A new story of Islam. The story of the movement which was launched by Muhammad (s) in Makkah, and was consummated with the support of his cousin, collaborator, and vicegerent 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (a). It covers a period of ninety years from A.D. 570 to A.D. 661.
Excerpts from the preface: In these pages...an attempt is made to trace out and reconstruct those earliest tendencies and ideas which gave Shi'a Islam its distinctive charcter...My aim has been to reconstruct and present the development of an Islamic ideal--that of a particular vision of religious leadership that first appeared after the Prophet's death--based on the testimony of the historical sources.