In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire

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Robert G. Hoyland (Professor of Late Antique and Early Islamic Middle Eastern History, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, NYU)

In God's Path

The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire

Robert G. Hoyland (Professor of Late Antique and Early Islamic Middle Eastern History, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, NYU)

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English

Oxford University Press
13 October 2014

Series: Ancient Warfare and Civilization

In just over a hundred years--from the death of Muhammad in 632 to the beginning of the Abbasid Caliphate in 750--the followers of the Prophet swept across the whole of the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain. Their armies threatened states as far flung as the Franks in Western Europe and the Tang Empire in China. The conquered territory was larger than the Roman Empire at its greatest expansion, and it was claimed for the Arabs in roughly half the time. How this collection of Arabian tribes was able to engulf so many empires, states, and armies in such a short period has perplexed historians for centuries. Most accounts of the Arab invasions have been based almost solely on the early Muslim sources, which were composed centuries later to illustrate the divinely chosen status of the Arabs. Robert Hoyland's groundbreaking new history assimilates not only the rich biographical information of the early Muslim sources but also the many non-Arabic sources, contemporaneous or near-contemporaneous with the conquests. In God's Path begins with a broad picture of the Late Antique world prior to the Prophet's arrival, a world dominated by two superpowers: Byzantium and Sasanian Persia. In between these empires, emerged a distinct Arabian identity, which helped forge the inhabitants of western Arabia into a formidable fighting force. The Arabs are the principal actors in this drama yet, as Hoyland shows, the peoples along the edges of Byzantium and Persia--the Khazars, Bulgars, Avars, and Turks--all played critical roles in the remaking of the old world order. The new faith propagated by Muhammad and his successors made it possible for many of the conquered peoples to join the Arabs in creating the first Islamic Empire. Well-paced, comprehensive, and eminently readable, In God's Path presents a sweeping narrative of a transformational period in world history.

By: Robert G. Hoyland (Professor of Late Antique and Early Islamic Middle Eastern History Institute for the Study of the Ancient World NYU)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 241mm, Width: 162mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 603g
ISBN: 9780199916368
ISBN 10: 0199916365
Series: Ancient Warfare and Civilization
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 13 October 2014
Audience: College/higher education , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Robert G. Hoyland is Professor of Late Antique and Early Islamic Middle Eastern History at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World and author of Arabia and the Arabs.

Reviews for In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire

[A] splendid new history of the Arab conquests... Few are better qualified to write a history of the Arab conquests [than Robert Hoyland]... His book will surely serve as the definitive account of the Arab conquests for many years to come. Literary Review, Tom Holland Concise and clear, In God's Path is a recommended introduction to historical events about which everyone today wants to know. Times Literary Supplement, Peter Webb The book narrates a lucid account that explains Islam as the product of th wider world into which is was born ... n God's Path is very informative and scholarly. Peter Webb, The Times Literary Supplement Fascinating Northen Echo, Steve Craggs A fresh look at the Arab conquests and the creation of an Islamic empire in the 100 year after the death of Muhammad The Tablet