Two Reports of a Historical Event: A Comparative Study of Taha Hossein's and Martin Hendes's Views toward the Murder of the Third Caliph

Historiography of early Islam has not been immune from the influence of religious motives, and the difference between the various theological religions is often reflected in their views of the events and personalities of early Islam. Some religions gain their legitimacy from this kind of look. Attitudes toward the third Caliph, Uthman, and the cause of his murder have been the source of wide disagreement among the Muslims. Meanwhile, History scholars, in spite of the great influence of their interests, have been working on scientific methods to study the incidents related to his murder and have become close to the reality and objectivity to some extent. A comparative study of the two contemporary looks, i.e. Arabic and Western, in order to explain this issue, is the subject of this paper. Taha Hossien, an Egyptian historian and a literary scholar and Martin Hendes, a western scholar, have tried to explain the caliphate's murder event with impartiality. Putting these two views in a double-pan balance scale and comparing the purpose, the method of research, the resources, the strength of the analysis, and their views make a remarkable difference between the two views.