Download or read book The Arabs and Arabia on the Eve of Islam written by F.E. Peters and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-29 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the background to the rise of Islam. The opening essays consider the broad context of nomad-sedentary relations in the Near East; thereafter the focus is on the Arabian peninsula and the history of the Arab peoples. The following papers set out the political and economic structures of the pre-Islamic period, and are concerned to trace the evolution of religious beliefs in the area, looking in particular at the role of local traditions and the impact of Jewish and Christian influences.