In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire

I

INTRODUCTION

I shall include in my narrative only those things by which first we ourselves, then later generations, may benefit.

Eusebius,

The History of the Church

The degree of authority one can give to the evangelists about the life of Christ is relatively small. Whereas for the life of Muhammad, we know everything more or less. We know where he lived, what his economic situation was, who he fell in love with. We know a great deal about the political circumstances and the socio-economic circumstances of the time.

Salman Rushdie