Muhammed Books

The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion

Robert Spencer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 301 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Can you face the truth? 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Spencer uses the primary source Muslim documents themselves (the Sunna) to show that Muhammed advanced his religion through warfare, intimidation, raids and assassinations when he couldn't persuade the majority of his fellow citizens through preaching. Spencer's central thesis is that Islamic extremists find the theology for their actions not by twisting Islam but simply by emulating its founder. From its inception, Islam was not a "religion of peace" as is constantly asserted today. He argues that until we face this reality honestly, we will never have a basis for developing an effective Middle Eastern policy.

The book is well-written and engaging history. He interacts with Muslim apologists at times, but the force of his works comes by a clear presentation of the Muhammed narrative from Islamic texsts. He often pauses to explain how events in Muhammed's story have become the basis for modern Sharia law. The book gives a glimpse into life in the 7th century, much of which will shock modern readers.

Anyone who wants to understand the roots of Islam as well as the modern phenomenon of Islamic radicalization needs to read this book.

Editorial Review:

In this startling new book, New York Times bestselling author Robert Spencer, provides a warts-and-all portrait of the Prophet of Islam and draws out what his life implies for reforming Islam and repulsing Islamic terrorists. Spencer relies solely on primary sources considered reliable by Muslims and evaluates modern biographies to show how Muhammad has been changed for Western audiences, lulling them into consoling but false conclusions.

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

Martin Lings

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Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A revised edition of the internationally acclaimed biography of the prophet

• Includes important additions about the prophet’s spread of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states

• Contains original English translations from 8th and 9th century biographies, presented in authoritative language

• Represents the final updates made on the text before the author’s death in 2005

Martin Lings’ biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies that recount numerous events in the prophet’s life, it contains original English translations of many important passages that reveal the words of men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life.

Scrupulous and exhaustive in its fidelity to its sources, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is presented in a narrative style that is easily comprehensible, yet authentic and inspiring in its use of language, reflecting both the simplicity and grandeur of the story it tells. This revised edition includes new sections detailing the prophet’s expanding influence and his spreading of the message of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states. It represents the final updates made to the text before the author’s death in 2005. The book has been published in 12 languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgment as best biography of the prophet in English at the National Seerate Conference in Islamabad.

Understanding Muhammad

Ali Sina

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Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Why are some Muslims intolerant, violent and supremacist? Why do they bully? What spurs them to riot and murder over the silliest things? To understand Muslims, one must understand their prophet. This psychobiography seeks to unveil the mystery of the prophet of Islam. Historians tell us Muhammad used to withdraw to a cave, spending days wrapped in his thoughts. He heard bells ringing and had ghostly visions. He thought he was demon possessed, until his wife reassured him he had become a prophet. Convinced of his status, he was intolerant of those who rejected him, assassinated those who criticized him, raided, looted, and massacred entire populations. He reduced thousands to slavery, raped, and allowed his men to rape female captives. All of this, he did with a clear conscience and a sense of entitlement. He was magnanimous toward those who admired him, but vengeful toward those who did not. He believed he was the most perfect human creation and the universe's raison d'être. Muhammad was no ordinary man. This book ventures beyond the stories. Focusing on the "why" rather than the "what," it unravels the mystique of one of the most enigmatic and influential men in history. Islam is Muhammadanism. Muslims worship and emulate Muhammad. Only by understanding him can one know what makes them tick. Understanding Muhammad begins with a brief history of his life. Muhammad had a loveless childhood. He then passed to the care of relatives who took pity on him and spoiled him. As the result he developed narcissistic personality disorder, a trait that made him a megalomaniac bereft of conscience. Muhammad believed in his own cause. Even when he lied, he felt entitled and justified to do so. Thanks to another mental illness, namely temporal lobe epilepsy, the prophet of Islam had vivid hallucinations he interpreted as mystical and divine intimations. He also suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, causing his fixations on numbers, rituals and stringent rules. In the addition, he suffered from acromegaly, a disease caused by excessive production of a growth hormone resulting in large bones and odd facial features. The combination of his psychological disorders and his unusual physiognomy made him a phenomenon that set him apart from ordinary people. His uneducated followers interpreted his differences as signs of his prophethood. Like devotees of all cults, they rose to champion his cause with dedication. By defying death and butchering others they made Islam the world's second largest religion, now the biggest threat to world peace. The author argues that Islam is incompatible with democracy and human rights, and the only way to avert the clash between barbarity and civilization, and a world disaster, is to expose its fallacy and demystify it. "Muslims must be weaned from Islam for humanity to live in peace," says Ali Sina.

Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet

Karen Armstrong

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 92 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Great Fantasy Novel... 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Karen Armstrong writes an incredibly accurate portrayal of the life of the Prophet accept without 75% of his life. Muhammad had a life where the entire last half was dripping with blood. Armstrong does a great job of referencing the great, peaceful philosophies of Muhammad while grazing over the slaughter of the Jews of Banu Qurayze for not converting. Islam has the belief of abrogation, which is that it is alright for the Qur'an to contradict itself because the later revelation overwrites the earlier one. The call for Jihad at the end of Muhammad's life is then the law that is to be followed. Muhammad was not a man of peace by any means. Extremely intelligent, and a phenominal leader, but far from peaceful. For a dry but immensely more accurate picture of Muhammad's life, read The Life of Muhammad. This is the oldest account of the life of the Prophet that is still in existance and many historians claim as the most accurate.

Editorial Review:

This vivid and detailed biography strips away centuries of distortion and myth and presents a balanced view of the man whose religion continues to dramatically affect the course of history.

Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time

Karen Armstrong

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

May be a helpful introduction but be prepared to study more 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

It would be too much to expect that the founder of any of the world's major religions could be understood from one book, even at the introductory level (not counting sacred scripture, direct exposure to which may be essential). Consider Christianity, consider Buddhism. In the U.S., especialy after 9/11, it may be especially difficult to understand the life of Muhammad. Even before 9/11, even from the early times of Islam, Christian sources were critical of Islam and Muhammad. It is difficult to get a balanced read from any single source: if such a source exists, how to know which it is?

I had read the Qu'ran years ago but recently have read criticisms of Muhammad from conservative Christians. I had been impressed from my own reading of the Qu'ran and by my Muslim friends so was more than skeptical of the criticisms I read of both Islam and Muhammad. Not expecting to get to an answer easily but not wanting to spend too much time to get some perspective, I opted for this portrait which, by intent, set out to present Muhammad in a "balanced way". I had not read Karen Armstrong before. I knew she did not have a scholarly background in Islam ( excepting self-made), but that she seemed respected in the area of comparative religions, although not without critics. So I chose this book expecting it to have introductory value and to offset or put into perspective some criticisms of Muhammad I had heard from conservative Christians.

This is an exceptionally well-written book and it does not seem to dodge some of those aspects of Muhammad's life that others were critical of. It does, as Armstrong intended, appear to attest well to his contributions. I expect it will serve me well as I learn more about Muhammad and the formative history of Islam, which I mean to do.

Armstrong does bring alive the conditions under which Muhammad responded to challenges and made key decisions. The success of early Islam was far from a "done deal". On the other hand, it by no means seems that Islam was nearing any final form when Muhammad died [of course, think how far from any final form that was of Christianity or Buddhism when Jesus and the Buddha died].

Any impressions of Muhammad I have at this point are tentative but having read this book I feel better equipped to consider the impact of Muhammad on how women were treated in Islam, of the expectations on Muslims to care for one another, of how Muslims should treat others (Armstrong emphasizes the pluralism of early Islam), of how the fight for survival was mingled in to the efforts to reveal the sacred. Armstrong presents a complex and dynamic Muhammad, who changed and developed, leading his people while at the same time experience the revelations of the Qu'ran]. There is a lot to take in here and, for me, re-reading the Qu'ran seems on inevitable step.

