Muhammad: Prophet for Our Time (Eminent Lives)

The average score for this book is high so I wont talk to much about it's good points as many others have done that. I will only say that Armstrongs great strength is her ability to see humanity in 'the other'. That is where her approach comes from.

Many of the negative reviews are from people convinced that Islam is the bogeyman/naziism of our time (becaus there always has to be one right?). Armstrong doesn't fall into that trap.

I, as a believer did find some of her insights frustrating as I found others very impressive.

She has a habit of saying in the book that Muhammad (saw) was 'reaching into himself for answers to his societies problems, and this is her explanations for the revelations. She also, (it seems to me) has the typical western 'weakness' for using the person of Jesus(as) as a barometer for all of Muhammad's actions (and I say that as a virtual westerner born and raised as a Christian in the west). A cursory study of various religious personages shows that they all deserve to be judged on their own terms.

Thus the mass execution after the treachery of the Banu Quraiza at 'The Trench', can be explained simply by stating that if the the Muslims had lost, this is what would have been done to them by that Jewish tribe, because that is the ways that things were done. No one would have batted an eyelid at that time. It was the equity of the time, anything less would have been mercy, and Muhammad (saw) was often merciful. However such practices would not be valid now).

Armstrong's explanation doesn't make this clear

Islam is unique in stressing (during the lifetime of it's founder) the need to excercise justice and mercy on their proper occastions. It's wise to show a thief who has stolen bread because his family is hungry mercy. It is wise to meet out justice to a serial killer.

Overall, this is one of the best books on Islam that I have read, and it is the best book that I could expect of a non believer which is why I give it 4 stars.

I've reserved 5 stars for another book of her's.

a nice guide to the truth about Islam and its Prophet (4/11 people found this helpful)

It is an excellent book about Muhammad who has been depicted in the media in a unfair way. This book is not all things about Mohammed, it is a little part of the truth. If I look at this book from an angle of anti-Islam backgrounds or bad stereotypes of Islam or the distorted image of Islam spread throughout Western media indeed I see this book in a position where no true facts and information contains. But this is not the way to judge any works.
Sex and children abuse occurred in some churches by people who led prayers there does not reflect the truth about Christianity. Theses horrible incidents only reflect the cruelty of those offenders not their religion. Likewise, what some Muslims did as a terror actions has nothing to do with the real teachings of Islam. People who have bad experience with Muslims also doesn't mean those Muslims are really practising the Islamic religion. To see the just view on Islam and its Prophet please read: What Islam did for us by Tim Wallace-Murphy, Image of the Prophet Muhammad in the West by J. M. Buaben, How Islam created the Modern world by Mark Graham and Struggling to Surrender by Jeffrey Lang.

Good accesable introduction (12/15 people found this helpful)

For people looking for an accesable introduction to the life of Mohammed then look no further. This book is written in a humanist style and introduces the reader to the cultural and historical background of the life of Mohammed and the revelation of the Qu'ran.

There is a lot of interesting and useful insights into the origins of Islam, the life of Mohammed and the Qu'ran itself. Karen Armstrong has no axe to grind and presents her material in a straight foward manner with notes and a excellent bibliography the reader is able to examine concepts and events in greater depth.

A book for an an intellegent person who wishes to be informed rather than evangalised.

A useful introduction (17/21 people found this helpful)

At a little over 200 pages I wasn't expecting this book to be a comprehensive biography of Muhammad or a detailed history of Islam. Indeed this book's strength is its very humanist approach, focusing neatly on the principle subject matter. Having a limited knowledge of Muhammad I found this book very accessible and enlightening. As an in introduction to Islam Karen Armstrong provides a refreshing perspective compared to some of the more negative portrayals prevalent in the media.

The biography in a nuttshell! (3/8 people found this helpful)

I've read Ms. Armstrong's Muhammad Biography of a prophet. And I can clearly say she knows more than what's in the book.
However, the book is written to be the prophet's biography in a nutshell, not too much details. Just tackeling some of the issues from a distance. The book mainly concentrates on Muhammad, and Muhammad alone, his life, message and problems. Meaning Aisha and Abu Bakr for instance won't be strongly felt or you won't feel their influence on him and his life as much as you would in other writings about Muhammad.

However the book is fairly well sorted and only as I can see about the actual facts that took place at his time, and you won't find much of personal comments.

So the book is written to just know what happened in his life, with a minor background on the arab's nature at that time to get the complete picture and make your own mind of what colors you want to see in the picture.

I'd recomend it for anyone who already knows Muhammad and read about him before.

Myxa.

Muhammad: Prophet for Our Time (Eminent Lives)

Karen Armstrong

Reader Reviews:

best possible book by non believer (6/11 people found this helpful)

a nice guide to the truth about Islam and its Prophet (4/11 people found this helpful)

Good accesable introduction (12/15 people found this helpful)

A useful introduction (17/21 people found this helpful)

The biography in a nuttshell! (3/8 people found this helpful)

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