The Succession to Muhammad
Book • 1996
Wilferd Madelung's 'The Succession to Muhammad' is a rigorous historical analysis of the immediate aftermath of the Prophet Muhammad's death and the origins of Sunni–Shia division.
Madelung closely examines early Arabic sources, hadiths, and narratives to reassess traditional accounts of the selections of Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī.
He challenges some mainstream Western and Sunni interpretations, giving significant attention to Shiʿi perspectives and political dynamics.
The book is noted for its careful source criticism and controversial conclusions about legitimacy and factionalism in the early caliphate.
It remains influential in modern scholarship on early Islamic history.
Madelung closely examines early Arabic sources, hadiths, and narratives to reassess traditional accounts of the selections of Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī.
He challenges some mainstream Western and Sunni interpretations, giving significant attention to Shiʿi perspectives and political dynamics.
The book is noted for its careful source criticism and controversial conclusions about legitimacy and factionalism in the early caliphate.
It remains influential in modern scholarship on early Islamic history.
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Mentioned by Khalid as a recommended scholarly account of early caliphal succession used as a framing source for the episode.
[#307] CRISIS IN THE EARLY CALIPHATE: The Assassinations of Umar and Uthman
