In this gripping narrative history, Lesley Hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam, a rift that dominates the news now more than ever.
Even as Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would take control of the new Islamic nation had begun, beginning a succession crisis marked by power grabs, assassination, political intrigue, and passionate faith. Soon Islam was embroiled in civil war, pitting its founder's controversial wife Aisha against his son-in-law Ali, and shattering Muhammad's ideal of unity. Combining...
In this gripping narrative history, Lesley Hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni and Shia branches ...
Muhammad's life was of almost unparalleled historical importance; yet for all the iconic power of his name, the dramatic story of the prophet of Islam is not well known. Lesley Hazleton brings Muhammad vibrantly to life, drawing on early eyewitness sources and on history, politics, religion, and psychology, she renders him as a man in full, in all his complexity and vitality.
Muhammad's life was of almost unparalleled historical importance; yet for all the iconic power of his name, the dramatic story of the prophet of Islam...
