This book is a gripping narrative history that tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam . Even as the Prophet Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would succeed him as the leader of the Muslim community had begun, setting off a succession crisis marked by power struggles, assassination, political intrigue, and passionate faith .
The story centers on the conflict between Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali, described as a philosopher-warrior, and Aisha, Muhammad's favorite and controversial wife, who would defy all expectations by leading an army against him in battle . The narrative builds to its terrible breaking point fifty years after the Prophet's death, when soldiers of the first Sunni dynasty massacred seventy-two warriors led by Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, at Karbala in Iraq . This event forged the Shia-Sunni split in blood, and Hussein's ordeal became the Passion story at the core of Shia Islam, transforming history into sacred history .
Balancing past and present, Hazleton shows how these seventh-century events remain alive in Middle Eastern hearts and minds today as though they had just happened, shaping modern headlines from Iran's Islamic Revolution to the civil war in Iraq . Combining meticulous research with compelling storytelling, After the Prophet explores the volatile intersection of religion and politics, psychology and culture, and history and current events .
Lesley Hazleton is an award-winning, British-born journalist who reported on the Middle East from Jerusalem for more than a dozen years, with her work appearing in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Harper's, and other publications .
This book is a gripping narrative history that tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam . Even as the Prophet Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would succeed him as the leader of the Muslim community had begun, setting off a succession crisis marked by power struggles, assassination, political intrigue, and passionate faith .
The story centers on the conflict between Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali, described as a philosopher-warrior, and Aisha, Muhammad's favorite and controversial wife, who would defy all expectations by leading an army against him in battle . The narrative builds to its terrible breaking point fifty years after the Prophet's death, when soldiers of the first Sunni dynasty massacred seventy-two warriors led by Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, at Karbala in Iraq . This event forged the Shia-Sunni split in blood, and Hussein's ordeal became the Passion story at the core of Shia Islam, transforming history into sacred history .
Balancing past and present, Hazleton shows how these seventh-century events remain alive in Middle Eastern hearts and minds today as though they had just happened, shaping modern headlines from Iran's Islamic Revolution to the civil war in Iraq . Combining meticulous research with compelling storytelling, After the Prophet explores the volatile intersection of religion and politics, psychology and culture, and history and current events .
Lesley Hazleton is an award-winning, British-born journalist who reported on the Middle East from Jerusalem for more than a dozen years, with her work appearing in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Harper's, and other publications .
