Description: This second collection of articles by Patricia Crone brings together studies on the development of early Muslim society. They discuss the army with which it was originally synonymous, from shortly after the Prophet's death until the mid-Abbasid period. The focus is on the changes that the Arab tribesmen underwent thanks to settlement outside Arabia, their strained relations with converts from the conquered population, and their gradual eclipse by them.
Review Quotes: 'This volume, given the author's importance to the field of early Islamic history, is destined to be one of the most useful in the Variorum series.' Journal of Islamic Studies '[These articles] serve as a reminder, if one is needed, of the range and incisiveness of Crone's work on early Islamic history. They also sit together well, presenting a coherent set of perspectives on the problem implied in the book's title - that of the political consequences of the Arabian origins of Islam.' Journal of Semitic Studies