After the Prophet

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.

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.

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.