Parable and Politics in Early Islamic History

The central issue around which discord occurred was the question of succession, which would divide the community between those who favored allegiance to successors from the family of the Prophet, particularly ‘Alī, and those who looked back to the political leaders of the pre-Islamic era as the more worthy candidates (the clan of Banū ‘Abd Shams, from whom ‘Uthmān and the Umayyad dynasty came).

It is after the Prophet’s death, however, that old patterns of biblical tragedy come back in full color.

Muḥammad is shown to have been, while he was alive, both successful in establishing stable political control, and adept at forging compromise at times of crisis, whether between the Medinans and Meccans or among individual followers (‘Alī, Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and Khālid, as well as ‘Āisha and her peers).

Islam viewed itself as a continuation of earlier monotheistic messages and conceived of Muḥammad’s life as another chapter of dialogue between a messenger and his people.

The Shī‘a believe that ‘Alī was deliberately wronged by the other companions when he was repeatedly passed over for the succession and later given the chance only after leadership of the community became a thankless task on the eve of a brewing conflict.

convention of religious authenticity among Sunnīs defines only the Rāshidūn—and for the Shī‘a only ‘Alī—as the true caliphs. All later rulers are monarchs who had become removed from the utopian lifestyle of the early society of Medina.

Topics such as the caliphate, the division between Shī‘ī and Sunnī, and the overall relevance of events and contentions that happened nearly fourteen centuries ago once again form crucial areas for reexamination and introspection