Books › After the Prophet
After the Prophet
The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam
First published 2009 · 256 pages
A gripping, tragic narrative history that breathes vivid life into the ancient succession crisis that still shapes the modern world.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like watching a slow-motion tragedy unfold on an epic scale. The narrative moves with a propulsive, gripping energy, transforming complex seventh-century political and religious schisms into a deeply human drama of rivalry, succession, and agonizing loss. The prose is vivid and accessible, pulling the reader into a tense, volatile atmosphere where the weight of history feels immediate and alive. It is an emotionally resonant journey that bridges the gap between ancient battlefields and modern headlines. History buffs and readers seeking to understand the deep-rooted emotional and political currents of the Middle East will devour this compelling, sorrowful, and profoundly insightful exploration of a fractured legacy.
- Mood
- tense
- epic
- sorrowful
- volatile
- Tone
- dramatic
- insightful
- tragic
- gripping
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- religious schism · political rivalry · historical trauma · legacy and succession · the weight of the past
- The writing
- Vivid and gripping, weaving complex historical and religious events into a highly readable, compelling narrative.
- The arc
- Moves from the tense uncertainty of a succession crisis to the agonizing sorrow of a historical tragedy, culminating in a profound understanding of modern geopolitical echoes.
- Who it's for
- Readers seeking an emotionally resonant, narrative-driven history that illuminates the deep roots of modern Middle Eastern conflicts.
Content notes
- warfare
- massacre
- death of a leader
- religious conflict
About the book
Narrative history at its most compelling, After the Prophet relates the dramatic tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between Shia and Sunni Islam.Even as Muhammad lay dying, the battle over his successor had begun. Pitting the family of his favorite wife, the controversial Aisha, against supporters of his son-in-law, the philosopher-warrior Ali, the struggle would reach its breaking point fifty years later in Iraq, when soldiers of the first Sunni dynasty massacred seventy-two warriors led by Muhammad's grandson Hussein at Karbala. Hussein's agonizing ordeal at Karbala was soon to become the Passion story at the core of Shia Islam.Hazleton's vivid, gripping prose provides extraordinary insight into the origins of the world's most volatile blend of politics and religion. Balancing past and present, she shows how these seventh-century events are as 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. After the Prophet is narrative nonfiction at its finest, and an emotional and political revelation for Western readers.From the Hardcover edition.
Description from Open Library.
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