Guardians of the Islamic Legacy: Resolute During Apostasy

Did the whole Arabian Peninsula abandon Islam following the death of the Prophet Muhammad ¿, or has the extent of the Riddah crisis sometimes been presented too broadly?Guardians of the Islamic Legacy: Resolute During the Apostasy offers a source-based examination of the tribes, leaders, groups, and individuals who remained steadfast upon Islam during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Rather than treating the Riddah as a uniform movement encompassing the entire Peninsula, Dr. Mahdi Rizq Allah Ahmad studies the surviving historical record region by region.The work begins by examining the treatment of the Riddah crisis in twelve contemporary historical writings. It then documents those who preserved their religious commitment and supported the Muslim community across the Hijaz, Yemen, al-Yamamah, Oman, Bahrain, Hadramawt, Mahrah, and the northern Arabian Peninsula.Drawing upon early chronicles, biographical dictionaries, hadith literature, and specialised works on the Riddah, the author considers:The geographic extent and varied character of the crisisThe role of tribal leaders and individual MuslimsLoyalty to the Muslim community and its recognised authorityThe suppression of local revolts and competing claimsThe need for precision when evaluating early Islamic historyThe evidentiary limitations of sweeping historical generalisationsThis is a focused contribution to the study of the Rashidun period and the historical consolidation of the Muslim community. It is suited to scholars, students of Islamic history, researchers, academic libraries, and readers seeking a documented account of steadfastness during one of the formative crises of early Islam.