The Two Sheikhs - Taha Hussein

The two righteous Caliphs who set a standard so high that no subsequent caliph could match their justice and wisdom after the era of prophethood were "Abu Bakr al-Siddiq" and "Omar ibn al-Khattab." Taha Hussein discusses them in this book. The author found that previous books on these two figures and their era often went to extremes, either exaggerating or downplaying. Some excessively glorified them to the point of deification, citing unreliable narratives about their time and presenting them as established facts. Others diminished their worth, denying their achievements or belittling their stature. Hussein, however, objectively and fairly presents aspects of the personalities of al-Siddiq and al-Faruq, inferring from authentic accounts the approach each adopted in: governance and politics, upholding the banner of Islam, unifying the Muslim community, and fending off aggressors and those seeking discord.