Critical biography of prophet muhammad

book by virtue of Robert Spencer

The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Extremity Intolerant Religion is a history by American anti-Muslim^[1] author Parliamentarian Spencer about the Islamic seer Muhammad.

Written from a massive perspective towards its subject, that book examines the life provide Muhammad in ten chapters home-produced on the sources provided in and out of his early biographers, together investigate the Quran and the sunnah, while also challenging their in sequence authenticity.

The book was on the loose on 15 September by Regnery Publishing and entered The Fresh York Times Best Seller dither for a week.

The burdensome reception of the book was generally unfavorable, with Spencer make the first move criticized for his selective regarding of sources, subjective interpretation have a word with anachronistic reading of the consecutive context. Positive reviews were delineated mostly by Christian and cautious publications, with Human Events together with it in its listing sight "Top 10 Conservative Books contribution ".

Synopsis

A work of English author and counter-jihadistRobert Spencer, influence book is a biography be in possession of Muhammad, who founded Islam (an Abrahamic religion that originated slot in the 7th-century Arabic Peninsula), in he is regarded as magnanimity last prophet sent by Divinity. A highly critical work both towards Muhammad and Islam, wear down consists of ten chapters obscure begins with a chronology help Muhammad's life and the specialized of names and places affiliated to it.

In the be foremost chapter, Spencer writes of greatness reasons behind writing this retain. He writes that the unspoiled does not comprehensively detail Muhammad's life but providing insights jar an outline of his calling.

Chapter two presents Spencer's reevaluation of the earliest sources fetch Muhammad.

He starts with excellence Quran, the religious text make a fuss over Islam; he notes that redden contains little details about Muhammad, and often the stories unwanted items told indirectly or incompletely. Following, he goes on to copy about the hadiths, a draw up of the words and bags Muhammad transmitted through chains catch sight of narrators.

Although presents great trivialities about his life, Spencer observes that it is nearly hopeless to know which parts notice it that are true imperfection not. The prophetic biography, glory traditional Muslim biographies of Muhammad comes the last in Spencer's investigation.

Spencer's biography of Muhammad starts in chapter three.

Unwind begins with describing Muhammad's blood, the Quraysh, the situation help the pre-Islamic Arabia, and distinction religions that were predominantly versed there, with the Quraysh's was paganism. Spencer writes of Muhammad's early life, including his dawn traditionally believed to be captivating place in Mecca on Apr 20, Spencer then describes blue blood the gentry pivotal role of Muhammad's later-wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, who would be the first one acquiescent convert to Islam; this took place after he reportedly regular his first visitation by magnanimity archangel Gabriel in the den of Jabal al-Nour.

Chapter quatern contains Spencer's theories that Muhammad borrowed teachings from other religions, mainly Christianity and Judaism. Consummate arguments are based on, what he believed to be, probity similarities between Islam and these religions, including their monotheistic conceptions of God and listing make known prophetic figures.

Spencer starts expecting at the Quran; he suitcase many of its narratives mirror the Bible's, such as lying human origin myth of Architect and Eve. Spencer also compares the accounts presented in justness Quran with those in loftiness apocrypha and other non-canonical crease, including the Talmud and prestige Syriac Infancy Gospel.

Other religions he assumes to have archaic influencing Islam include the Farsi Zoroastrianism and the Indian Hindooism.

Chapter five details Muhammad's steady preachings of Islam; Muhammad was met with objections from monarch own tribe, including his amanuensis Abū Lahab. Spencer talks transfer the incident of the Devilish Verses, in which Muhammad abstruse allegedly mistaken the words senior Satan to be those manage God, and Muhammad's miraculous travels referred to as the Isra and Mi'raj.

The next cardinal chapters focuses on the belligerent career of Muhammad. In sheet six, the Hijrah (his outing from Mecca to Medina) celebrated his covenant with Christians with the addition of Jews are discussed. In blue blood the gentry seventh chapter, Spencer examines nobleness details of several wars drift had Muhammad participating in, containing the Battles of Badr topmost Uhud.

The eighth chapter discusses points such as the Conflict of the Trench, the Combat of Khaybar and the Feel affection for of Hudaybiyya, and the Subjection of Mecca, the Battle show consideration for Hunayn, the Expedition of Metropolis and the death of Muhammad in the next chapter.

Spencer dedicates the book's final sheet to Muhammad's "legacy".

He accuses him of having motivated hysteria, pedophilia, misogyny, inhuman punishments (which includes stoning for adulterers boss amputation for thievers) and metaphysical intolerance.

Release

Through the conservative Regnery Publishing, The Truth About Muhammad was published on hardcover impact September 15, ,^[2] and hardback on July 17, ^[3]Blackstone Oftenness provided its audiobook version interruption 26 October ^[4] The unspoiled has also been available task force Amazon Kindle, narrated by Felon Adams.^[5] The book appeared principal The New York Times Crush Seller list on 29 Oct ^[6] Due to containing "objectionable materials", it was eventually criminal in Pakistan.^[7] Shahid Ahmed, magnanimity counselor of community affairs be more or less the Embassy of Pakistan, President, D.C., deemed it "very, set free damaging—let me tell you".^[8] Identical response, Spencer bemoaned that significance entirety of the book was based on the traditional Islamic sources and found it "interesting that they would say position book contains 'objectionable materials' Flat manifests a certain cultural expectation that, instead of having regular fruitful dialogue or debate think over what's in the book, high-mindedness Pakistani government just bans crucial confiscates it."^[8]

Critical reception

Popular

The Truth Range Muhammad received a mixed greeting in the popular media.

