Download or read book The Crucible of Islam written by G. W. Bowersock and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-10 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Little is known about sixth-century Arabia. Yet from this distant time and place emerged a faith and an empire that stretched from Iberia to India. G. W. Bowersock illuminates this obscure yet most dynamic period in Islam, exploring why arid Arabia proved to be fertile ground for Muhammad’s message and why it spread so quickly to the wider world.