recommended by the Royal Asiatic Society and adopted by Professor Browne in his _Literary History of Persia_; but I use ẓ for the letter which he denotes by _dh_. The definite article _al_, which is frequently omitted at the beginning of proper names, has been restored in the Index. It may save trouble if I mention here the abbreviations 'b.' for 'ibn' (son of); J.R.A.S. for _Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society_; Z.D.M.G. for _Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft_; and S.B.W.A. for _Sitzungsberichte der Wiener Akademie_. Finally, it behoves me to make full acknowledgment of my debt to the learned Orientalists whose works I have studied and freely 'conveyed' into these pages. References could not be given in every case, but the reader will see for himself how much is derived from Von Kremer, Goldziher, Nöldeke, and Wellhausen, to mention only a few of the leading authorities. At the same time I have constantly gone back to the native sources of information." There remains an acknowledgment of a more personal kind. Twenty-two years ago I wrote--"my warmest thanks are due to my friend and colleague, Professor A. A. Bevan, who read the proofs throughout and made a number of valuable remarks which will be found in the footnotes." Happily the present occasion permits me to renew those ties between us; and the book which he helped into the world now celebrates its majority by associating itself with his name. REYNOLD A. NICHOLSON _November 1, 1929_ Frontispiece LITIGANTS BEFORE A JUDGE (British Museum Or. 1200) Contents PAGE PREFACE ix INTRODUCTION xv CHAPTER I. SABA AND ḤIMYAR 1 II. THE HISTORY AND LEGENDS OF THE PAGAN ARABS 30 III. PRE-ISLAMIC POETRY, MANNERS, AND RELIGION 71 IV. THE PROPHET AND THE KORAN 141 V. THE ORTHODOX CALIPHATE AND THE UMAYYAD DYNASTY 181 VI. THE CALIPHS OF BAGHDÁD 254 VII. POETRY, LITERATURE, AND SCIENCE IN THE ‘ABBÁSID PERIOD 285 VIII. ORTHODOXY, FREE-THOUGHT, AND MYSTICISM 365 IX. THE ARABS IN EUROPE 405 X. FROM THE MONGOL INVASION TO THE PRESENT DAY 442 APPENDIX 471 BIBLIOGRAPHY 477 INDEX 487 Introduction [Sidenote: The Semites.]