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6th out of 111 books
—
31 voters
After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam
by
Lesley Hazleton (Goodreads Author)
Narrative history at its most compelling, After the Prophet allows readers to grasp the power and depth of the Shia-Sunni split as never before.
Even as Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would succeed him as the ruler of the Muslim people had begun. And as Lesley Hazleton shows in her gripping history After the Prophet, the battle has never ended. This is the foundati...more
Even as Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would succeed him as the ruler of the Muslim people had begun. And as Lesley Hazleton shows in her gripping history After the Prophet, the battle has never ended. This is the foundati...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
September 15th 2009
by Doubleday
(first published September 4th 2009)
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While Hazleton's effort in making the complicated history of Islam more accessible to the non-muslin reader is commendable, as a Muslim the simplification is too much to accept. This is especially because while the author makes an effort to emote the emotions in her written intentions, the soul behind the history and what it means to a typical Shia/Sunni is lost.
Critically considering the information, while at-tabari seems to be heavily referenced, several Shia accounts ( from Nahjul Balagha- a...more
Critically considering the information, while at-tabari seems to be heavily referenced, several Shia accounts ( from Nahjul Balagha- a...more
Lesley Hazleton takes up the ambitious task of trying to explain without bias the 'Shia-Sunni Split' in a historical context and that too in under 300 pages.
It is quite safe to say she has done quite well.
With a theme as sensitive as this, she takes care to present both (and often all) sides of the story while mostly managing to make no assertions about the actual facts, leaving such judgments to the reader.
She takes the reader right into these historical stories and breathes life into the elus...more
It is quite safe to say she has done quite well.
With a theme as sensitive as this, she takes care to present both (and often all) sides of the story while mostly managing to make no assertions about the actual facts, leaving such judgments to the reader.
She takes the reader right into these historical stories and breathes life into the elus...more
Timely book to be reading in the midst of escalating sectarian violence in my home country. O, who lent this to me, described it very well as "the history of the Shia-Sunni conflict written in the style of Game of Thrones". The cut-throat political intrigue, the controversy over and multiple contenders for succession to the "throne", the graphic medieval violence, the mystical elements, the vivid and compelling characters (including a fiery, ambitious "Mother" figure) -- all worthy of G.R.R. Mar...more
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"In The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran", Hooman Majd describes the Rosah which are annually performed by Iran's Shi'a to commemorate the Battle of Karbala. These are retellings or recreations of events that continue to inspire many. People cry and shiver in sadness at these performances year after year as they remember and relive the suffering of the Prophet's grandson and his supporters. If you don't know the background of the Sunni-Shi'a split, it seems to be a strange cu...more
A gripping and well-written account, but rather markedly biased in favor of Shia ideology. I was surprised, for example, that while Hazleton provided several possible explanations for why Ali (R) was called Abu Turab, all of them were dramatic and spoke of loss and sorrow, and she didn't bother to include the account believed by most Sunni Muslims, which is found in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The account holds that once, Ali (R) and Fatima (R) had a fight and he was so angry that he left hi...more
11 likes · like · see review
A book which, if you are a sunni, pushes you to read early Islamic history more objectively and question the political intrigues and conspiracies of that period. However, the narrative is heavily biased towards shias and there is a lot of pick and choose material by the Jewish political writer, Lesley Hazleton to support, manipulate or simply make the historical book more readable.
Lesley Hazleton, presents three major split points between shia and sunnis. The first was the rivalry between Hazrat...more
Lesley Hazleton, presents three major split points between shia and sunnis. The first was the rivalry between Hazrat...more
5 likes · like · see review
I always feel uncertain when reading history books specially Islamic history where there are so many contrasting versions of the events that defined pretty much who we are today. Lesley has taken a very sensitive topic, has considered both sides of the story to narrate and connected it very shrewdly to the modern day. It was a really interesting read for me personally because this was coming from a outsider looking into some of the darkest times of our history which we are not very comfortable t...more
8 likes · like · see review
To me, the Islamic World has always been like one of those tedious wooden puzzles that taken apart, can rarely be put back together. I stare at them and turn the pieces about until beads of blood pop out on my forehead and I still can't solve them. If the current divisions and rivalries in the Middle East leave you befuddled, you may gain some clarity from Lesley Hazleton's newest book, After the Prophet. Writing in a fluid and assessable fashion, she gives us the tale of Muhammad's death and hi...more
3 likes · like · see review
This being the first book I've read on the history of Islam, I can't really comment on the accuracy of Lesley Hazleton's work. It is, however, a very engaging work, which cuts out much of the potential confusion of having many characters with similar names and gets to the point.
The split between the Sunni (literally, those who follow the 'sunna', or reports of how the Prophet Muhammad lived his life) and Shia (literally, 'Shiat Ali', or followers of Ali, Muhammad's adopted son) is one which, as...more
The split between the Sunni (literally, those who follow the 'sunna', or reports of how the Prophet Muhammad lived his life) and Shia (literally, 'Shiat Ali', or followers of Ali, Muhammad's adopted son) is one which, as...more
Lesley Hazleton definitely made a very complicated part of history easily readable in this book and she deserves all the credit for that. I could not put it down!
