This is the fifth volume in the series of Papers on Islamic History, prepared in connection with colloquia sponsored jointly by the Near Eastern History Group at Oxford and the Middle East Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The first four volumes dealt respectively with "The Islamic City, Islam and the Trade of Asia, Islamic Civilization 9501150, "and "Studies in Eighteenth Century Islamic History. "The fifth colloquium, which produced "Studies on the First Century of Islamic Society, "was held in Oxford in 1975.Essays in this volume include an Introduction by the editor, G. H. A. Juynboll; Syriac Views of Emergent Islam by S. P. Brock; The Origins of the Muslim Sanctuary at Mecca by G. R. Hawting; The Arab Conquests and the Formation of Islamic Society by I. M. Lapidus; and The Conquerors and the Conquered: Iran by M. G. Moronv.Other essays include On Concessions and Conduct: A Study in Early Hadith by M. J. Kister; Early Development of Kalam by J. van Ess; The Early Development of the Ibadi Movement in Basra by J. C. Wilkinson; Some Imami Interpretations of Umayyad History by E. Kohlberg; On the Origins of Arabic Prose: Reflections of Authenticity by G. H. A. Juynboll; and Some Considerations Concerning the Pre-Islamic and the Islamic Foundations of the Authority of the Caliphate by H. M. T. Nagel."