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

Khalidi, Tarif

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385518161 ISBN 13: 9780385518161

Publisher: Doubleday, 2009

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

TARIF KHALIDI is Sheikh Zayed Chair in Islamic and Arabic Studies at the American University in Beirut. He is the author of The Muslim Jesus, and was previously Sir Thomas Adams’s Professor of Arabic, director of the Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, and a fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. Born in Jerusalem, he now lives in Beirut, Lebanon.

Review

"Khalidi's new book, like his previous book, The Muslim Jesus, is a remarkable find in the often stormy sea of misinformation on the religion of Islam and Islamic history."
--Winnipeg Free Press, September 13, 2009

"A courageous and seminal work...pathbreaking analysis of a difficult subject...Images of the Prophet is a fascinating and beautifully written book that deserves the widest possible attention."
--Middle East Policy, vol.xvii, no.1, Spring 2010

"Its answer to the question "Who is Muhammad?' provides one of the most illuminating discussions about the centrality of the Prophet to Islam that has appeared in years."
--Professor David Thomas, Islam and Christian Muslim Relations, vol 23, number 1, January 2012.

"An elegant and nuanced account of the origin and evolution of the Prophet's story...chapter 8 is a tour de force."
--Dr Tim Winter, Speculum, vol 86, issue 2, 2011.

"Khalidi presents a wholly new, unified and even surprising view of the man who founded Islam."
--Publishers Weekly, August, 2009.

"A wonderful overview of how Muslims have viewed their prophet...deep erudition on every page...brilliantly informative...beautifully written...consummately well informed."
--Prof FM Donner, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, vol.71, no.2, October 2012

"Tarif Khalidi's Images of Muhammad is...a deeply learned work...reflecting a formidable level of erudition...attractive to educated readers...as well as to undergraduate and graduate students...has the originality...of a powerful and learned mind.
--Professor Marion Homes Katz, Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol 133.4 (Oct-Dec. 2013).

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0385518161
• ISBN 13: 9780385518161
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352