Images of Muhammad: Narratives of the Prophet in Islam Across the Centuries

by Tarif Khalidi

From one of today’s leading Muslim scholars, this compelling look at how the Prophet Muhammad has been portrayed throughout the centuries offers a fascinating history of the diversity of Islamic cultures and beliefs.

The Prophet Muhammad has been revered for more than fifteen centuries. Today, one in five people throughout the world calls for daily praises and blessings upon him and holds him up as a model of virtue.

In IMAGES OF MUHAMMAD, Tarif Khalidi examines the ways Muhammad has been depicted and revered from the immediate aftermath of his death to the present day. With scholarly authority, Khalidi explores how the “biography” of Muhammad has been constructed, reconstructed, and utilized in various Islamic cultures, and traces the influences that have shaped his image, including the profound effect of negative perceptions promulgated by the West. As he describes the great variety of Islamic beliefs and practices, Khalidi illuminates the values and ideas shared by the Sunni, Shia, and Sufi sects, as well as the differences among them, providing Western readers with a clear, objective perspective on the current conflicts within the Muslim world as well as their global repercussions.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Nonfiction, History

342 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Tarif Khalidi was born in Jerusalem in 1938. He received degrees from University College, Oxford, and the University of Chicago, before teaching at the American University of Beirut as a professor in the Department of History from 1970 to 1996. In 1985 he accepted a one-year position as senior research associate at St Anthony’s College, Oxford, and from 1991 to 1992 was a visiting overseas scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge.

In 1996, he left Beirut to become the Sir Thomas Adams’ Professor of Arabic at Cambridge University, the oldest chair of Arabic in the English-speaking world. He was also Director of the Centre for Middle East and Islamic Studies and a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. After six years, Professor Khalidi returned to the American University of Beirut, taking on the Sheikh Zayed Chair in Islamic and Arabic Studies, the first chair to be filled at the University since the civil war.

He has published several books, including Images of Muhammad (Random House, 2009), The Muslim Jesus (Harvard University Press, 2001), Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period (Cambridge University Press, 1995), and Classical Arab Islam (Darwin Press, 1996). He has also published a recent translation of the Qur'an (Penguin, 2008) and edited a collection of essays, Land Tenure and Social Transformation in the Middle East (Syracuse University Press, 1985).

Reviews

[rara ➶]

not SURE how i feel about this, but it’s a great resource and i learned a lot

[Arbaz Fahad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perhaps one of the best books I've read on the history of the Sira literature. Between cover to cover is encapsulated a summary of almost sixteen centuries of sweat, toil and faith of scholars affiliated with different sects and schools of Islam and their endaevour to decipher the life of the Holy Prophet.

I've come to understand by reading this book that the history of the Sira literature is a small fragment of the history of Islam itself. The analysis of the Sira literature follows the ebbs and flows of history. During the formative years of Muslim political ascendency, the Sira literature was more focused on accounts of the Prophet's conduct in battles- Maghazi, the prime examples being the Maghazi of Mama'r bin Rashid (d. 770) and the Maghazi of Al Waqidi (d. 823).

The founding fathers of the Sira literature, namely- Ibn Ishaq (d. 768), Ibn Sa'd (d. 845), Al Baladhuri (d. 892) and Al Tabari (d. 923) adopted the method of inclusion rather than exclusion while including transmitted reports related to the life of the Holy Prophet. Hence, we find in the work of these esteemed historians stories or anecdotes about the Prophet that may offend the sensibilities of Muslims, the idea is that it is better for them to remain where they are than be excised because of any pretensions to piety.

Also, different sources provide contrasting images of the Prophet and yet none of them contradict each other. Combined they form an awe inspiring narrative. It is as if the Holy Prophet is shrouded in a veneer of white light, which when unfurled gives way to myriad colors.

The Quran presents a very humane aspect of the Prophet wherein we witness an evolution of his personality. He is in the Quran a warner (34:28) and a perfect role model (33:21). A person of sublime character (68:4) who is in need of God's forgiveness and mercy (48:2) and one who requires God's constant guidance (5:49, 93:7). He is a plain human being who when asked to perform miracles responds that performing supernatural acts is the sole domain of God almighty.

In comparision to the Quran, a more robust and confident personality of the Prophet emerges in the Hadith literature.

"Verily, I have many names: I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am the eraser through whom Allah erases unbelief, I am the gatherer at whose feet the people will be gathered, and I am the last prophet after which there are none.” (Sahih Muslim/2534)

He splits the moon, water flows out of his fingers and food is multiplied in his gatherings. Clouds shelter him and stones send salutations upon him. He is surrounded by miracles.

In the Sufi literature, the Holy Prophet is often reffered to as Al-Insān Al-Kāmil (The Perfect Human Being) or The first Sufi. The perfect example of the Sufi traveler on the path of God, who engages in the greater struggle (Al Jihad Al Akbar).

