Across the barriers of climate and culture in Asia and Africa, Islam has won converts and has been adopted by entire ethnic groups. From its dramatic emergence in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century to its spread across Africa in modern times, Islam has had a major impact on all forms of life. The essays in the volume span 13 centuries of Islam history. The important distinctions between conversion through military conquest and that through social and political action are discussed together with Islam's role its encounter with other religions.