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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Muhammad was born in 570 CE, and over the following sixty years built a thriving spiritual community, laying the foundations of a religion that changed the course of world history. There is more historical data on his life than on that of the founder of any other major faith, and yet his story is little known.
Karen Armstrong's immaculately researched new biography of Muhammad will enable readers to understand the true origins and spirituality of a faith that is all too often misrepresented as cruel, intolerant, and inherently violent. An acclaimed authority on religious and spiritual issues, Armstrong offers a balanced, in-depth portrait, revealing the man at the heart of Islam by dismantling centuries of misconceptions. Armstrong demonstrates that Muhammad's life—a pivot point in history—has genuine relevance to the global crises we face today.
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--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Armstrong's second biography of Islam's prophet is lucid and stylish, never condescending. It puts the best face possible on its subject. The Muhammad it projects gave his followers "a mission: to create a just and decent society, in which all members were treated with respect." Moreover, Armstrong's Muhammad behaved justly and decently while he lived, though perhaps a bit according to the stringent standards of Arab culture at the time. He taught tolerance toward Jews and Christians. Never mind--Armstrong doesn't--about denials of civil equality to non-Muslims and fulminations about them as "infidels." The Jewish clan whose men were exterminated after a particular battle? It wasn't that they were Jews but that they were traitors, and it wasn't Muhammad who decided they should be executed. The fact that, after declaring that Muslim men could have no more than four wives, Muhammad himself exceeded the limit? Hey, a leader has to make alliances with other groups. A nicely written book, but don't let it be the only biography of Muhammad you read. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
More About the Author
Karen Armstrong is the author of numerous other books on religious affairs-including A History of God, The Battle for God, Holy War, Islam, Buddha, and The Great Transformation-and two memoirs, Through the Narrow Gate and The Spiral Staircase. Her work has been translated into forty-five languages. She has addressed members of the U.S. Congress on three occasions; lectured to policy makers at the U.S. State Department; participated in the World Economic Forum in New York, Jordan, and Davos; addressed the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington and New York; is increasingly invited to speak in Muslim countries; and is now an ambassador for the UN Alliance of Civilizations. In February 2008 she was awarded the TED Prize and is currently working with TED on a major international project to launch and propagate a Charter for Compassion, created online by the general public and crafted by leading thinkers in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, to be signed in the fall of 2009 by a thousand religious and secular leaders. She lives in London.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
234 of 280 people found the following review helpful
By
Ed Lewis
on November 13, 2006
Format: Hardcover
18 Comments
Sending feedback...
Karen Armstrong's book provides a brief introduction to the life of Mohammed. At the end she offers her motivation: "If we are to avoid catastrophe, Muslim and Christian worlds must learn not merely to tolerate but to appreciate one another."
I picked up this book as a lifelong atheist who has never had much sympathy for any religion, although I respect the rights of others to their beliefs. I was looking for information because I am disturbed at the prevalence in the media and elsewhere of hate propaganda against Muslims. If I'm being told I should hate something, I want to know why.
Armstrong traces the rise of Islam to an economic revolution that occurred in Arabia in the seventh century, largely due to the growing importance of trade in a nomadic grazing economy.
She looks briefly at the rise of monotheism in the newly emerging cities, particularly Mecca, and the emergence of Islam from that as Mohammed's revelations provided a body of scripture for Arab monotheism.
Mohammed and others considered his revelations divine, the word of god. In that, he's not alone, as many religions consider the thoughts of brilliant people among their founders to have been divinely inspired. The poetic nature of Mohammed's revelations and their relevance to the social situation of their time led to their survival, and later followers of Islam used them to understand their own social situations, down to the present time. In this Islam is no different to any other religion.
Armstrong describes the decade-long struggle between Mecca and Medina, which was an economic and political struggle that took religious form, and the eventual triumph of the Muslims of Medina.Read more ›
I picked up this book as a lifelong atheist who has never had much sympathy for any religion, although I respect the rights of others to their beliefs. I was looking for information because I am disturbed at the prevalence in the media and elsewhere of hate propaganda against Muslims. If I'm being told I should hate something, I want to know why.
Armstrong traces the rise of Islam to an economic revolution that occurred in Arabia in the seventh century, largely due to the growing importance of trade in a nomadic grazing economy.
She looks briefly at the rise of monotheism in the newly emerging cities, particularly Mecca, and the emergence of Islam from that as Mohammed's revelations provided a body of scripture for Arab monotheism.
Mohammed and others considered his revelations divine, the word of god. In that, he's not alone, as many religions consider the thoughts of brilliant people among their founders to have been divinely inspired. The poetic nature of Mohammed's revelations and their relevance to the social situation of their time led to their survival, and later followers of Islam used them to understand their own social situations, down to the present time. In this Islam is no different to any other religion.
Armstrong describes the decade-long struggle between Mecca and Medina, which was an economic and political struggle that took religious form, and the eventual triumph of the Muslims of Medina.Read more ›
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74 of 94 people found the following review helpful
By
Wayne Beckham
on July 5, 2008
Format: Paperback
Karen Armstrong's Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time directly addresses the central conflict of our times, "Some Muslim thinkers regard the jihad against Mecca as the climax of Muhammad's career and fail to note that he eventually abjured warfare and adopted a nonviolent policy. Western critics also persist in seeing the Prophet of Islam as a man of war, and fail to see that from the very first he was opposed to the jahili arrogance and egotism that not only fueled the aggression of his time but is much in evidence in some leaders, Western and Muslim alike, today."
