Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #261

by Jonathan A.C. Brown

As the founder of Islam, a religion with over one billion followers, Muhammad is beyond all doubt one of the most influential figures in world history. But learning about his life and understanding his importance has always proven difficult, as our only source of knowledge comes from the biography of him written by his followers, the reliability of which has been questioned by Western scholars. This Very Short Introduction provides a superb introduction to the major aspects of Muhammad's life and its importance, providing both Muslim and Western historical perspectives. It explains the prominent roles that Muhammad's persona has played in the Islamic world throughout history, from the medieval to the modern period. The book also sheds light on modern controversies such as the Satanic Verses , for which author Salman Rushdie was condemned for blasphemy, and the uproar over Danish cartoons of Muhammad, which triggered violent protests around the world. As these recent events show,
whatever the truth about Muhammad's life, his persona still plays a crucial role in Muslim life and civilization.

About the Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

Genres: Islam, Religion, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Read For School, Middle East

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Jonathan Andrew Cleveland Brown is an American scholar of Islamic studies. Since 2012, he has been associate professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He holds the Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization at Georgetown University.

He has authored several books including Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenges and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet’s Legacy, Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World, Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction, and The Canonization of al-Bukhari and Muslim. He has also published articles in the fields of Hadith, Islamic law, Salafism, Sufism, and Arabic language.

Reviews

[Narmeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for those seeking to educate themselves about Muhammad (saw) and his role in Islam. This comes as no surprise for anyone who is familiar with Dr. Brown's work, he is a master of research. I think this makes for a great inter-faith book. It really rationalises the miracles of Muhammad (saw) and focusses on the methodology of what makes the Sira or Hadith credible sources. It does an in-depth contrast on what other abrahamic religions understand about who Muhammad's (saw) was. This Sira is different than what I've read in the past as it is a very unbiased look into the life of Muhammad (saw) which works in an academic setting that isn't necessarily just for Muslims. Regardless of anybody's belief, it is undeniable that Muhammad (saw) was an influential figure who brought a lot of change to the Pre-Islamic society, who before him were suffering in the socio-economic, political and religious spheres.

I gave it 3 stars not because it's not great but because I was hoping for a more emotional read during Ramadan which it did deliver in the first half, however the second half was more research based that took some of the emotion from making this a 4 star read for me. I would recommend it though, if you love your facts and references you will love this book, but if you're seeking an Imaan boost then other Sira books might be a better alternative for you. A solid read, nonetheless.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Based on the title, it isn't something on the surface that would really interest a "veteran" Muslim however, this book gives a good once over of the life of the Prophet and includes little known facts and opinions. For the novice, this is an excellent start to learn about Muhammad and the aura that surrounds him. It is written in short, easy to read paragraphs and the book can be read easily in a few sittings and keeps the reader interested and encouraged to finish. Nothing I hate more than a looooong, drawn out meandering paragraph. Brown, also includes some unique perspectives that may not be orthodox, not entirely a bad thing. He does have other books that cover more on several "controversial" topics and the credentials to not be dismissed as tends to happen with people who think outside the box. I had the pleasure of hearing him speak and meeting Jonathan Brown about a year or so ago and you can see his personality and free-thinking persona in his writing quite well. Look forward to reading more of his books.

[Muhamed]

I bought this book after participating in one of Dr Brown's talks. I was impressed by his genuine efforts to present history in a scholarly and non-biased way a quality that I found in the writing of this book too. The book also has great suggestions at the end for further reading which is very helpful.

[Vincent T. Ciaramella · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I would like to say that the series "A short introduction" have become on of my favorite things in the world. There are lots of great books and topics available that give you what you want without all the fluff or bias. This volume was no exception.

Muhammad has to be one of the most controversial figures in human history. To one billion, he is the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets. To others he is a charlatan, mad, or the Anti-Christ. No matter where you stand on the issue this book will give the what you want both a religious and scared history and a view point from an outsider.

Brown starts the book out with the sacred history and it reads like something you would find in maybe a type of Sunday School (I don't know if they have Friday school or what the correct name for it would be). But don't get me wrong, that is what I wanted. I want to know how the average Muslim thinks about their prophet, and what stories would the average person know about him.

The second half of the book deconstructs both the myths of Islam and the myths of Western History of the period and tries to put the topic into the context of the historical period without being an apologist.