However it did come across as biased to me. Not having read Al-Tabari personally I can't say too much since she herself says, " His work is so inclusive as to make extremist Sunnis suspicious that he may have had 'Shia sympathies'."
The theme seemed to be 'Aisha versus Ali' throughout the narrative and I am taught to revere both. Howeve...more
However it did come across as biased to me. Not having read Al-Tabari personally I can't say too much since she herself says, " His work is so inclusive as to make extremist Sunnis suspicious that he may have had 'Shia sympathies'."
The theme seemed to be 'Aisha versus Ali' throughout the narrative and I am taught to revere both. Howeve...more
I was always intrigued about what caused this major split between the Shia and the Sunnis. Since adulthood I have never classified myself as either a Sunni or a Shia. When asked my reply has always been the same: "I am a Muslim and a follower of Prophet Muhammad". I don't like the idea of being associated with a specific sect.
And growing up like many Muslims around the world, my knowledge was based on what I had heard (not read). Growing up I knew that Sunnis hate Shias and vice versa. Why I nev...more
And growing up like many Muslims around the world, my knowledge was based on what I had heard (not read). Growing up I knew that Sunnis hate Shias and vice versa. Why I nev...more
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This is an interesting book, which is why I want to write my review from two angles: the content, and the writing. First, the content. "After the Prophet" is intended to give Western readers the bare basics of early Islamic history, specifically the events surrounding the Prophet's death and succession. Hazleton repeatedly brings us back to the present civil strife in Iraq, no doubt to ground her readers in the idea that today's violence is a direct continuation of early Islamic unrest. She also...more
A well-told rendering of a history I should have learned in my youth. Better late than never, as the roots of the Shia-Sunni split are highly relevant to current events, and will doubtless remain so well beyond my own lifetime. Lesley Hazleton is well known for breathing life into stories for which historical details are somewhat sparse, humanizing figures of religious history while trying very hard not to deviate from the skeletal structures of widely accepted facts. I have no scholarly basis i...more
Fascinating tale of the origins of Islam, and the development of the shi'a sect. The narrative style is a bit off-putting, as the author adopts a story-telling mode akin to that of a fireside tale.
When we read a history, we expect more footnotes and a more orthodox style.
However, this narrative style is perhaps more culturally appropriate, telling us the tale in a way similar to the way the people themselves would tell it.
Spoiler alert: her sympathies appear to lie with the underdog Shi'a. She...more
When we read a history, we expect more footnotes and a more orthodox style.
However, this narrative style is perhaps more culturally appropriate, telling us the tale in a way similar to the way the people themselves would tell it.
Spoiler alert: her sympathies appear to lie with the underdog Shi'a. She...more
It took me a while to accept Hazleton's book for what it is--a complicated history in easily accessible form. Keeping that in mind, Hazleton writes a great book, especially for the less-informed Western audience (among whom I count myself). However, I can't help but be a little disappointed with Hazleton's sourcing methodology, or rather lack thereof. As a history buff, I expect dedicated foot-noting and direct attribution of source material. Although Hazleton gives a delightful bibliography at...more
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Finally, a book which explains all the conflict between Sunni and Shias in great detail. I really enjoyed Lesly's style and prose as she explained the great story as told by Muslims resources in a wonderful lucid way. For me the most interesting character was Mauwiya and the legacy he has managed to leave for the rest of the Ummah. I particularly enjoyed the way Lesley was able to draw comparisons history with current events. I would recommend this book to all Muslims whether Sunni or Shia as it...more
1 like · like · see review
I was generally impressed. The book is very engaging and the information is generally quite clearly presented. It sort of shades at some moments into a kind of speculative historical fiction mode, especially when conjecturing about the motivations or thoughts of some of the main characters. And it is hard to assess at a few moments whether the author is extrapolating or has some evidence. But often such extrapolations are clearly indicated and mostly quite plausible. If this were intended to be...more
A competent basic introduction, in the form of a narrative telling of what happened in the years, mostly post-Uthman pre-Umayyad happenings that sealed the Shiite's cause, but not enough to chronicle the developments after Karbala that led to the Shia branching off definitively into a parallel religion of sorts. Since the author was grounded in journalism (thereby the anecdotal approach is better suited for current affairs reporting), rather than a religious historian, the book seem somewhat ......more
as a muslim who defies the cult of innocence of sahaba or imams, it is really hard for me to find a realistic source that focuses on the four khalifhas era or the controversial phonemenons in the rasulullah's life specifically. the early islamic records generally does not include kind of classification and, as the time passes, you can easily notice that the muslim historians flounder in sectarian pre-admissions and prefer name-clearing interpretations in order to eliminate the dissident sects in...more
I'm ashamed to admit that, though I maintain a passive interest in international affairs and the world's major faiths, I never really understood the nature of the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
Hazleton's work is exceptional in the way that she broaches what seems to be an enormously complex topic and relates it in a way that reads almost like a traditional narrative.
I found myself actually taking sides as the book progressed... identifying with the piety and righteousness of Ali and the S...more
Hazleton's work is exceptional in the way that she broaches what seems to be an enormously complex topic and relates it in a way that reads almost like a traditional narrative.
