The Caliphate

The Caliphate is based upon the Annals of Ibn al-Athir, a singularly impartial annalist, who lived and wrote at Mosul in the early part of the thirteenth century A.D. Ibn al-Athir’s work is an epitome and continuation of that of the much older historian Tabari. Sir William Muir’s The Caliphate and Life of Mohammad are works of classical value and leave one with a strong impression of the author’s extreme accuracy in reproducing the statements of his authorities, as well as of the soundness of his judgment in weighing the evidence in support of the accounts.No wonder the two books have remained standard readings for a long time and have gone into several editions.