Muhammad - Hardcover

Demi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689852649 ISBN 13: 9780689852640

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2003

Synopsis

Muhammad
is
the messenger of Islam.

Born in Mecca in the year 570, Muhammad grew into a sensitive and thoughtful man who believed deeply in the worship of one true god.
In his fortieth year, Muhammad experienced a revelation from the angel Gabriel that he, Muhammad, was the messenger of God. Over the next twenty-three years, he received many such revelations, all of which were written down by scribes at the time of revelation to become the Koran, the sacred scripture of Islam, a religion that is practiced by nearly one-quarter of the world's population and holds as its most sacred tenet that there is no god but God.
Through a clear text and stunning illustrations based upon those of traditional Islamic expression, the award-winning artist Demi here introduces the remarkable life of the Prophet Muhammad for young readers.

About this title

About the Author

Demi is the award-winning creator of numerous books for children, including The Empty Pot; Buddha; The Dalai Lama; The Legend of Saint Nicholas; Gandhi, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and received an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award; and Muhammad, which was named a Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice selection, a Booklist Editors’ Choice selection, one of the Booklist Top Ten Religion Books for Youth, and a Book Links “Lasting Connections” selection, and was cited in a Publishers Weekly starred review as a “timely, exceptionally handsome biography [that] serves as an excellent introduction to Islam.” Demi lives in Carnation, Washington.

Reviews

Grade 3 Up-Demi's somewhat reverent picture-book introduction to Muhammad is similar in format to her Buddha (Holt, 1995). Born into a powerful and influential Meccan tribe in the year A.D. 570, Muhammad was nursed for five years by a desert woman who recognized his "inner beauty and greatness." Between the ages of 40 and 63, he had many visions that revealed to him the words that became the Koran and the Five Pillars of Islam. Although he quickly gained many followers, his attempts to convert the idol-worshipping Meccans to monotheism annoyed the Quraysh tribal leaders, forcing the Muslims into military confrontations. Ultimately, he was able to unite the feuding Arab tribes into the Ummah brotherhood. Demi states that he granted religious tolerance to Christians and Jews, but forced them to pay a "tribute" to the Islamic government. Also, problematic generalized statements, such as "-Muhammad taught God's words that said that all men and women, black and white, rich and poor, must be treated with dignity and respect," are presented as fact. No mention is made of the disparaging references in the Koran to Jews and Christians, who are termed "disbelievers," or that Muslims are admonished not to take them as friends. Demi's carefully designed paint-and-ink illustrations, with their tiny detailed people in brightly colored costumes and Islamic architecture and symbols, are done in the style of the Persian miniature. Because Islamic tradition forbids the creation of graven images, Muhammad is depicted as a golden silhouette; his printed name is followed in the text by the Arabic symbol for benediction. Quotes from the Koran appear throughout, and a one-page bibliography includes text and art references. Elsa Marston's Muhammad of Mecca: Prophet of Islam (Watts, 2001) is a more thorough, unbiased introduction to Muhammad and Islam.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4-7, younger for reading aloud. More than any other children's book available, this biography of the prophet Muhammad reflects the literary and artistic traditions of the Islamic world. Like most Arab texts, it begins with the words, "In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate," and an Arabic honorific always follows Muhammad's name. The readily understandable narrative tells the stories of Muhammad's life as Muslim children hear them, beginning with his birth in Mecca and ending with the declaration that although Muhammad has died, God never will. In keeping with Islamic artistic tradition, the paintings do not portray the face or body of the Prophet; instead they show his silhouette in gold leaf. Using the ancient Persian miniature style, Demi ignores scale and paints primarily in two dimensions (so that, for instance, worshippers do not appear to be kneeling on a rug so much as superimposed on it). With dramatic scenes extending past the borders of the intricately patterned frames, the art will be a continual source of interest for young people. Demi weaves together selections from the Qur'an and an overview of Islam in this excellent retelling of the Prophet's life that combines beauty and scholarship. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689852649
• ISBN 13: 9780689852640
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Demi
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48