antiquity -- Late antique Mecca -- Ethiopia and Arabia -- The Persians in Jerusalem -- Muhammad and Medina -- Interregnum of the four caliphs -- A new dispensation -- The Dome of the Rock
NO Includes bibliographical references and index
CN a
SN 9780674057760
K1 Islam : History
K1 Arabs : History : To 622
K1 Arabs
K1 Islam
K1 Islamic Empire
K1 History
K1 To 661
K1 Islamic Empire : History : 622-661