Karen goes out of her way to present a balanced and fair perspective on the life of Muhammad. She does this by basing her biography on the Prophet's response to al-Jahiliyah: commonly translated as "an Islamic concept of 'ignorance of divine guidance.'" Karen examinees more than Jahiliyah's theological significance, going into its practical impact on the culture of the Arabian peninsula. The dominant jahili spirit of the time was arrogant, quick to take a offense, warlike and vengeful. Islam, as practiced and taught by the Prophet, Karen makes clear, was a rejection of all of these traits - usually to the great consternation of his followers:
"And the servants of Allah, Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant (jahilun) address them, they say, `Peace!' " (Sura The Criterion 25:63 - translation from The Qur'an: Text, Translation & Commentary.Read more ›
Karen goes out of her way to present a balanced and fair perspective on the life of Muhammad. She does this by basing her biography on the Prophet's response to al-Jahiliyah: commonly translated as "an Islamic concept of 'ignorance of divine guidance.'" Karen examinees more than Jahiliyah's theological significance, going into its practical impact on the culture of the Arabian peninsula. The dominant jahili spirit of the time was arrogant, quick to take a offense, warlike and vengeful. Islam, as practiced and taught by the Prophet, Karen makes clear, was a rejection of all of these traits - usually to the great consternation of his followers:
"And the servants of Allah, Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant (jahilun) address them, they say, `Peace!' " (Sura The Criterion 25:63 - translation from The Qur'an: Text, Translation & Commentary.Read more ›
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50 of 68 people found the following review helpful
By
Cecilia Cordeiro Engels
on August 10, 2007
Format: Hardcover
1 Comment
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This biography provides a fascinating account of Muhammad's life and the origins of Islam, the religion he founded. The author allows us to picture life and society in Arabia during the Prophet's lifetime, and the tremendous achievements that he was able to develop in a very short time. It is the story of a brilliant leader, both religious and political. Armstrong's most significant contribution through this biography in my opinion is to reveal Muhammad in a very human light, devoid of both mythological allure and untainted by historical prejudices. It is an extremely useful reading for our current times, since it provides the opportunity for a better understanding of Islam.
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15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By
Ramy Waly
on April 25, 2010
Format: Hardcover
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Karen in this book, as far as I read, states many views and explanations of the history of Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace and prayer be upon him).
Some of these views I , as a Muslim, agree with and some I do not.
With a western, material view of the religion, she see the situations in a more human psychology related events than a Muslim religious view, which believes that psychology and material events are overwhelmed by the supreme power of the creator.
These historical debates are clearly stated as an erratum in the Holy Quran. Erratum as regard the history, the actual reaction of the prophet and others and also the proposed reactions of both. So, as a Muslim , with many historical scripts, the Quran for me acts as the final guidance in explaining the whole situation , with some range of explanations accepted. Karen, in some explanations, became out of this range.
Also, there is some translation problems from Arabic, like in page 89 , line 7, it was not sheep uterus, it was placenta, remnants of birth of a sheep.
Page 68, line 16 onwards, this is completely a vague assumption by the author, as it is well known that monotheism was the 1st issue raised in Islam, without any debate from any historian as far as I know. I totally disagree with this assumption from line 16 till the page end !!
Page 48, translation of Al-Qadr= high value, not Al-Qadar= destiny ( Surat- Al-Qadr) in the middle of the page.
Page 38: conservative about the word (adored his daughters), which carries a meaning of holiness , done only to God in Islam.
Page 33 line 4, circumambulations around Kaaba is counter-clockwise not the reverse.I do not see any relation between this ritual and trade movement at all!
Page 37, Also, as a reader of the Islamic history, , line 12,I do not know who is (Fakhitah)?!!
my email : ramywaly@yahoo.com
thanks
Some of these views I , as a Muslim, agree with and some I do not.
With a western, material view of the religion, she see the situations in a more human psychology related events than a Muslim religious view, which believes that psychology and material events are overwhelmed by the supreme power of the creator.
These historical debates are clearly stated as an erratum in the Holy Quran. Erratum as regard the history, the actual reaction of the prophet and others and also the proposed reactions of both. So, as a Muslim , with many historical scripts, the Quran for me acts as the final guidance in explaining the whole situation , with some range of explanations accepted. Karen, in some explanations, became out of this range.
Also, there is some translation problems from Arabic, like in page 89 , line 7, it was not sheep uterus, it was placenta, remnants of birth of a sheep.
Page 68, line 16 onwards, this is completely a vague assumption by the author, as it is well known that monotheism was the 1st issue raised in Islam, without any debate from any historian as far as I know. I totally disagree with this assumption from line 16 till the page end !!
Page 48, translation of Al-Qadr= high value, not Al-Qadar= destiny ( Surat- Al-Qadr) in the middle of the page.
Page 38: conservative about the word (adored his daughters), which carries a meaning of holiness , done only to God in Islam.
Page 33 line 4, circumambulations around Kaaba is counter-clockwise not the reverse.I do not see any relation between this ritual and trade movement at all!
Page 37, Also, as a reader of the Islamic history, , line 12,I do not know who is (Fakhitah)?!!
my email : ramywaly@yahoo.com
thanks
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