[Based on Reading: Adam Silverstein, “The Story” from Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction (2014), pp.9-19 & “The Sources,” pp.80-93.]

For next class...

(1) Prepare a list of the three main explanations for the rapid expansion of Islam (he used the term 'the conquest of the Near East') for contemporaries and the three main explanations for it among historians. You will need to bring this in hard copy to class to use in an exercise and turn in for an engagement grade.

(2) On this forum, post a response (less than 250 words) by the start of next class to the following question based on Silverstein's discussion of "The Sources:"

What are the earliest sources for the history of Islam and what are the 'problems' with them from the perspective of historians?