Why read The Succession to Muhammad?

Book cover of The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate

Book description

In a comprehensive study of early Islamic history, Wilferd Madelung examines the conflict which developed after Muhammad's death for the leadership of the Muslim community. He pursues the history of this conflict through the reign of the four 'Rightly Guided' caliphs to its climax in the first inter-Muslim war. The…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Succession to Muhammad as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Khalil F. Osman

Author

A lot has been written about the origins of the sectarian Sunni-Shi’ite divide. Most writings by Muslims are written from a polemical perspective preoccupied with defending an established sectarian position and refuting counter sectarian narratives. Western scholarly writings rarely delve into the question of the origins of this rift in sufficient detail. Wilfred Madelung’s book provides a painstakingly dispassionate and thorough narrative of the events and disputes surrounding the succession to Prophet Muhammad and the reign of the four “Rightly-Guided Caliphs” (al-Khulafa’ al-Rashidun) which mark the beginnings of the Sunni-Shi’ite rift. Madelung deploys his immensely impressive knowledge of…

From Khalil's list on The best books about sectarianism in the Middle East.