Muhammad b. ‘Umar al-Waqidi was a Muslim scholar; born in Medina in the 1st Century. Of his several writings the most significant is the Kitab al-Maghazi; one of the earliest standard histories of the life of the Prophet. Translated into English for the first time; Rizwi Faizer makes available this key text to a new; English-speaking audience. It includes an "Introduction" authored jointly by Rizwi Faizer and Andrew Rippin and a carefully prepared index. The book deals with the events of the Prophet’s life from the time of his emigration from Mecca to his death; and is generally considered to be biographical. Bringing together events in the Prophet’s life with appropriate passages of Qur’an in a considered sequence; the author presents an interpretation of Islam that existed in his times. It includes citations from the Qur’Än; as well as poetry that appears to have been inspired by activities during his life. This English translation of a seminal text on the life of Muhammad is an invaluable addition to the existing literature; and will be of great significance to students and scholars in the field of Islamic studies; Islamic history; Medieval history and Arabic literature.
#873629 in Books 2013-11-10 2013-11-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .60 x 6.14l; .0 #File Name: 0415748127264 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. It was Stalin after all.By StarSearcherThis books describes the deliberations that lead up to and furthered the war. It turns out that Stalin didn't trust Mao nor did he see him as worthy of his trust since he figured Mao wouldn't last and wasn't truly interested in the ideals of Marxism. This is ironic since Mao would later accuse the Soviets of this after Stalin's death. At the time when Kim Il Sung invaded the South; he had Stalin's approval; but left Mao in the dark. With Soviet advisers he quickly crushed the coalition and nearly took the whole continent. It was Stalin's death in 1953 which allowed for the negotiations to progress and end the war; and by far the brunt of the causalities other than North Korea were from China. This explains why today China is so reluctant to let the government of North Korea disintegrate via sanctions. They lost 300-600;000 soldiers during that war. Interestingly; this books portrays Stalin as very reluctant to engage the USA in a protracted war because he knew the Soviet Union was weak at the time. Overall; highly recommended to those interested in the Korean War.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. great book on origins of korean warBy a-fictionadoThis book explores the origins of the Korean War by using primary documents from the Soviet and Chinese archives. It's fascinating to read actual correspondence between Stalin and Mao and Kim Il Sung; as the various sides prepared for and then prosecuted war on the peninsula against South Korea and the U.S. The author's narrative around the documents; providing context for them and helping the reader to understand the political currents on the peninsula; across East Asia; and in the US-USSR US-PRC confrontations; is a real page turner. The book reads like a suspense story; a war story; rather than an academic book. And the story's largely told from the Chinese and Soviet points of view; not usually accessible to readers of English-language books on the war. Highly recommend.
