Arnold sets out to show that Islam spread far more often by missionary effort and voluntary conversion than by the sword. He begins with Muhammad as a preacher, then follows the faith among the Christians of Western Asia, North Africa and Spain, through the conversion of the Mongols and on into India, China, the Malay Archipelago and sub-Saharan Africa.
A pioneering work of comparative religious history that still shapes debate about the growth of Islam. Download the free EPUB.