After the Prophet

Who should lead the Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammad's death is the question that opens Lesley Hazleton's history. Working from the early Arabic chronicles, Hazleton narrates the succession dispute and the events that followed, centring figures including Ali, Fatima, Aisha, Hasan and Husayn. The book is written as narrative history for general readers rather than as theology, and it traces how a disagreement over leadership hardened into the Sunni and Shia traditions. Hazleton is a journalist and psychologist by training, and the account stays close to reported episodes while explaining why they still carry weight for anyone following the politics of the region. Vintage Books publishes this edition. Small details that matter: • The succession dispute set out as continuous narrative history • Early Arabic chronicles used as the principal source material • Figures including Ali, Fatima, Aisha, Hasan and Husayn followed closely • Background for readers working to understand the region's later politics Written for general readers, students of history and anyone seeking an accessible account of the early Islamic period, this Vintage Books edition is available from Boipoka.