Aziz Al-Azmeh is CEU University Professor at the School of Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, Central European University, Budapest. Previous books (in English) are Ibn Khaldun: An Essay in Reinterpretation (1982); Muslim Kingship: Power and the Sacred in Christian, Muslim and Pagan Polities (2001); Islams and Modernities (3rd edition, 2009); and The Times of History: Universal Themes in Islamic Historiography (2006).

'Aziz Al-Azmeh starts his excellent new book by modestly describing it as an extended essay in historical interpretation' … but in reality this is a truly massive analysis of the origins of early Islam that will challenge many contemporary assumptions … This intriguing and engaging book is a welcome addition to academia. Intended primarily for postgraduate scholars of Islam, religion and Late Antiquity, this monograph suggests many exciting new directions for future studies and empirical research.' Abdullah Drury, Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations

• 1. Late antiquity and Islam: historiography and history; 2. Gods, divine economies, and emperors; 3. Arabia and Arab ethnogenesis in late antiquity; 4. Preface to Allah; 5. Allah; 6. Paleo-Islam, 1: charismatic polity; 7. Paleo-Islam, 2: the Paleo-Muslim canon; 8. Retrospective and prospective: Islam in late antiquity and beyond.

Aziz Al-Azmeh is CEU University Professor at the School of Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, Central European University, Budapest. Previous books (in English) are Ibn Khaldun: An Essay in Reinterpretation (1982); Muslim Kingship: Power and the Sacred in Christian, Muslim and Pagan Polities (2001); Islams and Modernities (3rd edition, 2009); and The Times of History: Universal Themes in Islamic Historiography (2006).

'Aziz Al-Azmeh starts his excellent new book by modestly describing it as an extended essay in historical interpretation' … but in reality this is a truly massive analysis of the origins of early Islam that will challenge many contemporary assumptions … This intriguing and engaging book is a welcome addition to academia. Intended primarily for postgraduate scholars of Islam, religion and Late Antiquity, this monograph suggests many exciting new directions for future studies and empirical research.' Abdullah Drury, Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations

• 1. Late antiquity and Islam: historiography and history; 2. Gods, divine economies, and emperors; 3. Arabia and Arab ethnogenesis in late antiquity; 4. Preface to Allah; 5. Allah; 6. Paleo-Islam, 1: charismatic polity; 7. Paleo-Islam, 2: the Paleo-Muslim canon; 8. Retrospective and prospective: Islam in late antiquity and beyond.

Aziz Al-Azmeh is CEU University Professor at the School of Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, Central European University, Budapest. Previous books (in English) are Ibn Khaldun: An Essay in Reinterpretation (1982); Muslim Kingship: Power and the Sacred in Christian, Muslim and Pagan Polities (2001); Islams and Modernities (3rd edition, 2009); and The Times of History: Universal Themes in Islamic Historiography (2006).

'Aziz Al-Azmeh starts his excellent new book by modestly describing it as an extended essay in historical interpretation' … but in reality this is a truly massive analysis of the origins of early Islam that will challenge many contemporary assumptions … This intriguing and engaging book is a welcome addition to academia. Intended primarily for postgraduate scholars of Islam, religion and Late Antiquity, this monograph suggests many exciting new directions for future studies and empirical research.' Abdullah Drury, Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations

• 1. Late antiquity and Islam: historiography and history; 2. Gods, divine economies, and emperors; 3. Arabia and Arab ethnogenesis in late antiquity; 4. Preface to Allah; 5. Allah; 6. Paleo-Islam, 1: charismatic polity; 7. Paleo-Islam, 2: the Paleo-Muslim canon; 8. Retrospective and prospective: Islam in late antiquity and beyond.