The Near East on the eve of Islam. The empires of the late antique Near East ; Arabia between the Great Powers ; Mecca and Yathrib (Medina)
Muhammad and the Believers' Movement. The traditional biography of Muhammad the Prophet ; The problem of sources ; The character of the early Believers' Movement
The expansion of the Community of Believers. Sources ; The Community in the last years of Muhammad's life ; Succession to Muhammad and the Ridda Wars ; The character of the Believers' early expansion ; The course and scope of the early expansion
The struggle for leadership of the Community 34-73/655-692. Background of the First Civil War ; The course of the first Civil War (35-40/656-661) ; Between civil wars (40-60/661-680) ; The Second Civil War (60-73/680-692) ; Reflections on the civil wars
The emergence of Islam. The Umayyad Restoration and return to the imperial agenda ; The redefinition of key terms ; Emphasis on Muhammad and the Qur'an ; The problem of the Trinity ; Elaboration of Islamic cultic practices ; Elaboration of the Islamic origins story ; The coalescence of an "Arab" political identity ; Official vs. popular change
Appendix A. The Umma document
Appendix B. Inscriptions in the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.
