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The Life of Mohammad from Original Sources
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1912 edition by John Grant, Edinburgh.
701 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2001
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About the author
William Muir
206 books16 followersSir William Muir, KCSI was a Scottish Orientalist, scholar of Islam, and colonial administrator.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 19, 2017
Muir's classic biography, which ought to be better known, is a masterpiece of scholarship. In the introduction, he sets out a clear and logical methodology by which he will approach the traditions which tell of the Prophet's life. His method proves strong and true, and brings about an honest and sensitive account of Mohammad's life and character. Muir with clarity sets out the major incidents of the life - the marriages, the call to prophecy, the composition of the Quran, the years of rejection, the influence and eventual rejection of Judaism and Christianity, the so-called Satanic Verses, the Hegira, the various battles, the assassinations and massacres, the taking of Mecca, the wars of conquest, and the death. The main companions are accounted for, and the women (married or concubines) enumerated. Muir's concluding summation is that Muhammad was gripped by a genuine and selfless vision whilst in Mecca which then turned to self-serving ends as he gained power after decamping to Medina. The stories from Mohammad's years in Medina are shocking; by this account, the Prophet was a violent brigand who could bear no criticism, had his enemies murdered simply for satirizing him, and who built up a harem to sate his physical lusts. Nevertheless, Muir also emphasizes Muhammad's steadfast belief in his own prophetic calling, his commitment to his friends, and his sometimes disarming displays of statecraft and mercy.
Reading Muir, one can't help but feel the tradition which forbids the portrayal of the Prophet in art or drama is a wise one, as an audience would certainly raise their eyebrows at a number of his acts. Muhammad does not come across as very much worse, morally, than many of the Patriarchs and Kings in the Old Testament (Joshua was a warlord, and David a murderer and adulterer) but the Prophet is a very different figure from the Jesus of the Gospels, who rejected the worldly power which Muhammad, in this reading of his life, embraced.
Muir's book is a challenging and compelling read, written in the high Victorian prose style. It could not, for many reasons, be a biography written about Muhammad today. If we take Muir's portrait of Mohammad and his religion at its word, it is simply impossible to see how this could ever be the founder of a religion of peace.
Reading Muir, one can't help but feel the tradition which forbids the portrayal of the Prophet in art or drama is a wise one, as an audience would certainly raise their eyebrows at a number of his acts. Muhammad does not come across as very much worse, morally, than many of the Patriarchs and Kings in the Old Testament (Joshua was a warlord, and David a murderer and adulterer) but the Prophet is a very different figure from the Jesus of the Gospels, who rejected the worldly power which Muhammad, in this reading of his life, embraced.
Muir's book is a challenging and compelling read, written in the high Victorian prose style. It could not, for many reasons, be a biography written about Muhammad today. If we take Muir's portrait of Mohammad and his religion at its word, it is simply impossible to see how this could ever be the founder of a religion of peace.
May 21, 2017
Even though this book was a difficult and long read, I am glad that I invested the time to read this book. it provided additional historical insights into the the foundation of Islam, Mohammed and his contemporaries.
December 24, 2007
Sir William Muir KCSI 1819 to 1905 Principal of Edinburgh University 1885-1903. He was an oreintalist specializing in the history of Mohammad and subsequent caliphates. He served as an assistant prefect in Agra, and was knighted in 1864 where he subsequently instituted the construction of Allahabad University in India.
His original book "The life of Mohammad" was initially published 1861 in four volume tomes in which every detail was irrefragably proven to be a true fact in translating the Muslim Scholars; Al-Wakidi, At-Tabari and Ibn Ishak, the initial writers of the Hadiths. The works of Al-Bukhari were originally accepted but later rejected when closer historical investigation found many of his issues to be historically in error.
The multitude of writing in the original volumes were, in fact, references, footnotes, appendices, quotes and et.al., directly translated from the Sacred Scipture and accepted Hadiths or Traditions. His references from the Koran are clearly reflected in my two reference Korans by the much later interpreters, Dawood and Pickthall, both devoted and faithful Muslims.
In 1923, however, T.H.Weir edited and condensed the four volumes to one, leaving out many of the evidenciary verifications of many of the historically pertinent facts. One point that Muir makes clear is that the Koran and referenced Traditions in the words spoken by Mohammad are unequivocally accurate.
To read and understand this book, you will need Dawood's Koran and a good on line dictionary since some of the words are quite archaic. Nevertheless, this is a book that needs to be read and understood before shooting off fly traps about Islam.
His original book "The life of Mohammad" was initially published 1861 in four volume tomes in which every detail was irrefragably proven to be a true fact in translating the Muslim Scholars; Al-Wakidi, At-Tabari and Ibn Ishak, the initial writers of the Hadiths. The works of Al-Bukhari were originally accepted but later rejected when closer historical investigation found many of his issues to be historically in error.
The multitude of writing in the original volumes were, in fact, references, footnotes, appendices, quotes and et.al., directly translated from the Sacred Scipture and accepted Hadiths or Traditions. His references from the Koran are clearly reflected in my two reference Korans by the much later interpreters, Dawood and Pickthall, both devoted and faithful Muslims.
In 1923, however, T.H.Weir edited and condensed the four volumes to one, leaving out many of the evidenciary verifications of many of the historically pertinent facts. One point that Muir makes clear is that the Koran and referenced Traditions in the words spoken by Mohammad are unequivocally accurate.
To read and understand this book, you will need Dawood's Koran and a good on line dictionary since some of the words are quite archaic. Nevertheless, this is a book that needs to be read and understood before shooting off fly traps about Islam.
July 15, 2016
Considerable amount of research in an old fashioned Herodotus style of anecdotal history. Not an amicable brief to be sure, but not the overly fawning redemptionism currently in vogue. Certainly a stimulating corrective to cultural equivalence. If you are interested in beginning a study of the West's checkered history with the emergence of Islam, you can get a 'two birds with one stone' appreciation of the British Colonial perspective and a good idea of chronotopic layout at the same time.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews