After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam (Hardcover)
- Category: Current Issues / Politics
- Publisher: Doubleday Books (Sep 15, 2009)
Our Shelf Talker
After the Prophet is a history of how and why there is this rift in Islam between the Sunni and Shia. Starting with the death of Muhammad in the seventh century, this divide remains and defines the resentment and hatreds that continue to today with no sign of stopping. My thanks to Lesley Hazleton for writing clearly for the layman, and making a difficult, complex subject comprehensible.- Nancy
Description
Much American foreign policy has been shaped by the centuries-old disagreement between Islam's two main factions, and yet Americans in general, and our politicians in particular, often can't tell Sunnis from Shi'ites. With the publication of this outstanding book, we no longer have any excuse.
Hazleton ties today's events to their ancient roots, resurrecting seventh century Arabia with reverence and vivid immediacy. Here are rich recreations of the lives of the Prophet Muhammad and his beloved wife Aisha; here are often overlooked details (why is green the color of Islam? why do some Muslim women veil?) filling in the contours of the narrative. The battle to name Muhammad's successor is gripping—but it is Hazleton's ability to link the past and present that distinguishes this book.
Hazleton ties today's events to their ancient roots, resurrecting seventh century Arabia with reverence and vivid immediacy. Here are rich recreations of the lives of the Prophet Muhammad and his beloved wife Aisha; here are often overlooked details (why is green the color of Islam? why do some Muslim women veil?) filling in the contours of the narrative. The battle to name Muhammad's successor is gripping—but it is Hazleton's ability to link the past and present that distinguishes this book.