Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman (Galaxy Book, 409)
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Product Description
Product Description
A short account of the life and achievements of one of the great figures of history, this volume also serves as an excellent introduction to one of the world's major religions.
About the Author
W. Montgomery Watt is at University of Edinburgh (Emeritus).
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First Sentence
Under the blazing sun of a summer day in Syria towards the year 600 a caravan of Arab merchants with loaded camels was moving slowly southwards. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Under the blazing sun of a summer day in Syria towards the year 600 a caravan of Arab merchants with loaded camels was moving slowly southwards. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A short account of the life and achievements of one of the great figures in history, this volume also serves as an excellent introduction to one of the world's major religions. Written with objectivity, the book opens with a background chapter on the birth and early life of the Prophet in Mecca. Dr. Watt tells of Muhammad's struggle to make his way as an untrained orphan in the city's commercial world, and his call to prophethood as a result of visions. He recounts the writing down of the Prophet's revelations in teh Qua'an (with an explanation of its passages); Muhammad's betrayal, expulsion from Mecca, and migration to Medina; and his rise to politcal power in Arabia. Throughout Dr. Watt makes clear the social and political background out of which Islam was born, expecially the influence of Judaism and Christianity.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
38 of 48 people found the following review helpful
*The* Portrait of Muhammad
22 Dec 2000
Format:Paperback
If you're looking to gain an understanding of the life of Muhammad, grab this book. Watt presents a prose description of Muhammad's life, backed by sound, comprehensive study. It is actually enjoyable reading, almost like a story, yet completely historically accurate. (Or as much as we can be.) Watt does not make either extreme mistake of simply accepting the traditions of the Hadith or the Qur'an as absolute truth; or of looking only at Western denigrations of Islam. Rather, he appears to recognize historical truths in the Qur'anic traditions, and in Western and Eastern scholarship. If you've been trying to learn about Islam and have spent time looking over the Qur'an, this is *the* book to turn to get that background on Muhammad and "flesh" him out. Watt shows a human, beyond the traditions and myths, that changed his world, and then the rest of the planet.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Loved it!
29 Nov 2005
Format:Paperback
This book was exactly what I was looking for. It is a historical perspective of Muhammad that addresses both the political and religious nature of his life. What I really liked was how I would be questioning some aspect of his argument and two paragraphs later Watt would deal with those questions. Watt is also really good at outlining his points and conclusions so they are very easy to follow.
It's definately a sympathetic view of Muhammad, but I really enjoyed it.
It's definately a sympathetic view of Muhammad, but I really enjoyed it.
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Excellent shorter scholarly biography
11 May 2004
Format:Paperback
Most readers probably won't have the patience to slog through Watt's two bigger volumes, Muhammad At Mecca and Muhammad At Medina. This slimbooks is a good compromise, and an excellent introduction to Western scholarship on the subject. Unlike later, more radical historians like Wansbrough and Crone, Watt sifts through the early Muslim accounts and accepts most of them as being historically reliable.
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