If you are just someone who wants to know more about Muhammad being a believer or not I feel this book is right up your alley. I feel that most on both sides should read it to understand where the other is coming from. It might settle some longstanding bad blood between both sides, and it's under 10 bucks on Amazon.

[Mujtaba Moosavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more of a western academic analysis of Muslim renditions of the Prophet Muhammad's (ص) biography throughout history, and does not seek to introduce people to Islam as a call to faith more so than to familiarise the reader with the man who serves as the inspiration for billions of people around the world, references to whom they will undoubtedly encounter frequently in a positive and negative light.

The book starts off by presenting the Sunni “orthodox” rendition of the seerah to lay out the traditionally held Muslim perception of the Prophet's (ص) life. In a somewhat disconcerting turn, Brown then plunges us into the world of western and Judeo-Christian scholarship and their takes on Islamic history, and exposes the reader to the criticisms of the traditional seerah and even the accusations that are levelled against Prophet (ص) and Muslim scholarship from the 8th century to now. As a Muslim reader, this did leave a bad taste in the mouth, particularly as some of these half-thought accusations and protestations are not even worthy of a mention in academic circles.

The author does not buy fully into the Historical Critical Method adopted by many contemporary scholars, highlighting it’s flaws. He further cites the flaws in the western principle of historical authentication by accepting more readily narrations from the Muslims themselves that paint the Prophet Muhammad (ص) in a less than favourable light. He also dismisses the claim that trusting the opposing side's sources is more viable than what western scholars consider the tampered Muslims seerah, explaining that trusting early non-Muslim sources of conquered people ignores the evident biased embedded in such reports. Nevertheless, he does give a great deal of weight to their perspectives - too much for my liking. The only truly strong stance that Brown takes is when he dismisses the western “revisionist” perspective that Muhammad (ص) never existed - and rightly so!

Interestingly, Brown explains Imam Khomeini's (r) fatwa against Salman Rushdie in quite level headed way not often heard in western circles. This positive is quickly negated by denouncing of some ahadith as fabrications without explanation why - the indication being that he holds the Prophet Muhammad (ص) to be a normal human and then lumps any ahadith that show any divinity in his stature. In fact, Brown seems to brush much of the supernatural elements of the seerah off as likely fabrication - particularly in regard to the Prophet's (ص) metaphysical reality and his capacity for miracles. He pulls out extreme and clearly fabricated extreme ahadith to prove his points about exaggerations on the persona of Prophet Muhammad (ص), then groups all hadith that allude to Prophet Muhammad's (ص) extraordinary status in the same category. It almost felt at times like I was reading the works of a Salafi brother, and after a quick Wiki-dive into Brown, I discovered he is a Sunni Hanbali - and perhaps it is these leanings that give a Salafi seasoning to the works moreso than a purely western academic one. Or maybe the Salafis and academics are simply united in their distrust of anything that shows to supernatural elements of the Prophet's (ص) life.

Brown's background might also explain his aversion to investigating the Shi'a hadith corpus' supplementary evidence for the fabrication of the seerah - or maybe he just hasn't yet got round to exploring the Shi'ah narrative in its due depth. Since the Shi’a ulama are quite critical of the “orthodox” narrative, for it's reduction of the Prophet's (ص) character to that of decent and wise, yet fallible individual, it would have been enlightening for him himself to have seek some Shi'i insight. Although he briefly mentions some Shi'a stances on certain issues, the rich Shi'i tradition is able to shed some light on how conditions internal to the ummah and forces external may have shaped the narrative. As an example, it is mentioned that Ibn Ishaq promoted the Prophet's (ص) uncle Abbas in the hadith corpus at the behest of the Abbasid Caliphate under which he worked. This would be a great time to include that the Shi’a ulama' hold a similar rendition of history and analyse the seerah through a similarly critical eye to potential power dynamics affecting the seerah, which would certainly prove interesting to the reader following this train of thought.

Eventually the lack of Shi’a perspective on his talking points about the authenticity of the seerah became frustrating for me. This follows a pattern of side-lining the Shi’a opinion as a fringe opinion. He denotes that contradictions in the seerah were the result of warring for ideological dominance between Sunnis and Shi’as - an oversimplification that villifies much of the Muslim world and one that proves he has not had much exposure to the Shi’i literature. He could have also explored the Shi'i take on Isra'iliyat that entered the hadith corpus and the motivations behind it, and when mentioning the Prophet's (ص) supposed heart washing incident - it would have enriched his discussion to include the Shi'i understanding that such narrations served as a way to grant the Caliphs more spiritual and moral legitimacy to rule over the Muslims as their Prophet (ص) was seen as a more fallible individual.

