In the Shadow of the Sword

History, unlike faith, cannot be built upon foundations of sand.

This was an excellent, amazingly researched, well written book. But it wasn’t the book that I wanted it to be.

Holland devotes the great majority of the text towards several hundred years of history prior to the emergence of Islam. Setting the stage for its arrival in Arabia, he delicately spins threads of narrative that are only at the end drawn together into a tapestry of how the official, state sanctioned Islamic religion likely emerged. The story is engaging and at times, very funny – Holland is not above slipping in sly jests at his subjects.

I was hoping, however, for a more academic and detailed in its treatment of the topic. Holland teases many points that I would have liked to seen drawn out (the parallels between Zoroastrian and Islamic teachings on the merits of toothbrushing, for example). Thankfully, the book has an abundance of footnotes and citations, so I have plenty of directions to head.

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