The sacred biography of Muhammad has shaped Muslims' perceptions of the place of Islam in the religious history of the world and located the Islamic founder and prophet as the last of God's messengers. As Muslims established political control over ancient Jewish and Christian communities; they also claimed hegemony over the panorama of biblical prophets and holy men. In the eighth century; the author of the first complete biography of Muhammad set out a plan for a history of the world that culminated with the advent of Muhammad and the religion of Islam. The biography not only gave the details of Muhammad's life but also retold the stories of past prophets from an Islamic perspective. The Making of the Last Prophet is an examination of the reshaping and retelling of the biblical past to form the image of Muhammad as the "Seal" of the prophets of God. Through a translation of the reconstructed Arabic text; the sources; the form; and uses of the eighth-century biography are examined for the ways in which attitudes toward Muhammad were shaped in early Islam. The work particularly underscores the interplay of Jewish; Christian; and other Near Eastern religious ideals in the formation of Islam's notions of prophethood.
#307855 in Books Liveright 2013-10-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 1.50 x 6.20l; 1.73 #File Name: 0871406888784 pages
Review
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful. Ok;By Terry TuckerI am on the fence about this book. If you are a novice; i highly recommend it. if you are advanced in your understanding of insurgency; then this is a potential desk reference and quick guide. Other books such as Robert B Asprey; War in the Shadows; Vo I and II; and Ian F.W. Beckett; Modern Insurgencies and Counter-insurgencies offer as good; if not better look at the use of terror and guerrila war.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Broad; But Not Deep.By CharlesA mile broad and ten feet deep. Maybe that's inevitable with the breadth attempted; but it's hard to demonstrate anything but truisms when discussing literally scores of insurgencies over thousands of years. Nonetheless; there are some interesting points (notably pointing out the false dichotomy between Clausewitzian war and "Eastern" war; given that Chinese and Indian traditional war was in large formations); along with a half-hearted and unconvincing attempt to extend that observation to undercut Victor Davis Hanson's theses on the Western way of war). Also a fascinating database of insurgencies and a statistical analysis of their success over time. Also lots of interesting anecdotes. So worth reading; but perhaps not worth pondering beyond that.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Save your money.By CustomerThis is an exceptionally poor resource if you are passionate about history. A sop to the revisionist community; the author makes himself appear foolish by inserting at every opportunity a disparaging editorial aside; or similarly meaningless commentators remark from the past; to establish his sensibilities about what transpired. Apparently; he has not heard that the best histories present the facts; not the author's aspirations for approval by a peer group through politically correct commentary.If you are looking for detailed discussion and analysis of insurgent tactics and strategies throughout history; look elsewhere. I really wanted to like this book; but; it is not a credible resource; rather it is entertainment.
