PART ONE: MUHAMMAD
Chapter 1
the price of revelation: For discussion of Islamic
theologians on Muhammad’s late-life childlessness,
see Madelung, Succession to Muhammad.
“Oh God, have pity on those who succeed me”: Shia
hadith quoted by, among others, Ayatollah
Khomeini. See Khomeini, Islam and Revolution.Chapter 3
brightly colored posters: Popular Shia religious posters
are reproduced in Steven Vincent’s article “Every
Land Is Karbala: In Shiite Posters, a Fever Dream
for Iraq,” in the May 2005 issue of Harper’s, and
can also be seen in news photos, such as that by
Shawn Baldwin for The New York Times, December
28, 2006, “Posters of Shiite religious ɹgures and
Iranian and Syrian leaders,” accompanying the
article “Iran’s Strong Ties with Syria.”
“ I am from Ali and Ali is from me”: This and other