After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam

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, a rift that dominates the news now more than ever.
 
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 passionate faith. Soon Islam was embroiled in civil war, pitting its founder's controversial wife Aisha against his son-in-law Ali, and shattering Muhammad’s ideal of unity.
   
Combining meticulous research with compelling storytelling, After the Prophet explores the volatile intersection of religion and politics, psychology and culture, and history and current events. It is an indispensable guide to the depth and power of the Shia–Sunni split.

• The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad
• No god but God (Updated Edition): The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
• Patterns of World History: Volume One: To 1600 with Sources
• Patterns of World History: Volume One: To 1600 2nd edition
• Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
• The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France
• Patterns of World History: Brief Third Edition, Volume One to 1600
• Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes
• Rabbi Akiva: Sage of the Talmud (Jewish Lives)
• Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Makers of the Muslim World)