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Books Related to The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates Hugh Kennedy - ISBN: 0582405254
quite shallow.... - Rated
The history in this book is good, that is to say, the author very coherently tells you the order of events and their relative importance. However, from the very outset the accompanying analysis is hollow and this badly detracts from the usefulness of the text. An example of this is the early account of Abu Bakr's election to the Caliphate, the author says that his age, seniority and longevity of service to the Prophet made him a natural candidate for the job. However, he fails to note the divisions and the premature candidature of Sa'd Ibn Ubuda (leader of the Khazraj), who was almost propelled to leadership on the widesspread feeling among the Ansar that the death of the Prophet marked the end of their allegiance to the men from Mecca. This is significant as it is telling of the fact that loyalty to Islam did not automatically translate into loyalty to any particular group of people. Therefore much of the subsequent turbulence was sourced in the disparate community groping for some pattern with which to assign religious authority.
Such early omissions sets the book off on to a bad start as it never adequately manages to capture the internal divisions within the community that amplified into so much turmoil afterwards.
This is why the book becomes quite heavy going, as the author subsequently tells you of divisions and emnities without first setting the scene for the emergence of such schisms. This leaves you scratching your head, trying to figure out why the characters start to hate each other.
A good thing about this book is its simplicity of style, unadorned with lists of genealogy and those dead in battle - it makes for easy reading and is very good either for people either approaching this history for the first time or those needing a broad overview.
Dry but very worthy - Rated
This work is a very useful historical survey of the major political developments that marked the classical era of Islamicate civilisation. I found it a very useful companion to other works that concentrate upon the cultural, social and intellectual aspects of Muslim history for example the works of Ira Lapidus and Marshall G Hodgson. Although it is a specialist work it has a clear narrative structure which allows for a degree of comparative analysis between the different regions covered by the study. Whilst it might be true to describe it as being a little dry and academic I consider this to be a strength and would certainly prefer it over more populist works of narrative history for example Bernard Lewis and the sensationalist revisionist accounts propounded by writers such as Patricia Crone and Wilfred Madelung. He does not seek to make reductive connections between historical effects and essential psychological or cultural causes which is refreshing and only adds to its overall authorativeness. I would recommend it to any reader who is genuinely interested in understanding the complexity of early Islamic history and its hightly contested and ideological character.
Hard going - Rated
Five stars for content, two stars for readability. Densely written, colourless, but masses of factual detail which are not easy to find elsewhere. A book for specialists only, in my opinion.
