Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time (Eminent Lives Series)

An Inspiring Book

Karen Armstrong deserves applause for writing such an outstanding book on Muhammad (P.B.U.H)! It proves that somewhere in the West people are rational enough to discard their prejudice against Islam and are ready to delve into unbiased research to discover the truth about the most important figure and the most discussed personality in History. Her study produced a positive vision and understanding of Islam which is a marked difference from majority of people of the West who have closed their eyes to truth and refuse to go by reason. Peace, Love and tolerance are the essentials of Islam. Jihad has also been beautifully defined as a struggle to bring God¿s Will into action. With Perseverance ,patience and Wisdom Muhammad (P.B.U.H)spread the word of God to the Faithless and succeeded in winning the hearts of the people of Arabia and is still a role model for billions. The Prophet of Islam performed actions by Divine inspiration and conveyed to mankind what was inspired by the Lord. His military mission and strategy shows intelligence and insight of the highest order . Karen Armstrong urges the people of the world to make an effort to understand the Quran and Muhammad (P.B.U.H)by probing into history to discover a man of extraordinary vision and qualities whose message(Quran) can benefit people of all ages! Tayyaba Haq

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

good book

everyone else thats reviewed it seems to enjoy talking smack about islam and reading books about the few negative verses in the quran. if you read this book with a truly open mind its great

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Balanced and informative

A short, sympathetic, very readable biography of an all too human prophet

The human side of Muhammad.

The book was very balanced and honest. The historical facts are very accurate.
It showed (me) the human side of the prophet which I forgot.
Very useful to Muslims and hopefully to people from other faiths.

A Great Attempt for Armstrong

In Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time, author Karen Armstrong demonstrates how Muhammad ibn `Abdullah went from being an unfortunate orphan to a messenger of one of the most important world religions today, Islam. Armstrong¿s compassionate ¿Western Eyes¿ interpretation approaches the subject matter in an easy-to-read manner, complete with accurate sources, in a fluid narrative of the Prophet¿s physical and psychological struggle for his lifelong dream to bring the word and will of God to the people of Arabia, however falls short of persuading the reader from their initial negative disposition towards Islam.
Early on Armstrong is quick to point out young Muhammad¿s misfortunes: his father died before he was born, and six years into his life he was sent off by his mother to live with the outlying nomadic peoples, enduring their harsh reality of desert life. He then returned to Mecca, his birthplace, to live with his mother. Shortly after his return, his mother died and the young Muhammad then lived on the goodwill of his relatives, moving from family member to family member. It was these series of ill-fated events that inspired the framework of Muhammad¿s compassion for orphans as well as charity in which he carried throughout the rest of his life.
After the first visit from the Archangel Gabriel at the age of forty, Muhammad became a messenger of Allah, a Prophet chosen to extend the word of God to the people of Arabia. Since the ¿Night of Destiny¿ as it is referred to, the courier received indistinct revelations from Gabriel that ¿¿he had to listen to the undercurrent of events, trying to discover what was really going on¿ (Armstrong 45). Armstrong recounts the physical toll taken on him from trying to decipher these divine visits: ¿He would grow pale with effort and cover himself with his cloak, as if to shield himself from what was really going on¿ (he) ¿would perspire heavily, even on a cold day, as he turned inwards searching his soul for a solution to a problem¿ (Armstrong 45).
In addition to the revelations, another factor had a material effect on the Prophet. War between the Meccans and Medinians broke out after Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina. After cultivating in their Islamic beliefs, the Muslims wished to partake in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the hajj, a spiritual right every Arabian practicing the Old Religion was granted. But the people of Mecca did not share the same modified beliefs of the Old Religion that constituted Islam. Consequently, Muhammad and his followers were denied access. As a result of protecting their heritage from the spoiled people (Muslims) and the right of entry to the Kabah, the Meccans declared war on the Muslims. Several battles began shortly thereafter and continued on for six to seven years, all of which Muhammad did partake in. While Muhammad did not sustain any detrimental battle wounds, it was the every-day rigors of war encampment that he felt. By the time the last fight took place, the Prophet was into his sixties and would have begun to feel the physical effects the war and his divine visions had on his aging body.
While supporting his Islamic crusade, those who closely witnessed the tireless Muhammad¿s ordeal saw an even more detrimental outcome: mental exhaustion. Prior to converting to Islam Muhammad had a different ideology of the Arabic life compared to his neighbors. He first realized his tribe had lost all of its original cultural values except

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ms Armstrong deserves an Award!

