History Of The Caliphs

What is a caliphate? Who can be caliph? And how are contemporary ideologues such as ISIS reviving - and abusing - the term today? In the first modern account of a subject of critical importance today, acclaimed historian Hugh Kennedy answers these questions by chronicling the rich history of the caliphate, from the death of Muhammad to the present. At its height, the caliphate stretched from Spain to China and was the most powerful political entity in western Eurasia. In an era when Paris and London boasted a few thousand inhabitants, Baghdad and Cairo were sophisticated centres of trade and culture, and the Ummayad and Abbasid caliphates were distinguished by extraordinary advances in science, medicine and architecture. By ending with the recent re-emergence of caliphal ideology within fundamentalist Islam, The Caliphate underscores why it is crucial that we understand this form of Islamic government before groups such as ISIS distort its practice completely.

This book is a concise and immensely satisfying historical account of the first four caliphs of Islam, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, who because of their rectitude, became known as the “Rightly Guided Caliphs” (may Allah be pleased with them). The author provides a clear and fast-paced account of the battles and internal struggles of the four caliphs, as well as that of the fifth, Hasan ibn Ali. He avoids long excursions into the technical intricacies and obscure historical detail found in longer books. However, he refreshingly puts forward a balanced and convincing analysis of the contentious issues involving the four caliphs, such as Ali ibn Abi Talibs .delay in giving the pledge, the insurgency against Uthman, the battles of the Camel and Siffin, and the disputes between Ali and Muawiya. (may Allah be pleased with them all). The author’s analysis leaves the reader with a clear understanding and helps to increase the love and respect for the Prophet of Allah and his Companions. This book will surely satisfy your curiosity about the immediate period after the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) departure from this world. It will relieve your heart of any confusion you feel about the events of that time. This is a book written for readers of any age, hence an inspiring read for the young and old alike.

Tayeb El-Hibri draws on medieval Islamic chronicles to remap the origins of Islamic political and religious orthodoxy, offering an insightful critique of both early and contemporary Islam and the concerns of legitimacy shadowing various rulers. He also highlights the Islamic reinterpretation of biblical traditions.

Christophe Picard recounts the adventures of Muslim sailors who competed with Greek and Latin seamen for control of the 7th-century Mediterranean. By the time Christian powers took over trade routes in the 13th century, a Muslim identity that operated within, and in opposition to, Europe had been shaped by encounters across the sea of the caliphs.