Islamic scholar, William Montgomery Watt, brings together his work on early Islamic history in this collection. Divided into two sections the book begins with essays on Muhammad and the Qur'an, covering the reliability of Ibn Ishaq's sources, the dating of the Qur'an, Qur'anic interpretations and Umayyad claims on the caliphate, and some reflections on the verses of Surat al-Duha. The second section deals more particularly with early Islamic thought, including essays on the development of the Muslim attitude to the bible, the significance of the early stages of Imamite Shi'ism and a discussion on whether Wasil was a Kharijite.