Customer Reviews

In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

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This biography of Prophet Muhammad can be called a "spiritual biography" that tells the story of a life but emphasizes decisions, revelations, and the spiritual and emotional lessons therein. Emerick's biography of the Prophet and that by Karen Armstrong are good, this is better. Incidentally, it hints at the paranoia of those in government who cancelled the author's visa while he was en route to teach at Notre Dame University. (I taught there briefly and can assure you that it is not a hot bed of radicalism.)

The position of women, place of jihad, role of law, and relations with non-Muslims are totally different than the media caricatures and also different from some Fundamentalist politicization and corruptions.
Under duress and attack we see un Islamic practices claiming to be Fundamental (the Western media is more than happy to second that claim). One needs to know that the Shari'a is partly a product, close to two centuries later, that evolved to empower scholarly elite promoting its own interests by which time patriarchal elements had also degraded practice regarding women some - although women had right of inheritance not much available in the West until the 19th and 20th centuries except for royalty.. Also, the most infamous practices predated Islam in much of the Mediterranean - the stoning of adulterers was now much harder to prove that before.

It is reading for those who have an open mind and would learn more, for those who aren't quite sure what to believe after the pervasive toxic climate of criticism. Christians and Jews are very much at a disadvantage in that Muslims know far more about their faiths naturally from reading the Qur'an than they would know without significant effort. Moses, Noah, Jesus and Mary are Prophets of Islam (Mary appears in the Qur'an more times than the Bible).

It should be reading for the many shamefully ignorant critics like Robertson, Graham, Hagee, Falwell who do not have the least basis for their declarations. Their ignorance is itself a measure of disrespect and narrowness that spreads widely among their followers. Equally it could begin to educate those who should know better and who make decisions based on fear and hate - including those who seem superficially have some knowledge when talking about "abrogation" of versus in the Qu'ran etc. Bashing Islam is a profitable cottage industry and so much easier than a small measure of understanding or empathy.

Prophet Muhammad lived ihsan (beauty appreciated and demonstrated) with charisma even before the first revelation. His role is not like that of Jesus in important ways: neither he nor his followers claimed Divinity: he had immense practical worldly family and political responsibilities that Jesus never had; he provided no redemption or way of evading personal responsibility.

Ramadan's scholarship, appreciation for pluralism, personal faith and passion for his Muslim heritage infuse this wonderful book. He takes us on a brief journey through the life of the prophet Muhammad and pauses to reflect on the way the Prophet used specific events to teach his contemporaries and on how those events and teachings have formed the Muslim community over the centuries.

As an American, I appreciated how the book responds to Western mis-understandings of Islam (for example, the greater jihad is the personal struggle to follow Allah; the lesser jihad is armed struggle) without being defensive. As a Christian, I appreciated "going along" with Ramadan as he reflects on his faith and makes it accessible because it comes from the heart.

Tariq Ramadan has done an excellent job in writing this biography of the prophet and making it relevant to 21st century. This biography is second to none including biography by Martin Lings and Karen Armstrong. Mr. Ramadan has used beautiful writing to represent one of the most extra ordinary life.

It is well suited equally for both Muslims and Non Muslims. A must read to understand Muhammed as well as the message he brought.

this is a must read for all Muslims, curious non-Muslims and Islam-haters alike.

Tariq provides a beautiful meditation on the life of the Prophet, quoting great ayats from the Qur'an and hadith. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE PROPHET is an easily-digestable yet profound work of truth. This book provides all who read it with the essence of Islam and the life of the Prophet.

This book is absolutely amazing. Unlike some other books about the life of the Prophet (pbuh) which are filled with facts and read like a history book Tariq Ramadan really tried to make the personality of the Prophet (pbuh) shine. A simple a beautiful read; it does not dwell too much on deep philosophical matters (like some of Ramadan's other books) but rather remains simple and to the point. Someone who's read the biography of the Prophet (pbuh) before is unlikely to find too many new historical facts in this book but they are likely to see these facts in a whole different perspective. A must read for anyone trying to truly grasp the personality of the Prophet (pbuh).

I read this book twice. Having read many other biographies of the Prophet this is by far the best. Very good read specially for young adults.

As Dr. Ramadan mentions, there are many books on the life of the prophet. However, what this book adds is the meaning, wisdom and lessons to be learned from the events in the life of the prophet. It is an easy to read book, easy to follow and is extremely engaging.

In a world where people are starved for a model to follow that is full of love, mercy and forgiveness, yet firm when it comes to the core message, this book presents this model clearly. The ideal character of a leader, a father, a husband, a friend is demonstrated in this book. It teaches the balance in life between work, family and spiritual demands. This book even explains to the reader the importance of taking care of your body; being an instrument on loan to us from God to us through this life. I cannot numerate the excellent moral lessons I leanred from this book.

Regardless of ones religion, this is a good book to read, understand and follow.

Having read other biographies of Muhammad's (PBUH) life, I found this one particularly thought provoking and uplifting in that it explored the spiritual and not just historical or civic context of Muhammad's experiences. This compelling combination resulted in more than an interesting read, but a spiritual journey...along side a man many consider the most influential in human history.

"In the Footsteps of a Prophet" is a good book, not great, but good. If you're not a Muslim then you might consider the book to be amazing and a good insight into the life of the founder of Islam, but if you are a Muslim you'd be disappointed to find that only the good things are written in the book. By "good things" I mean that barely anything bad is written about Muhammad, making this book one for Westerners who don't know about Islam. That is the only bad thing I have to say about this book, other than that, the book is a good read and worth your time and money.

To understand Islam is to know the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him. This books serves as a concise, accessible, and clear introduction.

Ramadan synthesizes authoritative, traditional sources with universal themes, so the book is pertinent to people from all walks of life.

There are those with ulterior motives who will disparage this book as a proxy to attack Ramadan, but Professor Ramadan's accomplishments - Professor at Oxford, one of TIME's most innovative people of the 21st century, adviser to former Prime Minister Tony Blair - collectively present a compelling reason to at least engage with his ideas.

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
-Carl Jung