I found myself actually taking sides as the book progressed... identifying with the piety and righteousness of Ali and the S...more
This is really worth a read for anyone starting out in the complex task of understanding the Shia Sunni split. It will help you as long as you, and from you I'm assuming muslim from either sect, especially sunni, try to take it with a pinch of salt. Meaning, take your biases and existing beliefs and store them away somewhere sound proof while you read Hazelton's straight off the bat, chronological account of how it all happened.
However, I found, at times, the liberty the author takes in analyzin...more
However, I found, at times, the liberty the author takes in analyzin...more
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Those trying to understand the Shia - Sunni divide specifically, and desiring to learn about Islam generally, should read this book. Ms. Hazelton's writing style in After the Prophet is clear and entertaining, much like a fast-paced novel that captures one's attention. She explains the roots of the Shia - Sunni split well, and obviously engaged in extensive research and preparation for this book. Read After the Prophet in concert with Vali Nasr's excellent The Shia Revival to gain good fundament...more
I read this book in November but haven't gotten around to reviewing it until now. This book explains the "Why" behind the Sunni-Shia split and gets to the core of the matter (starting from the death of the Prophet Muhammad) in an accessible yet informative way. If you're a scholar on Islamic history, you probably already know "Why" but if you aren't then this is book is an excellent place to start. I really appreciate Hazleton's ability to see things in the context of their times, too many popul...more
A really compelling and personable account of the actions and decisions that lead to the split between Shi'ia and Sunni Muslims and some of the implications it has today. Very valuable reading.
Interesting history of the Shia & Sunni split. What a history! The author did an excellent job explaining islam not Western terms and how the split between the factions are still felt tody.
I was surprised by the quotes from survivors of battles from the seventh century. Apparently, though, the historians in that region at that time took oral histories verbatim. The stories were told from both the Shia & Sunni point of view to get a balanced understanding of what actually occurred.
The aut...more
I was surprised by the quotes from survivors of battles from the seventh century. Apparently, though, the historians in that region at that time took oral histories verbatim. The stories were told from both the Shia & Sunni point of view to get a balanced understanding of what actually occurred.
The aut...more
I found this book fascinating. It was written for those with little to no basic understanding of the early history of Islam and how the Sunni-Shia split came to be. Starting with the latter years of Muhammad's life, the author brings the political, religious and family intrigue from over 1,000 years ago to life and makes it pretty apparent that people behave today much the same way as they did then. I helped me understand that it is fruitless for the US or any other Western country to think it c...more
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
Regular readers will know that I'm already a big fan of religion journalist Lesley Hazleton, and especially after reading her bewitching Jezebel last year, in which through historical texts and contemporary journeys through the Holy Land she argued that who we've traditionally thought of as the "Whor...more
Regular readers will know that I'm already a big fan of religion journalist Lesley Hazleton, and especially after reading her bewitching Jezebel last year, in which through historical texts and contemporary journeys through the Holy Land she argued that who we've traditionally thought of as the "Whor...more
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After the Prophet is a well crafted book detailing the aftermath of Prophet Muhammed's death and the ensuing power struggle between Sunnis and Shias. In it's brilliant narrative, are the stories told of the revered Hazrat Ali and his two sons Hassan and Hussein.There are many other important heroes and villians who find their places in the book.It is comprehensive and clears a lot many doubts I had clouding this epoch.The only issue would be the author appears to be a little bias and has predile...more
1 like · like · see review
You must read this book. If I could give it six stars, I would. I learned more about the origins of Islam and the roots of the fighting in the Middle East in the first 20 pages than I'd been taught in years and years of history classes.
Written in an engaging, vibrant style that compels page-turning, this book describes the people and actions involved in the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims that resonates even today.
The book is deeply respectful of both Shia and Sunni, and of Islam in general...more
Written in an engaging, vibrant style that compels page-turning, this book describes the people and actions involved in the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims that resonates even today.
The book is deeply respectful of both Shia and Sunni, and of Islam in general...more
"The Karbala story has endured and strengthened not least because it reaches deep into questions of morality--of idealism versus pragmatism, purity versus compromise. Its DNA is the very stuff that tests both politics and faith and animates the vast and often terrifying arena in which the two intersect." In little more than 200 pages, Hazleton elucidates the events--equal parts personal, spiritual, and political--that took place among the people closest to Mohammed in the 50 years following his...more
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1. My new book 'Jezebel: the untold story of the bible's harlot queen' is just out (Doubleday). Yes, she was framed. No, she was no harlot. Yes, she was magnificent.
2. Won't bore you with the whole bio -- it's in the 'About the Author' page on www.jezebelbook.com. For now: British-born, lived for a long time in the Middle East, now live in the very Pacific Northwest.
3. Favorite drink is grappa.
...more
More about Lesley Hazleton...
2. Won't bore you with the whole bio -- it's in the 'About the Author' page on www.jezebelbook.com. For now: British-born, lived for a long time in the Middle East, now live in the very Pacific Northwest.
3. Favorite drink is grappa.
...more
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