Lost Islamic History

Abstract

The aim of this book is to provide a short overview of the history of Muslim civilization, from the inception of Islam in the early seventh century to the modern day. To fully and accurately cover the depth and breadth of Muslim history is of course a monumental undertaking, one that perhaps no single volume could ever adequately contain. My goal with this attempt is thus simply to introduce the reader to the general narrative of Islamic history. It is not meant for the specialist or the serious student of Islamic history, but rather for the general reader who hopes to become somewhat more familiar with the subject. I therefore hope that for many, this text will be a jumping off point, from which a more thorough study of Muslim history and civilization will spring. Considering that this is an introductory text, it contains little in the way of original research. The vast majority of it is based on the research of others, whose works are listed in the bibliography and can serve as a valuable starting point for a deeper study of the subject. I began the Lost Islamic History project in the early 2010s, after I began teaching Islamic history to high school students. Due to the structure of the American educational system (which is woefully light on the humanities in general), most of my students had only the most basic understandings of Muslim civilization. Their textbooks placed much emphasis on the ancient Greeks