The Islamic State is one of the most "successful" and brutal jihadist organizations in modern history, surpassing even Al-Qaeda. Thousands of its members, advancing in Syria and Iraq, subjugated millions of citizens, raped women, beheaded captives, and no one dared to stop them. Thousands more spread the veil of terror beyond the borders of the Middle East under the black flag of the Islamic State.

How did the Islamic State manage to attract so many members and conquer so much territory? It was more ruthless, more religiously fanatical, and more dedicated to the creation of a state than its competitors! The cunning leaders of the Islamic State combined two of the most powerful and simultaneously contradictory ideas of Islam - the revival of the Islamic Empire and the Day of Judgment - creating a mission and a message that shaped their strategy and intensified the fanaticism of their fighters. They defied the "conventional" way in which a war is conducted. Even if the Islamic State is defeated, jihadist terrorism will never be the same again.

Based almost entirely on primary Arabic sources, including ancient religious texts and secret correspondence of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State that very few people have seen, this book explores how religious fanaticism, strategic planning, and prophecies about the End of the World shaped the past of the Islamic State and foreshadow its dark future.