This is the best and most informative book on early Islam. It is beautifully written and more sophisticated than anything that has been written on the subject so far. In contrast to the common scholarship on that period, Bamyeh stresses social science perspective over philology, and argues against the new revisionist historians by emphasizing how the origins of Islam could be understood with a close reading of the classical litereature of the period and the Qur'an. The book, I think, successfully reveals the "inner logic" of the historical period, rather than superimpose 20th century perspectives on it. This is done with remarkable sensitivity to the sources. Few books combine so well discussions of poetry, economic history, and tribal politics. This is a truly unique book in its field, and is well-worth reading.

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