After the Prophet
Ratings6
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings6
Average rating4.2
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
The book gives me a different perspective on the story that I have known well all over my life. I like her comments on some of the events and narratives.
I need to say that the book still contained some mistakes. For example, she insists that Fatima was Muhammad's firstborn daughter, traditionally Fatima is his youngest; his eldest daughter was called Zeinab.
I loved this book, it was the very best kind of non-fiction: engaging, entertaining, informative.
Things that made the book great:
1. The story itself is damn fascinating.
2. The writing was wonderful, it truly felt like a story rather than a historical account.
3. There was a good amount of tie-in with modern times, explaining how specific events or teachings or symbols turn into what we know today (I especially liked learning about how Muslim women came to wear the veil, which was a situation that every high schooler understands).
This book is especially useful for Americans because none of this is covered in our public schools' history classes, unlike the Catholic/Protestant split, which is covered extensively.
This book was fascinating. What's more? It was not nearly as dry as I thought it would be.
Hazleton delivers the information with a narrative arc while chronicling the events that lead to the split between Sunni and Shia Islam.
I fully appreciated the light biographical references to the prophet Muhammad, substituted instead for a more robust illustration of Aisha and Ali. The author's description of her as a coquettish, capricious and impetuous teenager is brilliant. If the research is pure, the descriptions are altogether plausible. This added a level of detail and interest I did not foresee.
Many people I have questioned about this topic often simplify the circumstances and the history. I now know why they do that. This is a complicated story and it is not easy to simplify once you begin to understand the history. I won't spoil it for you, as Hazleton's description is too well done.