Reading about the Life and mission of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H)one cannot help admiring the vision and understanding of Karen Armstrong who delved so deep into Islamic history , its true spirit and succeeded in painting an accurate picture of a religion which is badly misnuderstood in the present times.Forgiveness,Peace and Love are the true essentials of Islam and many examples in the book prove it. At the same time the defination of jihad is also beautifully explained as a struggle to bring the Will of God into action.Patience, perseverence accompanied by strategy were adopted by the Prophet to spread the word of God and win the hearts of the faithless.His military mission stands out for it wisdom and tact in history even after the passage of 15 centuries. The book should inspire the West and Non Muslims of the world to probe deeply in the ideals of Islam and discover what is at the heart of a religion spread by a Man of God Gifted Vision and qualities. Tayyaba Haq

A reviewer

A well written book describing the life and times of the Prophet Muhammad. The book is an excellent primer for those of us curious about Islam. The book describes the Prophet's standing in his community during the early years and the subsequent rift that led to his hijrah to Medina. Ms. Armstrong recounted the events in the Prophet's life in a manner that reflected his humanity. She describes the traditions and relationships during the 7th century that formed the backdrop for the Prophet's recitations and describes the circumstances behind some of the misunderstood events in the Qur'an, such as the slaughter of the Jewish Qurayzah tribe for their betrayal during the Battle of the Trench. There is a small but useful glossary to assist the novice in understanding the text. The book serves as a great stepping stone to further learning.

ummm...well, interesting

I was divided between rating this book a 5 because of the style that I found very interesting or a 3 for its historiography. Karen Armstrong writes a biography of Muhammad that bucks the trend of today (2006) to criticize Muhammad and writes a fairly unbiased biography showing some of his warts and blemishes, but also what she apparently believes is sheer genius and inspiration. Armstrong is somewhat of a mystic herself, and writes from that point of view than from a Christian or Islamic POV. Her many stories about how early Muslims converted after hearing the 'beauty of the Qur'an' (consistently misspelled Qu'ran in my copy) hit home with me. A few weeks ago I was listening to a recording of the recitation of the Qur'an to brush up on my Arabic when my wife walked through the room. She paused, then staid 'That's beautiful! What is it?' It is particularly difficult to recommend a biography of Muhammad to the general American reader during this time of spreading Islamophobia. Books do take a point of view, but the same book about Muhammad is likely to be condemned by both sides of the debate for bias toward the other side. Armstrong has written an interesting book for the general American reader that can hardly be accused of anti-Islamic bias. I personally felt that it leaned a little too far toward mysticism, and I would bet the author could write a very interesting book on Sufiism. Recommending a book with a different POV and stronger on facts and stories of Muhammad's life, I'd lean toward Muhammad Haykal's The Life of Muhammad. The author is Egyptian, eastern in POV but attempting to be western in viewpoint. This book was written in the 1950's, so missing the current trend of Islamism, but it tends to be apologetic. There are many comparisons of incidents in Christianity contained in the book. Of course the oldest and most authoritative biography is Sirat Rasul Allah by ibn Is.haq translated by A. Guillaume and available in an inexpensive edition of about 800 pages. Written about 750 AD, the most obvious difficulty is the writing style and the fact that most of us are totally unfamiliar with the nature of medieval Arab historiography. As was common then, many stories are told in two or three versions with no real clue as to which is the most reliable. We would tend to believe that which is most realistic or best fits our prejudices from a 21st century POV, but is a 21st century POV fair for an 8th century book? Another difficulty is that most of us are unaware of the circumstances under which the book was written (the period when the Umayyad Caliphate had just given way to the Abbasid Caliphate) or what that means for the POV and prejudices of ibn Ishaq himself. But Armstrong's book contains a fair, fairly complete, but brief biography of Muhammad and is a good bet for the first attempt to understand the prophet's life and trials.

Very Inspiring and Enlightening.

