The Rough Guide History of Islam Paperback

‘Islam’ is an Arabic word meaning ‘submission’ in English, which describes a religious and sociopolitical system founded by the ‘Prophet’ Muhammad in Arabia at the beginning of the 7th century. Following Muhammad’s death in 632, Islam spread into the Middle East, and then further afield: into central, southern and eastern Asia; into Africa; and into southeastern Europe. Today, Islam has approximately one billion followers – one sixth of the world’s population.