Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★★ (4.7/5)
Genre: Islamic History / Religion / Middle Eastern History / Sunni-Shia Schism

Book Review:
''An absorbing narrative, full of action and intrigue... Rogerson writes with the skill of a historian and the flair of a novelist'' – The Guardian. Within a generation of Prophet Muhammad's death, his followers exploded out of Arabia to confront the superpowers of the seventh century and establish Islam. But within this fifty-year span of conquest, Barnaby Rogerson identifies the seeds of discord that destroyed the unity of Islam. He traces the roots of the Sunni-Shia schism to the rivalry between the two individuals who best knew and loved the Prophet: his cousin and son-in-law Ali, and his wife Aisha. This book is both a swaggering saga of ambition, nobility, and blood rivalry, and a key to understanding the complexities of our modern world. A masterful conclusion to Rogerson's account of early Islamic history.