The Shia Sunni Debate

When Prophet Muhammad died in the year 11 AH, the Ummah was left with a question, what now? What is to happen to this religion? What path should we tread? Who is to carry the flag of leadership? These questions, over the course of centuries, would go on to become the Shia-Sunni debate. Did Muhammad leave a successor or not? If so, who are they, what are they like? This book, which offers a Shia perspective, seeks to answer such questions. While plenty of research has been done on the History, The Quran, and the books of hadith in regards to the Muslim's divide, there remains one facet lacking discussion. Very few works have been published contemplating the succession to Muhammad from an intellectual point of view. This book focuses less on hadith and more on the science of logic. By taking inspiration from the Islamic sciences of Manteq (logic), Hikmah (wisdom/philosophy), Tasawwuf (mysticism), and Erfan (gnosis), and applying them to the Quran and history, we have attempted to present the Shia beliefs in a unique light. If we have been successful in our endeavor, then this book poses a fresh outlook on what Islam should have been, and where it ended up going.

When Prophet Muhammad died in the year 11 AH, the Ummah was left with a question, what now? What is to happen to this religion? What path should we tread? Who is to carry the flag of leadership? These questions, over the course of centuries, would go on to become the Shia-Sunni debate. Did Muhammad leave a successor or not? If so, who are they, what are they like? This book, which offers a Shia perspective, seeks to answer such questions. While plenty of research has been done on the History, The Quran, and the books of hadith in regards to the Muslim's divide, there remains one facet lacking discussion. Very few works have been published contemplating the succession to Muhammad from an intellectual point of view. This book focuses less on hadith and more on the science of logic. By taking inspiration from the Islamic sciences of Manteq (logic), Hikmah (wisdom/philosophy), Tasawwuf (mysticism), and Erfan (gnosis), and applying them to the Quran and history, we have attempted to present the Shia beliefs in a unique light. If we have been successful in our endeavor, then this book poses a fresh outlook on what Islam should have been, and where it ended up going.

In a comprehensive study of early Islamic history, Wilferd Madelung examines the conflict which developed after Muhammad's death for the leadership of the Muslim community. He pursues the history of this conflict through the reign of the four 'Rightly Guided' caliphs to its climax in the first inter-Muslim war. The outcome of the war, which marked the demise of the reign of the Early Companions, resulted in the lasting schism between Sunnite and Shi'ite Islam. Contrary to recent scholarly trends, the author brings out Ali's early claim to legitimate succession, which gained support from the Shi'a, and offers a convincing reinterpretation of early Islamic history. This book will make a major contribution to the debate over succession. Wilferd Madelung's book The Succession to Muhammad has been awarded the Best Book of the Year prize by the Islamic Republic of Iran for the year 1997.

The battles within Islam are not rooted in theology, but in timeless geopolitical struggles

This book is one of the many Islamic publications distributed by Ahlulbayt Organization throughout the world in different languages with the aim of conveying the message of Islam to the people of the world. You may read this book carefully and should you be interested to have further study on such publications you can contact us through www.shia.es Naturally, if we find you to be a keen and energetic reader we shall give you a deserving response in sending you some other publications of this Organization.

How and to what extent have Islamic legal scholars and Middle Eastern lawmakers, as well as Middle Eastern Muslim physicians and patients, grappled with the complex bioethical, legal, and social issues that are raised in the process of attempting to conceive life in the face of infertility? This path-breaking volume explores the influence of Islamic attitudes on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) and reveals the variations in both the Islamic jurisprudence and the cultural responses to ARTs.

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.