The Expansion of the Early Islamic State

Book excerpt: This volume presents a selection of the key studies in which leading scholars explain the phenomenally rapid expansion of the early Islamic state during the 7th century CE. The articles debate the causes for the conquest movement, the reasons for its success, its nature and the impact it had on affected countries, and the complex questions surrounding the sources on which historians have constructed their views of the expansion and the reliability of those sources. The editor's introduction addresses the phenomenon of the expansion and how scholars have approached it.