It does seem most remarkable, as Armstrong makes quite clear, that Muhammad so strongly discouraged that he himself be regarded as divine. Armstrong writes, echoing Abu Bakr, who was close to Muhammad about a warning from Muhammad: "He was a mere mortal, no different from anybody else." Armstrong quotes Abu Bakr: "O people, if anyone worships Muhammad, Muhammad is dead. If anyone worships God, God is alive, immortal." [ Ibn Ishaaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, 1012 in Guillaume, Life of Muhammad]. How different Christianity would have been with such an understanding: the nearest Christian teaching have been as that of Arius and rejected by 4th century Christian orthodoxy.

There is plenty of information about historical events, revelations from the Qu'ran as they occurred, historical context that helped give me at the least a side of the picture of Muhammad's life. Is Armstrong's depiction too sympathetic? I can't decide yet. It will undoubtedly take time. There seems to be a struggle to control how we view Muhammad and early Islam: it would be surprising if I were otherwise but makes it difficult to expose biases and factor them out to the extent they can be.

As for the current situation, I plan to read Carl Ernst's Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks) soon. I recently read Alaa Al Aswany's Chicago: A Novel, an outstanding novel about Egyptian Muslims adjusting to life in the post 9/11 U.S. It provided me at least some sense of how Muhammad and Islam guide the day to day life of U.S. Muslims, fictional characters but perhaps seeming all too real.

Editorial Review:

The Man Who Inspired the World's Fastest-Growing Religion

Muhammad presents a fascinating portrait of the founder of a religion that continues to change the course of world history. Muhammad's story is more relevant than ever because it offers crucial insight into the true origins of an increasingly radicalized Islam. Countering those who dismiss Islam as fanatical and violent, Armstrong offers a clear, accessible, and balanced portrait of the central figure of one of the world's great religions.

In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

Tariq Ramadan

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most important innovators of the century, Tariq Ramadan is a leading Muslim scholar, with a large following especially among young European and American Muslims. Now, in his first book written for a wide audience, he offers a marvelous biography of the Prophet Muhammad, one that highlights the spiritual and ethical teachings of one of the most influential figures in human history.

Here is a fresh and perceptive look at Muhammad, capturing a life that was often eventful, gripping, and highly charged. Ramadan provides both an intimate portrait of a man who was shy, kind, but determined, as well as a dramatic chronicle of a leader who launched a great religion and inspired a vast empire. More important, Ramadan presents the main events of the Prophet's life in a way that highlights his spiritual and ethical teachings. The book underscores the significance of the Prophet's example for some of today's most controversial issues, such as the treatment of the poor, the role of women, Islamic criminal punishments, war, racism, and relations with other religions. Selecting those facts and stories from which we can draw a profound and vivid spiritual picture, the author asks how can the Prophet's life remain -- or become again -- an example, a model, and an inspiration? And how can Muslims move from formalism -- a fixation on ritual -- toward a committed spiritual and social presence?

In this thoughtful and engaging biography, Ramadan offers Muslims a new understanding of Muhammad's life and he introduces non-Muslims not just to the story of the Prophet, but to the spiritual and ethical riches of Islam.

Jesus and Muhammad: Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities

Mark A. Gabriel

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Scholarly comparison 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The author quotes from the Quran and the hadith (which include Muslim practices and philosophy), both of which he knows well having memorized the Quran by age 12. He also knows the Bible well and quotes effectively from it in making his comparisons. Topically arranged, the book is easy to read and understand. Excellent! ! !

Honesty sometimes hurts 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I took a post graduate level class from Dr. Gabriel this year and I think that I can clear up a few misconceptions on his background and purposes. During the class when answering questions he always quoted the Quran from memory in Arabic. Then he would provide a quick English translation and have us find the verse in one of our translations. From this I can say that he did indeed have the entire Quran memorized, and hence that substantiated many of his biographical details. Also a local Egyptian gentleman visited the class, and they talked about their former homeland, Egypt.
Secondly, he repeatedly expressed his love for all Muslims, and encouraged the class to continue to pray for them. Clearly, anyone who thinks that Dr. Gabriel "hates" Muslims is using that word in a different sense than that with which I am familiar.
The book itself is a fair account of the differences between Jesus and Muhammad. I would suggest that many people need to actually read the Bible to see what it says about Jesus. I suggest that they start with the Gospel of John. Next I suggest that some of the critics of Dr. Gabriel's work should actually read the Quran and see what it teaches on various subjects. Most people in the west will be surprised.
Next, read a biography of Muhammad. Get a feel for the kind of person he was. The earliest biography of the prophet is Islam is by Ibn Ishaq and can be found in translation on the web. Follow that by searching through the collections of hadith on the USC-MSA website. Type in a few search words such as "Jew," or "Jihad." Be inventive in your research. If you enter the search with as few preconceptions as possible you will be amazed at what you can learn. Good luck and may God bless your search.

