Ali and Mu'awiya in Early Arabic Tradition: Studies on the Genesis and Growth of Islamic Historical Writing until the End of the Ninth Century (Acls History E-book Project Reprint Series)

"The first civil war 656-61 and the party antagonisms emerging from it have proved to be of crucial importance to the development of Islam. No wonder, then, that subsequent interpretations of the 'Ali-Mu'āwiya conflict provoked serious misrepresentations of the actual course of events. In a previous study I have tried to reconstruct some trends and problems of this conflict on the basis of the primary sources. This book presents an attempt to trace the formation of the historical tradition associated with the first civil war by applying modern standards of historical method. I have finally tried to establish an outline of the genesis of 'profane' historical writing in Islam, in so far as the 'Ali-Mu'āwiya conflict can be considered paradigmatic. The book thus aims at combining a 'historiographical' and methodical study of the early conflicts in Islam"--