Agree and Disagree

Submitted by Alex (United States), Jan 27, 2015 at 17:50

Dear dhimmi no more:

The traditional accounts of early Islamic history are indeed problematic. They are not really "primary sources" in the honest meaning of the term for historical documentary evidence. I cannot make a broad sweeping judgment as to the level of their authenticity or accuracy, but I can share one interesting tidbit with you from my own past research: there is in fact a documentary piece of evidence for the second of the "Rightly Guided Caliphs," Umar ibn al-Khattab. It does not entitle Umar as a "caliph," but it does appear to be referencing the same person regarded in Muslim histories as the second caliph. The document has not been published and unfortunately I cannot share where I read it.

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