Khaleel Datay's Blog - Posts Tagged "muhammad"

Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet by Deepak Chopra

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I've read a number of biographies on the Arabian Prophet and found this book an interesting departure from the usual presentation. Deepak Chopra's novel is uniquely told through the eyes of friends, family members, and even enemies. This style brought an immediacy and vibrancy to the life of the Prophet, not to be found elsewhere. The author keeps the language simple and easy to understand, and it is this style that contributes to bringing the life of seventh century Arabia alive on the pages. We get a deep sense of the humanity of the extraordinary person that Muhammad was, his search for answers from a greater being and the profound impact on his life when he received the first revelation of the Quran via the angel, Gabriel. We see how the Prophet made enemies in his struggle to convince his community to worship one God as opposed to the hundreds of idols they followed. Not because they didn't agree with the message, but because they stood to lose tons of revenue from the visitors to Mecca who trekked to the holy city to visit the sacred house built by Prophet Abraham and his son. To write a story on the life of a man who brought a faith followed by almost 2 billion people is enough to send any writer for cover, but Chopra handles the subject matter with tact and diplomacy without pulling any punches where he felt he needed to. Chopra's characters are well drawn from what must have been a huge amount of research. The book never attempts to be a narration on the entire life story of the Prophet, yet the author was able to take you through his life with snippets as told through the eyes of his wife, his daughter, a Jewish holy man etc. It makes for a fascinating read and definitely worth a look at.



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