Muhammad (570-632) died 1,374 years ago, but his life, his teachings, and his legacy still remain vibrant topics for discussion and debate. Famed religion historian Karen Armstrong enhances the Eminent Lives series with this carefully researched biography of the final Prophet of Islam. She notes that although more historical data exists on his life than that of the founder of any other major faith, that plethora of information has not prevented innumerable misunderstandings, errors, and outright distortions. Muhammad: The Prophet for Our Time moves back in time, beyond deadly ideological wars, to the life of a merchant who became one of the most important men in history.
Laurie Goodstein
To glimpse how the vast majority of the world’s Muslims understand their prophet and their faith, Karen Armstrong’s short biography is a good place to start. The volume is part of a series called “Eminent Lives”: small profiles of big-name subjects by big-name authors.
Ms. Armstrong, best known for A History of God, is a scholar and a former nun with a genius for presenting religions as products of temporal forces — like geography, culture and economics — without minimizing the workings of transcendent spiritual forces.
— The New York Times
Library Journal
Anyone reflecting on the current world climate of intolerance would agree that it's impossible to have too many enlightening books on Muhammad and his spiritual legacy. Written for educated lay readers, this entry in the "Eminent Lives" series is a briefer post-9/11 update of Armstrong's insightful Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet (1991). Five fast-paced chapters cover Mecca, Jahiliyyah (time of ignorance), Hijrah (migration to Medina), Jihad, and Salam (peace). Readers of these pages cannot escape the genius of Muhammad and his aim for peace and compassion among nations and among Muslims themselves: "Muslim must never fight against Muslim." Armstrong makes a strong appeal to the nations and religions of the world "not merely [to] tolerate but to appreciate one another." Clearly, Muhammad is a prophet for our time, and inhabitants of this unstable planet must take his words to heart if our species is to survive. Recommended for all libraries.-Gary P. Gillum, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
New York Times
A good glimpse of how the vast majority of the world’s Muslims understand their prophet.
The Economist
Respectful, knowledgeable, and, above all, readable. It succeeds because [Armstrong] brings Muhammad to life as a fully rounded human being.
Wall Street Journal
Karen Armstrong’s sympathetic profile paints a portrait of a very human prophet
DEC 07/JAN 08 - AudioFile
To Westerners, especially after 9/11, Islam has become a great enigma that seemingly renders coexistence impossible. By carefully piecing together Muhammad’s life and vision in the context of his cultural roots, however, Armstrong tries to show that Muhammad’s message is rooted in respect, compassion, and compromise. Her plea for understanding is all the more moving because she herself is the narrator and is committed to the message. The post-9/11 world we live in has lent urgency to her voice, and if she sometimes sounds like an apologist for Islam, this portrayal shows she is far more. She refuses to gloss over or excuse the negatives. The prophet is a man to the end of his life—with all the human weaknesses that suggests—but his message remains as valid in our time as it was in his. P.E.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, AudioFile Best Audiobook of 2007 © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
