-Add this book to the list of good introductions to the origins of Islam for upper-level high school social science or first-year college humanities courses. What sets this text apart from many others is its focus on the socioeconomic, political, and cultural milieu in which a new religious movement was born and has thrived; its discussion of the origins of Islamic law, spirituality and theology, mysticism, philosophy, and culture; and an appendix of individual page-length biographies of important figures. Also included is a helpful glossary ofterms, a photo essay, selections from primary sources, and an annotated bibliography....Matthew S. Gordon's discussion of the sociocultural origins and authority of the Qur'an is very good. He also highlights an area of Islamic studies often ignored in general introduction, the role of urbanization in the development of Islamic civilization worldwide....[thhis is a very useful and informative general introduction. —The Historian

-The Rise of Islam is a concise, edifying and entertaining monograph....[I] would recommend The Rise of Islam to both those who have a casual interest in the development of Islam and also to students, who have begun studying Islamic history and want to read a work that presents the history in a flowing, colourful fashion. —Studies in Religion

-This introductory and brief survey of the first few centuries of the Islamic era covers the spread of Muslim rule from Arabia to North Africa and Europe as well as its Eastern march towards Persia and Central Asia. The author has attempted to chronicle the religious and social life of the world's most vital and sustained culture. —The Muslim World Book Review