Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources - Softcover

Martin Lings

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0892811706 ISBN 13: 9780892811700

Publisher: Inner Traditions, 1987

Synopsis

· This is the first paperback edition of this important work, which sold 7,500 copies in the cloth edition

· The Muslim population of the U.S. is on a strong growth curve. It is estimated that there are now between 4 and 7 million Muslims in the U.S.

This is the definitive, objective biography of the Prophet, drawn from primary Arabic sources of the 8th and 9th centuries, and includes passages never before translated. It owes its freshness and directness of approach to the words of the men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life.

About this title

From the Back Cover

RELIGION / ISLAM

“This work is widely recognized as the most readable account of the life of the Prophet to date.”
--Times of London

“For those interested in Islam in one way or another, it is mesmerizing.”
--Parabola

Martin Lings’s biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the Prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies that recount numerous events in the Prophet’s life, it contains original English translations of many important passages that reveal the words of men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life.

Scrupulous and exhaustive in its fidelity to its sources, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is presented in a narrative style that is easily comprehensible, yet authentic and inspiring in its use of language, reflecting both the simplicity and grandeur of the story it tells. The book has been published in twelve languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgment as best biography of the Prophet in English at the National Seerat Conference in Islamabad. This revised edition, which represents the final updates made to the text before the author’s death in 2005, incorporates important additions about the Prophet’s expanding influence and his spreading of the message of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states.

Martin Lings (1909-2005) was a renowned British scholar with degrees in English and Arabic from London University and Oxford University. At Oxford, he studied English under C. S. Lewis, who later became a close friend. Lings taught at several European universities and the University of Cairo and served as the keeper of Oriental manuscripts for the British Museum and the British Library. His friendship and similar beliefs with philosophers René Guénon and Frithjof Schuon inspired Lings to convert to Islam. He went on to become an influential member of Western Muslim society, participating in several international Islamic councils and conferences, including acting as consultant to the World of Islam Festival Trust. He is the author of twelve books on religion and spirituality.

About the Author

Martin Lings holds degrees from both Oxford and London University.  He lectured for twelve years at Cairo University, and has served as Keeper of Oriental Manuscripts at the British Museum.  He has participated in several international Islamic councils and conferences. His other works inlude three books on Islamic mysticism, The Secret of Shakespeare, Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstition, and The Koranic Arts of Calligraphy and Illumination.

Edition details

• Publisher: Inner Traditions
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0892811706
• ISBN 13: 9780892811700
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 368