Anyone who has the slightest interest in Religion, or Islam should read this book. It is analytical and well stated. As a student of comparative religion I find this book very useful and utmost inspiring. It cleared alot of misconceptions about Prophet Muhammad and Islam which people percieve today. Being Born a Hindu, I was always told to stay aloof from Islam or anything related to something Islamic. And Also, Being Born a Hindu I found much of my inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita which is said to house the basic fundamentals in all religions. When I read this book, I could see Prophet Muhammad as an example to the Instructions Lord Krishna gave on the battlefield. Lord Krishna had said it, and Prophet Muhammad had shown it. It just gives me another reason to believe that all come from the same source, no matter whether Hindu, or Muslim.

BIASED?

The author is not a muslim, she is not writing the book to plce Islam above other religions, but rather to give a more accurate view of the Prophet's teachings and what Islam is based on. We read this book in my 'History of Islam' class and it was very informative for the students to say the least. Those who say Armstrong is to apologetic in her portrayal of Muhammad should note the propaganda against Islam that has been spreading.

Good introduction to the life of the Prophet

While Karen Armstrong's book is clearly intended for readers with a limited knowledge and understanding of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), it is a good place to start for readers seeking background information on Muhammad as a historical figure and great leader, and she makes several important points about the bias shown towards him and his acheivements in the present day. Of course depending on the source, bias can be found either way. Of course, Ibn Warraq's book 'Why I Am Not A Muslim' is completely written against Islam, taking any potential 'bad' part of the religion and highligting it, while ignoring the inherent beauty and tolerance that the Prophet fought to instill. For a less biased look at Islam and a more in-depth analysis, I recommend books by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Khaled Abou El-Fadl. For readers wishing to touch the tip of the iceberg and learn about the life of this incomparable man, Karen Armstrong's book will suffice.

Bias

How can people say that this book is biased, when as a reader, we interperet the information biasedly I believe that Armstrong did a good job writing this book. She didnt twist the truth to make it more or less friendly to the readers. She gave a clear and honest description on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) life. She also incorperated many fitting quotes from the Holy Quran into her writing. I esp. enjoyed the of the Prophet(pbuh) that she included at the beginining of the book. It makes it easier as a reader to understand the realtions of the family. Good book!

An Eye Opener

A well written book to read. Armstrong is completely unbiased. Very informative about Muslims and their believes in this day and age. Highly recommended.

Not Good History.

'Nuff said. Anyone seeking an objective, analytical approach to the life of the Prophet of Islam has come to the wrong place. Ancient histories of dubious credibility are distilled and presented as simple fact. The more controversial questions concerning the evolution of Islamic practice during Muhammad's life are mostly ignored and when not, are glossed over with a rosy wash. Finally, if the author had controlled her desire to enter into irrelevant hostile commentary on Western civilization, she could have saved us half the length of the book.

Hagiography

There is no balance in this book. The overriding message here is that the west, Christians, Jews and non-Muslims in general have all misunderstood Muhammad owing to their prejudices and misperception. Throughout the book the author heaps criticism on Muhammad's critics, specifically those who are Christians, even the ones who have studied Muhammad not from the point of view of Christianity but of modern, enlightened, rational, scientific inquiry. One gets the impression that the book, which evidently targets a Christian reading audience (I am not a Christian myself), tries to stop Christians from raising valid questoins about Muhammad and Islam by trying to make them feel guilty about themselves. To paraphrase: Judge not lest ye be judged yourselves. Indeed the book begins with the author drawing a parallel between the present-day assassination threats against Salman Rushdie for offending Muslim sensibilities in his book 'The Satanic Verses' with a thirteenth century Talmud-burning campaign by King Louise of France. On the other hand, as far as Muhammad is concerned, the author tries to justify everything including the earliest known genocide of Jews in Arabia. Here is an example from page 208 of the book: 'The massacre of [the large Jewish tribe] of Qurayzah is a reminder of the desperate conditions of Arabia during Muhammad's lifetime. Of couse we are right to condemn it without reservre, but it was not as great a crimes as it would be today.'

A useful introduction

I would recommend this book to the reader. It is a bit too apologetic, however. I would ask that to get a more rounded picture, ``Why I am not a Muslim'' by Ibn Warraq should be consulted.

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No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.