
audiobook
This volume picks up the story of Islam just after the Prophet’s passing, tracing the first four caliphates and the rise of the Umayyad house. Drawing on the annals of Tabari and later Arab historians, it follows the early community as it expands across Arabia and into neighboring lands. A detailed map accompanies the narrative, helping listeners picture the routes of early campaigns.
The author weaves together tribal politics, religious fervor, and the practical challenges that shaped the new faith’s rapid growth. By comparing multiple traditional sources, the work offers a balanced picture while remaining accessible to those new to the period. Listeners will come away with a clear sense of how the early Islamic state navigated its first decades, setting the stage for later centuries.
Language
en
Duration
~13 hours (754K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Amsterdam: Oriental Press, 1883, reprint 1968.
Credits
Fritz Ohrenschall, Karin Spence and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2023-12-12
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1819–1905
A Scottish civil servant, scholar, and missionary-minded writer, he spent much of his career in British India and became one of the best-known English-language biographers of Muhammad. His life joined imperial administration, academic leadership, and a lasting—if debated—role in 19th-century Oriental studies.
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