3 Review(s)

Muhammad was the founder of the religion of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as a prophet and messenger of God the greatest lawbearer in a series of Islamic prophets and by most Muslims the last prophet as taught by the Quran 33:40–40. Muslims thus consider him the restorer of an uncorrupted original monotheistic faith of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets. He was also active as a diplomat, merchant, philosopher, orator, legislator, reformer, military general, and, according to Muslim belief, an agent of divine action. Discontented with life in Mecca, he retreated to a cave in the surrounding mountains for meditation and reflection. According to Islamic beliefs it was here, at the age 40, in the month of Ramadan, wherein he received his first revelation from God. Three years after this event Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that “God is One,” that complete “surrender” to Him is the only way acceptable to God, and that he himself was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as other Islamic prophets. The revelations which Muhammad reported receiving until his death—form the verses of the Quran, regarded by Muslims as the “Word of God” and around which the religion is based. Besides the Quran, Muhammad’s life and traditions are also upheld by Muslims. Being a highly influential historical figure, Muhammad’s life, deeds, and thoughts have been debated by followers and opponents over the centuries, which makes his biography difficult to write. Muslims regard the Quran as the primary source of knowledge about the historical Muhammad. The Quran has a few allusions to Muhammad’s life. The Quran responds constantly and often candidly to Muhammad’s changing historical circumstances and contains a wealth of hidden data. This book presents these ideas in the simplest and most straightforward way. In that it culls from authentic sources the sayings and deeds of the Prophet and those inspired by him. It is intended that this compendium will be a valuable reference to the Islamic Studies and allied disciplines.