After the Prophet

In this gripping narrative history, Lesley Hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. “Fascinating. . . . Lively and engaging. . . . Anyone seeking to understand today’s Middle East can learn from this book."— Seattle Times Even as Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would take control of the new Islamic nation had begun, beginning a succession crisis marked by power grabs, assassination, political intrigue, and passionat