As per Shia theology, not only the Holy Prophet but all his descendants right upto Adam are pure monotheists and immune from sins. The Holy Prophet's father, mother, grandfather- Abdul Muttalib and uncle - Abu Talib are Muslims. ‘Ali’s role in the Sira is, as to be expected, pivotal. He is beyond doubt the first male believer. He is divinely elected and aided to protect the Prophet on the night of his Hijra to Medina. His marriage to Fatima, daughter of the Prophet, is ordained by God. In the military expeditions, the spotlight is on ‘Ali’s heroism and his steadfastness. He repeatedly wards off danger from the Prophet at crucial battles such as Uhud, Hunayn, and Khaibar. At Hunayn, only ‘Ali and nine other Hashimites stand fast, all other Muslims having fled the field. The Holy Family is thus at the very heart of the military drama as they had been at the heart of the divine message itself. Ali is also the possesor of the Prophet's esoteric knowledge.

During the late middle ages an effort was made to substantiate the Prophet's mission and persona by finding his traces in Judeo- Christian scriptures. This genre was known as Dalail Al Nabuwwah (Proof of Prophethood). Notable among these are Ala'm Al Nabuwwa (The Proof of Prophecy) by Abu Hatim Al Razi (d.933) and Ithbat Nabuwwat Al Nabi (Proving the Prophecy of the Prophet) by Al Haruni (d.1020)

During the age of Muslim political decadence, strenous efforts were made to answer European polemics on the life of the Prophet. Syed Ameer Ali and Muhammad Husayn Haykal lead the way but there were others who sought to revamp the way in which we understood the life of the Prophet. Egyptian Playright Tawfiq Al Hakim and Taha Husayn tried to dramatise the life of the Prophet like a novel with little success.

Finally it is the Muslim free thinkers such as Ma'ruf Al Rusafi who authored Al Shaksiyyah Al Muhammadiya (The Muhammadan Personality) and Ali Dashti who penned down 23 'Aman (23 Years) who make an effort to recognise the personality of the Prophet divorcing it of all the miracles ascribed to him. Was he violent ? Yes, they say. Did he lust after women? The reply is in the affirmative.

"Whosoever divest themselves from partial existence and dissolve into total, absolute and eternal existence. Whoever is capable of this can be like Muhammad and can claim what Muhammad claimed, provided he divests himself from his partial existence and dissolves in the unity of absolute existence", said Al Rusafi while Dashti claimed that the Quran was an amalgamation of God's words and words of the Prophet.

It wouldn't be unfair to comment that the analysis of Sira literature has been as vibrant as that of Quranic exegesis over the past fifteen centuries and untill the end of time we might need again many new interpretations and re-interpretations of the life of Muhammad : May the peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon him.

[arafat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A learned analysis by a distinguished historian, based on extensive research into a vast body of sources (primarily in Arabic). The last two chapters seem a bit rushed and offer a relatively cursory depiction of modern and contemporary sira, but are nonetheless insightful. The chapters on the late medieval sira, on the other hand, are superb. An impressive effort overall, and full of original arguments that defy the trade-book nature of the publication.

[Aruna Naya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bagus sekali 👍

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this work is a bit misleading. There are few actual images of the Prophet offered. This is a highly specialized book and if you are a person conducting an in depth exploration of Muhammad or of Islam, this book might rate 5 stars. For virtually everyone else, this book is likely to disappoint. Dr. Khalidi does a fairly comprehensive survey of primary sources for the life of Muhammad, provides a very skeletal outline of the Prophet's life, and then provides the theoretical framework of Sunni, Shia, Sufi, Mu'tazilite, early modern and modern interpretations / reinterpretations of the Prophet and his significance in each of these sectarian or historical contexts. He provides some discussion for virtually every major Islamic treatment of the Prophet. However, the book does not provide much of a biography of Muhammad nor does it pose many questions about his life. I would think if you were doing a Master's or PhD in Islamic studies, this work would be extremely helpful. (Oddly, there is no bibliography, but there are abundant endnotes with references for the major sources.)

[Zulfiqar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muhammad in his last days, suggested that if poetry had an ethical purpose, it could do no harm: There is no harm in poetry for one who seeks to put right an injustice, ward off poverty or give thanks to a favor done.” (Khalidi, Tarif . Images of Muhammad: narratives of the prophet in Islam across the centuries Pg. 120)

[University of Chicago Magazine]

Tarif Khalidi, PhD’70
Author

From our pages (Mar–Apr/10): "Tracing the evolving influence of the prophet Muhammad from his death to the present day, Khalidi uncovers the characterizations—Muhammad as teacher, Muhammad as Sufi superhero—that have shaped his image over the past 15 centuries. In doing so, the book compares and contrasts beliefs of Islam’s Sunni, Shia, and Sufi sects."