Overall, this book is not intended for a Muslim audience, and I feel that were it read by an unfamiliar western reader who only had exposure to figures like Jesus (ع), it would not do justice to the Prophet's legacy due to the focus on hyper-critical rhetoric for the final two thirds of the book. I can't help but think that a figure like Jesus (ع) would not have received so much text in an introductory book about his biography exploring the criticisms of his "seerah". With all the above in mind, I can't recommend this book to those interested in Islam and the life of Muhammad (ص), nor to those Muslims who want a quick read as a refresh or something they can pass on. I could only truly recommend it as a tool for Muslims students of Islam to have a quick guide to the "orthodox" seerah and the criticisms levelled against Muhammad (ص) and his seerah through the ages. That being said, for the small introductory work it is, it does cover quite a lot of ground.

3 stars.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this as a little intermediary book after the previous two I finished and before diving into the immense “A People’s History of the United States” and my first Spanish-language book.

I give it 4 stars because this very short introduction is literally the first book I’ve ever read on Islam. It explained to me the concepts and histories of idolatry, Shariah, and depictions of the Prophet in a digestible way. There likely are, of course, more in-depth books on Islam/the life of Muhammad/historical analyses of Muhammad and the final section of the final chapter has a slightly shaky perspective on colonialism, in my opinion. Here’s my favorite quote, which is the author’s summation of the Prophet’s importance:

“To impugn Muhammad in the centuries after his death was to attack the persona that bound together Islamic civilization. It was a crime against the Muslim order, similar to treason, and not a matter of freedom of expression. Like treason today, it was also punishable by death.”

[Gursimran · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I asked my muslim friend to suggest me a book to read/know about Prophet, it was his idea to begin it with this one. And later on he even gave me this book as a present.

Well, as a beginner I'd say this book is not just a biography but it does critical assessment of teachings of Prophet as welI which I believe gives the reader a broader horizon of Islam from middle ages till recent times. Although short but the book can't be belittled since it's a critical read. May offend some but it gives you ecumenical view on the subject encompassing million lives.
Mr Jonathan has done a commendable job as a historian that's no doubt here. I mean his way of presenting arguments both for and against was at par. He, at last, leaves it upon readers to decide in such matters of faith.
Short, unbiased, critical and scientific study of life of the Messenger of God. Highly recommend it.

[Josiah Schrodt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing and informative

[Usama Ansar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars really, but 4 would do.

If you’re looking for a crash course on the life of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, who He SAW was and what He SAW means to the Muslims, this is *the* place to go. The book has its shortcomings, but the fact that it’s been written by a hadith scholar well acquainted with modern debates around the Prophet PBUH makes it a wonderful read.

This is not exactly a book of Seerah, as the genre is understood. The first chapter can be categorized as the Seerah - it is a summary of Ibn Hisham’s classic work on the life of the Prophet PBUH. I’ll be honest, this is where I felt the book would end, but I’m glad it was more than this.

The second chapter critically analyses the shortcomings of Ibn Hisham, it’s potential biases, and the historical context the text was written in. Dr. Brown also mentions that Ibn Hisham drew extensively on Ibn Ishaq’s previous work, of which little exists. This is followed by, as in his Musquoting Muhammad, a discussion on interpretation and the context of the interpretation. Ibn Hisham’s Seerah was written under the patronage of the Abbasids at a time when sunni orthodoxy was solidifying. He sees some of Ibn Hisham’s omissions and his presentation of alternate opinions in this light.

These two chapters really made me think, it’s not only the writers who write in a certain context, it is also the readers who read in a certain context. When I first read a book of seerah, I was in my HT mode, looking out for revolutionary aspects of the seerah - statebuilding, warfare, treaties and alliances.. This time around I was looking out for a more personal aspect - about the people around the Prophet PBUH, their flaws and how the Prophet PBUH dealt with them. The examples of grief and happiness, of failure and success, of rejection and acceptance from His SAW’s life were much more relevant this time around.

It was consoling to read about Umar RZ getting angry about Hudaybiyyah and Muhammad SAW understanding where that anger came from. It felt much more relatable to read about Aws and Khazraj being nationalistic and the Prophet PBUH reminding them that what unites them is larger than what divides them. In the time of MBZ et. al. Abdullah bin Ubayy’s betrayals felt much more personal.

The third chapter deals with modern debates around the Prophet PBUH. Can He be depicted? Can He come in dreams? What to make of those dreams? Why do these debates strike a cord in the community? Very insightful discussions on very relevant issues for those interested, but for me, the first two were what I read the book for. Ofc it was “a very short introduction” and could not have possibly covered the whole seerah, the nuances, the debates, but as a crash course bedtime read on the life of the Prophet PBUH, I found it to be very good.

[Barbara Burd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the Bridging Ccultures: Muslim Journeys book discussion. This is a project sponsored by the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The very short introduction books provide brief overviews of specific topics. Brown is a well-known and distinguished scholar of the Muslim culture and was an excellent choice as the author of this book. Brown addresses the life of Muhammad from the historical and cultural context and pieces together the narrative of Muhammad's life. This book gave me a better understanding of the foundation of Islam and the role of Muhammad as the prophet of Allah.
This is a good book for anyone who wants to learn more about the Muslim people and culture. It is extremely well-written. While scholarly, it is also very readable.

[Clifton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impartial work of condensed scholarship. Very accessible.

[Mehrukh Nasim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
'Short' being the operative word! the ending was a bit abrupt, too!
Left me yearning for a detailed version!

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was pretty good. Sometimes confusing. But a short overview.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

While reading through the Oxford " very short introduction" series I have to evaluate the books by two standards. If it is a subject I know little or nothing about then I have to go by how much it teaches me. If it is a subject that I know a lot about though, I have to go by how well explained it is. In the case of the ones on subjects I know little about, there is a chance that I might have a simplified view of the subject from the book, and not even realize it. I am starting to wonder if my reviews of these books reflect that, meaning the more I know about the subject the worse my review. That doesn't hold true of all of these because I rated the "philosophy of science" book pretty highly, but the religion books in particular have been overall very disappointing.

In the case of this book the first half is basically an abridged version of the Muslim account of Muhammad's life. It does what it says on the tin, in that if you know nothing about Muhammad it gives you a brief biography on him. The second half of the book is about both a critical historical reading of this biography, and the place Muhammad occupies in the Muslim faith. While not terrible, both these sections feel rushed and do not present a very complex picture of what they are discussing. Like all these books there is further reading suggested, but this is a case where the condensing of a subject will probably lead to some confusion. The ending of the book was so abrupt that I was convinced there was a missing page at first.

[Eka S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dalam buku ini biografi Rasulullah dirangkum dengan sangat singkat di chapter pertama. Jadi untuk yang tertarik dengan biografi yang lebih detil, mending baca sirah karya penulis lain seperti misalnya karya Martin Lings, Muhammad: Kisah Hidup Nabi Berdasarkan Sumber Klasik (personal favorite ini mah).

Yang menarik justru di chapter berikutnya yang menjelaskan bahwa sirah Nabi Muhammad juga ga lepas dari gejolak politik dan religious debates di masa penulisannya seperti dalam sirah paling awal karya Ibnu Ishaq yang ditulis di bawah kekuasaan Dinasti Abbasiyah. Juga bagaimana peran Ali bin Abi Thalib yang ga terlalu diangkat karena terkait debat Sunni-Shiah. Bahkan sirah nabi yang ditulis setelahnya menghapus beberapa hal yang dirasa ga sesuai dengan kempen infallibility of the Prophet.

Para sejarawan modern saat ini melihat bahwa dengan mengetahui adanya pengaruh kekuasaan atau kempen terkait kenabian di masa penulisan sirah, kita justru jadi bisa mengidentifikasi mana yang kemungkinan besar otentik. Oleh karena itu keraguan akan detil2 kehidupan Nabi tidak seharusnya membuat kita meragukan narasi sirah secara keseluruhan. Namun sayangnya, tidak semua bagian yang dirasa ga otentik dan bagian yang sudah dihapus itu dijelaskan di buku ini. Ya sesuai dengan judulnya juga sih, A Very Short Introduction.

[Zahidul Choyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is divided into three distinct sections. The first part provides a concise overview of the Prophet's life (Seerah). The latter two parts explore various historical perspectives on our beloved Prophet. Additionally, the book addresses some controversial topics, offering brief insights into their historical contexts. And the third part addresses, how Muslims throughout history have venerated the Greatest of the Prophets, with their passion and love. If i want to quote Dr. Jonathan here,

"Similarly, each of the great prophets sent throughout history reflected one of God’s attributes, such as His power, creativity, or mercy. They culminated in Muhammad, whom the Quran calls ‘the Seal of the Prophets’. He was the ‘perfect human’ par excellence , the flawless reflection of God who represented the goal sought by all mystical seekers of truth. His timeless essence, which Ibn ‘Arabi called the ‘Muhammadan Reality’ ( al-haqiqa al-muhammadiyya ) was the eternal reality of the ‘perfect human’ in the world and the whole purpose of creation"

[Joseph Ruelas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction is a historical, scholarly analysis of the life of the prophet Muhammad. Mr. Brown thoroughly describes the life of Muhammad from his genealogy to his teachings and their effect. This book provides a distinctly cultural look on the life of Muhammad in which the author dives into what one might call “Muhammad culture” and what that consists of. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. Another feature of this work that I noticed is the detail and historical facts presented. This book is not, to the average person, simply an overview of Muhammad, but rather a detailed journey into his life, and by making the book this way, Mr. Brown lets the reader gain an extraordinary knowledge of Muhammad and Islam in the short time it takes to read this book. Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction provides great insight into Muhammad and should be considered a necessary read for any class on Muhammad or Islam.

[Ismail Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan A.C. Brown's "Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction" provides a concise and accessible overview of the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Brown begins with a digest of the Sira, the traditional Islamic biographies of Muhammad (pbuh), which detail his life, mission, and the establishment of Islam. Following this foundational narrative, Brown delves into the broader historical, social, and theological contexts surrounding Muhammad's (pbuh) life and the early Muslim community.

Throughout the book, Brown contextualizes Muhammad's (pbuh) life within the broader spectrum of Islamic history and examines the various interpretations and debates that have emerged over the centuries. This approach provides readers, aimed at non-Muslim folk, with a nuanced understanding of Muhammad's (pbuh) enduring significance in the Islamic world.

[Alex Linschoten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and comprehensive overview of the Prophet Muhammad's life story and the ways in which it has been used and interpreted over the years since his death.

This book is split into three sections. In the first, Brown retells Ibn Ishaq's well-known 'sira' of the Prophet's life. In the second, these events are placed into historical context. In the final section, Brown looks at how Muslims have interpreted and added to the bare facts of the Prophet's life over the years, and how critics of Islam have also played their role in shaping narratives.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, clear, concise introduction to the life of Muhammad. It seems to cover the clear areas in its biography and analyses the different histories of Muhammad and where they come from. I do find the multitude of names in the first chapter difficult to remember, but it seems inevitable that that would happen. I found this more emotionally engaging and also explanatory to the Quran, which I recently finished. The book is limited by few chapters and the final chapter being weak. I would recommend reading at least the first chapter to anyone.

[Junaid A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the name suggests, this is a very very short introduction to the Prophet (SAW). Compact and enjoyable with a lot of information and incentive for curious readers. The risky part about reading this book for an average Muslim like me is that it introduces a number of debatable issues without proper closure of the topics. I guess this is obvious as the aim of this book was not to discuss elaborately, but to give the readers a basic intro.

[J_BlueFlower]

I meant to read it as a companion to/before The Satanic Verses, but ended finishing The Satanic Verses way faster. Too many other good books to read, so I am abandoning this one.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for school. It does an amazing job not only telling te life of Muhammad as through the religious lenses but also through the critical historical perspective. A great introduction if anyone is wanting to learn more about Islam and it’s founder.

[Taylor Swift Scholar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was a pretty solid Very Short Introduction. It is worth mentioning that I am starting from a standpoint of very little knowledge, but I found Brown's writing to be clear and informative.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 1: The life of the Messenger of God
Chapter 2: Shaping Muhammad in history
Chapter 3: Muhammad in Islamic civilization

[Hossam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative 120 pages book about the prophet peace be upon him. The first 80% of the book is a biography and the rest are studies about his biography. I really learned a lot from this short introduction. The most important part is the studies.

[Md Shahid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Hussein Aboubakr · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent brief introduction to the Sira of Muhammad both in tradition in critical scholarship.

[Irfan Sadik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book with history, politics & evolution of Seerah. You can learn a brief biography. But at some point, he crossed the line to be a rationalist. But I think that's understandable.

[Updesh Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good introduction to muhammad