The Life and Work of Muhammad (Critical Lives)

Yahiya Emerick, Yahiya J. Emerick

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Honoring The Prophet pbh 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. I felt as if I were right there with the Prophet pbh and the companions. I felt as if I were experencing every trial, victory, and defeat. Very well written reads like a narrative. Not political, choppy, wishy washy, or even biased. One is able to get a clear and fair understanding of the wars, executions, culture, and tribal customs of that time. I also appreciated the way Mr. Emerick was able to discuss the Prophets pbh lineage with out getting lost in translation or the details. I also felt he addressed belief issues by explaining the difference of opinion amongst scholars concerning the trip to the Dome of The Rock, not leaning toward either arguements. Which is why I felt he was fair. He didn't try to butter up the reality, hide anything as if something were wrong. If you're looking for a book to read about the Prophet Muhammad that will give you a clear understanding of who he was, and what his message was, I recommend this book. If you need an eman or faith boost I recommend this book.

The Sectarian Milieu: Content And Composition of Islamic Salvation History

John Wansbrough

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Editorial Review:

In this influential work originally published in 1978, the author, one of the most innovative thinkers in the field of Islamic Studies, analysed 'early Islamic historiography - or rather the interpretative myths underlying this historiography - as a late manifestation of Old Testament salvation history'. Continuing themes that he treated in a previous work, "Quranic Studies", Wansbroguh argued that the traditional biographies of Muhammad are best understood, not as historical documents that attest to 'what really happened', but as literary texts written more than 100 years after the facts and heavily influenced by Jewish, and to a lesser extent, Christian, interconfessional polemics. Thus, Islamic 'history' is almost completely a later literary reconstruction, which evolved out of an environment of competing Jewish and Christian sects. As such, the author felt that the most fruitful means of analysing such texts was literary analysis. Although Wanbrough's work remains controversial to this day, his fresh incites and approaches to the study of Islam continue to inspire scholars.

The Messenger of God: Muhammad: An Analysis of the Prophet's Life

M. Fethullah Gulen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Prophet Muhammad: Aspects of His Life 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

This was the title of previous print of The Messenger of God: Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad is the person which affects lives of millions of muslims today. If you know any muslim and interested in their believes, this is a must read. If you wonder what this Islam is, this is a must read. If you heard a lot about him, this is a must read.

The book is from the best known Turkish scholar M.Fethullah Gulen, who is a major character at the interfaith movement within Islam Society.

Nice 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Written by the famous Turkish humanist Fethullah Gulen- its a study of the Prophets life, of his companions, and of Prophethood in general. It is a long work- a joining of two volumes. All in all, it is a good book, a great deal of interesting information, although sometimes it gets a quite gushy and sentimental- using images of flowers, gardens, jewels, etc- although the style is generally elegant. The best parts were Military Dimensions of the Prophet's life (which bring to the front how incredible his military skills and planning), and Other Dimensions of his Prophethood (which illumine other aspects, such as his mercy, generosity, spirituality with clear examples). The Section on the Companions and Successors was interesting, showing how the early Muslim community was seriously and intensely set on scholarship concerning what the Prophet had transmitted. A good book, but unlike Martin Lings's famous biography and Qadi Iyad's Shifa, it may not be one I'll come back to.

Editorial Review:

Offering a deeper understanding of God’s messenger, this collection of sermons on the life of the Prophet Muhammad focuses on particular aspects of his life that highlight his significance as a husband, a father, an educator, and a worshipper.