When the Prophet Muhammad first preached the Islamic faith in the seventh century AD, he dounded one of the world's most influential religions. This book charts the rise of Islam, from the small band of followers who accompanied Muhammad to Medina in AD 622, to the calliphs, sultans and merchants who, through trade and conquest, carried the teachings of the Prophet half way across the globe - to Persia, North Africa, Spain, the Balkans and South Asia. The author also looks at the contact between the Muslims and Christians - both Byzantines and Crusaders - and examines some of the many cultural and scientific achievements of the great Islamic civilisations.