The Heirs of Muhammad: Islam's First Century and the Origins of the Sunni-Shia Split

A fantastic and fair read with very few mistakes. The origins of Ashura on page 342 are completely wrong.

This is an extremely well-written book that details the history of Islam during the 30 or so years after the death of the Prophet. Not knowing much about this religion, and particularly the reason for the animosity betwen Shia and Sunni, I was compelled to read and learn. I must admit that the author handles all of the history and the main characters quite well, and never denigrates their view of the faith. Having read this book, I'm really at a loss as to why there is this split in Islam, for the differences between the two sides appears to be extremely minor. Of course, Chirstianity has split over many more trivial items of doctrine, the most conspicuous of which is the use or non-use of "filioque" in the Creed. To learn about one of the world's great religions, and its early leaders, this book is an essentail read.

THE HEIRS Of MUHAMMAD by British journalist and travelogue author Barnaby Rogerson is both a thoroughly researched and quite enjoyable recounting of nascent Islam's first century and the origins of its split into Sunni and Shi'a factions. Rogerson has gone to great lengths with this book to show that Islam, like all mass movements, was troubled by factionalism and in-fighting even before the death of the Muhammad. In Part 1 he details the rivalries amongst the Prophet's wives (called here by their respectful title, "the Mothers of the Faithful"), the roots of Aisha's lifelong hatred for Ali, and the rise in importance of such former adversaries of the Islamic faith as the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh and various other families, clans and tribes, who were now jockeying for leadership in the growing Muslim state. Part 2 opens with the death of Muhammad and the institution of the politico-religious office of leadership known as the Caliphate. Abu Bakr is chosen over Ali as Muhammad's successor - and thus the origin of the Sunni/Shi'a split. Rogerson also recounts another event little known to most non-Muslims: the Ridda Wars. Also called the War Against Apostasy, these were a series of battles fought to bring rebellious Bedouin and settled Arab tribes back under Islamic rule. It is here that the author shows the complex political and religious makeup which existed in the Arabian peninsula: Arab clients of the Roman emperor in Constantinople, Arabian tribes under Persian cultural and political influence, or tribes and clans who desired not only to revert back towards indigenous pagan cults but also to the Christianity that they had only recently adopted before adopting Islam itself. Most noteworthy also is Rogerson's history of the wars which would ultimately lead to the Arab conquest of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The Arab victories over the Roman Empire and its eventual conquest of Sassanid Persia -at the battles of the Yarmuk (636) and al-Qadisiya (637) respectively- altered forever the racial, religious, and political developments of not only the Middle East, but of Christendom (and thus Western civilization) as well. Suprisingly, however, very little has been written on these two supremely major events for the average reader of history. So, for his detailed account of these battles alone, Rogerson's HEIRS Of MUHAMMAD, is an exceptional and worthwile read. With the long-awaited election of Ali as caliph, Rogerson illustrates the new religion's rising tensions in philosophies and practices. Would Islam -born out of strife- remain a religion of conquest? Or would it nuture and encourage its more spiritual and universal aspects, best exemplified in the personalities of Ali and his sons Hasan and Hussein. The political rise of the Machiavellian Mauwiya upon the death of Ali and his Umayyad Dynasty's subsequent persecution and many attempts at the annihilation of the Prophet's very bloodline should help to answer these questions.

We don't have many books relating to this era which are not only completely unbiased but also encompasses all the major personalities of earlier Islam in a narrative which holds the concentration of the reader through every page. This book accomplishes all of it. It expertly shows how Abubakr firmly established the writ of the Caliphate over Arabia, and held the budding nation together. Omar in addition to bringing down the main world powers of that era, also established a system of justice rarely seen ever since. Uthman despite all the accusations thrown on him, did not flinch from his principles till the very end, sacrificing his life rather than shedding anyone's blood. Ali was the true model of piety. Another great aspect of this book is showing the gradual disintegration of Muslims-not only politically but ethically as well, illustrated by the events of Prophet's own grandson losing his life to people belonging to his own faith, and the attack on the holiest of sites in Islam-the Kaaba-by a group of Muslims themselves.

Anyone who thinks that the early days of the Moslem caliphate were ideal has very little notion of the web of intrigues that involved the companions of Muhammad after his death. This remarkable book charts the story of the first four caliphs and how Islam was able to spread as rapidly as it did. First Arabia, then Egypt, the Magreb, Syria, and what is now Iraq and the states of the Persian Gulf, all within the span of a generation. Military capability of the early companions of Muhammed provides one explanation. The culture of Arabian tribesman provided a perfect training ground for warfare. There were also some marvelously capable individuals who were selected early on for prominent roles in the new religion. However, this was not a ministry of all talents, rather what Barnaby Rogerson shows us is that there were as many takes on Islam as there were inital followers. This book provides the novice reader with a number of portraits of the early leaders of the heroic age of Islam. Not only are the first four caliphs represented. These are Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali. Each had particular administrative strengths and weaknesses. Uthman, for example lacked military experience, but proved an able administrator and was responsible for assembling a written version of the Koran from the oral tradition. However, while the caliphs provide the structure of the book there are other fascinating individuals represented in the book, such as Ayisha, the favorite wife of Muhammed. The book's subtext is the origins of the Sunni Shi'ite split and this Rogerson expertly charts. He shows that this split was driven as much by the early successes of Islam as anything else. The necessity of administering large tracts of land and fighting the two leading powers of the time, Byzantium and Persia ran counter to ascetic traditions of early Islam, hence the split driven by the ambitions of the Umayyads and the higher demands of caliphs like Umar and Ali. This is an excellent book for anyone seeking to undestand the competing urgencies of the early days of Islam.