CONTENTS

List of Maps ix

Names and Dates xi

Introduction xiii

1 The Middle World 1

2 The Hijra 17

3 Birth of the Khalifate 33

4 Schism 53

5 Empire of the Umayyads 67

6 The Abassid Age 79

7 Scholars, Philosophers, and Sufis 91

8 Enter the Turks 117

9 Havoc 133

10 Rebirth 159

11 Meanwhile in Europe 199

12 West Comes East 217

13 The Reform Movements 247

14 Industry, Constitutions, and Nationalism 269

15 Rise of the Secular Modernists 301

viii

CONTENTS

16 The Crisis of Modernity 317

17 The Tide Turns 329

Afterword 349

Appendix: The Structure of Islamic Doctrine 359

Notes 361

Bibliography 367

Acknowledgments 371

Index 373

LIST OF MAPS

The Islamic World Today ii

Growth of Islam xvi

The Mediterranean World (Defined by Sea Routes) 2

The Middle World (Defined by Land Routes) 2

On the Eve of Islam: The Byzantine and Sassanid Empires 15

Imam Husseins Route to Karbala 69

The Umayyad Empire 76

Abu Muslim and the Abbasid Revolution 85

The Three Khalifates 121

Seljuk Empire: The Turks Invade the Islamic World 128

The Theater of the Crusades 141

The Mongol Invasions of the Islamic World 154

Constantinople: The Worlds Most Impregnable City 176

The Three Islamic Empires of the Seventeenth Century 196

The European Quest for a Sea Route to the Indies 201

Western Imperialism: The Global Reach of Sea Power 218

“The Great Game” 237

World War I and the Arab Revolt 296

The Sykes-Picot Agreement 297

Division of the Arab World: The Mandates Plan 312

Israel and Palestine 323