In an excerpt from his new history of Islam, In the Shadow of the Sword, Tom Holland explains why he has written a revised history about the origins of the Quran, the home of Muhammad, and its connection to the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Historian Tom Holland is the author of Rubicon, Persian Fire, and The Forge of Christendom. He reviews regularly for the TLS, and has adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, and Virgil for BBC Radio.