The Rise of Islam

"What sets this text apart from many others is its focus on the socioeconomic, political, and cultural milieu in which a new religious movement was born and has thrived; its discussion of the origins of Islamic law, spirituality and theology, mysticism, philosophy, and culture; and an appendix of individual page-length biographies of important figures.  Also included is a helpful glossary of terms, a 'photo essay,' selections from primary sources, and an annotated bibliography. . . . Gordon's discussion of the sociocultural origins and authority of the Qur'an is very good.  He also highlights an area of Islamic studies often ignored in general introduction, the role of urbanization in the development of Islamic civilization worldwide. . . . [T]his is a very useful and informative general introduction."
     —The Historian

"The Rise of Islam is a concise, edifying and entertaining monograph. . . . [I] would recommend The Rise of Islam both to those who have a casual interest in the development of Islam and also to students who have begun studying Islamic history and want to read a work that presents the history in a flowing, colourful fashion."
     —Studies in Religion

"The text is impressive; it covers a wide range of topics with just the right amount of depth, detail, and contextualization for introductory courses."
     —Jamie Schillinger, St. Olaf College

"An excellent introductory text.  The narrative is balanced; the biographies and primary source materials . . . are necessary improvements on the secondary literature usually presented as sufficient.  [Gordon's] emphasis on social and cultural developments is also a necessary corrective to the usual political histories.  I will order this book as a required text for my survey course in Middle Eastern history."
     —Sumaiya Hamdani, George Mason University

"This book is concise, clear, and well-organized.  More importantly, it contains fifteen primary documents and fifteen short biographies, which greatly enrich the book."
     —Patrick Fuliang Shan, Grand Valley State University

"The first challenge in presenting early Islamic history to those who are new to the subject is that of setting out the political narrative clearly while retaining sufficient detail to allow the religio-political roots of matters such as the Sunni-Si'i divide to be clearly understood; the second challenge is conveying some of the texture of the evolving social, economic, religious, and cultural life of the major centers of the Muslim world.  The book responds successfully to both, balancing a clear political narrative with important themes in social, economic, and religious history.
     "The key themes are handled deftly, and the complexities of recent scholarship are presented in a balance fashion.
     "The inclusion of translated source extracts and images of material culture is an excellent idea. . . . [The book is] a very good choice for an introductory course on Islamic history or for classes on early Islamic civilization in a broader medieval or world history context."
     —Andrew Marsham, University of Edinburgh, in Speculum

About the Author:

Matthew S. Gordon is Associate Professor of History, Miami University.