Brits author of comparative religionKaren Satchmo gave a scathing review, work it "a depressing read".^[9] Satchmo found Spencer unable to say you will Muhammad in the cultural, pecuniary, historical, political and spiritual portion of 7th-century Arabian Peninsula, influential him to making "basic presentday bad mistakes of fact".^[9] She noted that the author cherry-picked his sources, for instance, plus only Quranic passages that performance hostile to Christian and Jews but omitting the others give it some thought insist on Islam's tolerance know them.^[9] She wrote that non-Muslims' ignorance of Islam would wool really helpful for Spencer ought to achieve his anti-Islamic aim, scornfully describing his book as top-notch gift for extremists of position same views "to 'prove' appoint those Muslims who have anachronistic alienated by events in Canaan, Lebanon and Iraq that description west is incurably hostile wide their faith".^[9]

Ben Maldonado of The Stanford Daily alarmed his book one-sided and criticised his poor, repetitive writing style.^[11] While presenting itself as exceptional biography of Muhammad, Maldonado mat nothing biographical in this tome since, he believed, it assessment more a chronicle of "the more negative and controversial aspects" of its subject and provides nothing beneficial to the historiography of Islam.^[11] In his emergency supply Nabi Kita Dihina Saudara! (The Prophet is Mocked by wilt Friends!), Indonesian author Muhammad Nurhidayat suggested Spencer to learn cause the collapse of the works of objective scholars, including Armstrong, John Esposito, William Muir and W.

Montgomery Inventor, before writing his own book.^[12]

Christian and conservative publications welcomed interpretation book. Andrew C. McCarthy flawless the National Review wrote: "Robert Spencer graphically illustrates the measure of our folly in thinking—or, rather, blithely assuming—otherwise. An unexpected book, and a necessary one."^[13] Paul Bower of the New Oxford Review praised Spencer's careful research of traditional Islamic biographies of Muhammad and on their contradictory nature.^[14] Bower continued stroll, in spite of its massive tones, he regarded the seamless undoubtfully as "an essential talent hoard, a reliable and duly learned account of who Muhammad actually was, and a challenge work stoppage those who would assume delay his actions and his seek are perfectly just within rendering framework of Western society".^[14]Srđa Trifković found the book brief all the more readable^[15] while Elizabeth Kantor estimated it an important contribution line of attack understanding Muhammad.^[16]Human Events included description book in their "Top 10 Conservative Books of " listing.^[17]

David Thompson of The Guardian denominated The Truth About Muhammad "a detailed and timely riposte survive common misconceptions, outlining the mismatch between belief and historical 1 and documenting the ways interpose which Muhammad's own deeds spreadsheet purported revelations are used accurate to mandate intolerance, xenophobia nearby homicidal 'martyrdom'".^[18] Thompson added defer Spencer "identifies the problem air strike which current tensions hinge.

On the rocks tradition of hagiography and deletion within the Islamic world has created a woefully inadequate wonder about of this most problematic bargain religious figures."^[18]

Scholarly

Scholars were almost by common consent critical towards the book. Deepika Bains and Aziza Ahmed emblematic the Asian American Law Journal condemned Spencer for his insufficiency to have an objective stance; for instance, he used righteousness negatively connoted mujehedins and jihadists to refer to Muslims.^[19] Goodness reviewers also noted many statements by Spencer that were note founded on provable evidence on the contrary his personal opinion, such bit claiming that investigations for graceful historic Muhammad would not realize a significant audience in Islamic world.^[19] Bains and Ahmed wrote a pervasive theme of say publicly book is all Muslims verify "violent jihadists", and that filth relied on his selective decipherment of the Quran and Islamic history.^[19] They concluded that, add together all the book's lack help analysis and historical context, "The Truth About Muhammad accomplishes Spencer's goal of vilifying Muslims coupled with misinforming readers about Islam Nevertheless, Robert Spencer exercises his talented to free speech free newcomer disabuse of responsibility, choosing instead to activate hatred and encourage intolerance."^[19]

Tariq Aziz, Muhammad Shahbaz Manj and Saima Shahbaz Manj, reviewing for Al-Qamar, wrote that Spencer relied else much on his subjective conviction in the book and "has produced a work that call for only denigrates the Prophet Muhammad, he even denigrates Islam though a religion of peace, grace, tolerance and kindness."^[20]University of Standpoint Town professor of religious studies Abdulkader Tayob argued that term the book presents itself whereas a biography of Muhammad, expert however "intends to say prong more specifically about Muslims".^[21] Tayob cited Spencer as having in case "a sophisticated example of simple general trend: turning to depiction Prophet to create an sense of the Islamic threat."^[21] Columnist of interfaith dialogueCraig Considine hollow the book as one fall foul of the many popular examples greet the 21st century in which Muhammad has been misportrayed restructuring a cruel figure, pedophile station one who discriminates against transcendental green minorities like Jews and Christians.^[22]

Joseph S.

Spoerl of the Middle East Quarterly wrote a a cut above positive review; he commented roam the biography "deserves a nationalized audience" but opined that corruption title is sensationalistic and wellknown a number of chronological mistakes, such as dating the Excursion of Tabuk to ^[23]

See also

References

External links