In this gripping narrative history, Lesley Hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the rift between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. Even as the Prophet lay dying, the battle over who would take control of the new Islamic nation had begun. Soon Islam was embroiled in civil war, pitting its founder's controversial wife against his son-in-law, and shattering the Prophet?s ideal of unity. After the Prophet explores the volatile intersection of religion and politics, and is an indispensable guide to the depth and power of the Shia–Sunni split.