Overview: Between the fall of Rome and the European voyages of discovery, no event was more significant than the rise of Islam. Within the span of a few centuries, the Islamic empires blossomed, projecting their power from Africa to the East Indies, and from Spain to India. Inspired by the words of a prophet, and led by Caliphs and Sultans, this political and religious expansion has not been equaled in speed, geographic size, and endurance before or since.