A largely unexplored question, that of the early history of Christianity in Arabia, was brought to the public eye with this work. Written in Arabic, Cheikho considers the role of Christianity in relation to the development of Islam, sometimes producing controversial results. In addition to addressing the early history of Christianity in the birthplace of Islam, Cheikho also delves into one of his persistent interests, Christian literature in Arabic. His works on the topic were groundbreaking, and Cheikho has been cited in all subsequent research into the issue. Those interested in how Christianity and Islam relate to each other cannot afford to overlook this early history of that relationship.

Louis Cheikho (1859-1927) was a Jesuit priest in Lebanon and was one-time director of the Bibliothèque Oriental in Beirut. Fr. Cheikho collected poetry during the course of his travels to acquire manuscripts throughout Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey.