Creed, Conquests, and Culture: A Historical Perspective on the Development of Islam

In the fog of this time of Islamic conquest, is it possible to peer through and reconstruct the actual origins of Islam? After the death of Muhammud, the Islamic people were left with the question of leadership: who was to the fill the vacuum left by the Prophet? The following caliphs led a nearly a century of successful conquests, creating a vast Islamic Empire which aided in the development of Islamic rule and teaching.