Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters [Hardcover]

Omid Safi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2009

Who was the historical Muhammad, and how do Muslims remember him—as a holy prophet, a cultural revolutionary, a military leader, or a spiritual mystic? Unending media coverage of extremist fanatics, the controversy over offensive cartoon depictions of Muhammad, and fatwas against journalists and authors are all hard to ignore and have prejudiced our Western perceptions of Muslims and their founder. This definitive biography of the founder of Islam by a leading Muslim-American scholar will reveal invaluable new insights, finally providing a fully three-dimensional portrait of Muhammad and the one billion people who follow him today.

Memories of Muhammad presents Muhammad as a lens through which to view both the genesis of Islamic religion and the grand sweep of Islamic history—right up to the hot button issues of the day, such as the spread of Islam, holy wars, the status of women, the significance of Jerusalem, and current tensions with Jews, Hindus, and Christians. It also provides a rare glimpse into how Muslims spiritually connect to God through their Prophet, in the mosque, in the home, and even in cyberspace.

This groundbreaking book offers the opportunity to move from telling Muhammad's story to talking about how different Muslims throughout Islamic history have both honored and contested Muhammad's legacy.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Safi recognizes that in painting a portrait of the prophet Muhammad, he does not begin with a blank canvas. Indeed, he begins by confronting the negative images of Muhammad within the Western tradition—from Dante’s horrifying portrayal of the prophet’s damned soul to the mocking caricatures proffered by twenty-first-century Danish cartoonists. Safi invites his readers to lay aside the prejudices fostered by such images as they join in a fresh investigation of Islam’s Prophet. That investigation—based on the Qur’an and on Ibn Ishaq’s eighth-century biography, supplemented by other ancient and modern sources—uncovers a complex personality: a towering spiritual leader who dramatically challenged traditional Arab polytheism and a resourceful political strategist who appealed to the socially marginal while outmaneuvering the powerful elite. As he fills in the historical picture with accounts of important figures close to Muhammad—Khadijn, Ali, Hossein—Safi must delve into the tensions that developed among Muhammad’s followers, pitting the Shi’a against the Sunni, radical against moderate. Because of the persistence of these tensions, Safi despairs of delivering a single definitive understanding of the prophet. However, his depiction of a profoundly humane and compassionate visionary offers a much-needed corrective to the darker perspective promulgated by some Islamic extremists. --Bryce Christensen

Review

“Safi traces the three important stages of Muhammad’s life: his climb up the mountain to receive God’s revelation (through the prophet Gabriel); his flight from Mecca and Jerusalem to heaven where he has a direct encounter with God; and his migration from Mecca to Medina and back.” (Raleigh News and Observer )

“[Memories of Muhammad] attempts to discover the true Muhammad obscured by both hagiography and militant extremism...Safi is on the front edge of a generation of scholars who, with one foot in both worlds, are trying to explain Islam and the West to each other.” (Religion News Service )

“Safi… brings the prophet into clearer focus with his book Memories of Muhammad. Safi provides a sweeping look at Muhammad’s life and explores many of the controversial issues that color modern perceptions.” (Washington Post Book World Blog )

“...A rounded and revealing portrait of the life, work, and legacies of Muhammad.” (Spirituality and Practice )

“Safi responds to all these Muhammad problems by giving us a highly readable and interesting retelling of the story of this man... [and] provides important background for anyone who wants to understand our friends and enemies among the more than one billion people who embrace Islam.” (The Pilot )

“This book ranks as a milestone for non-Muslim readers. When most of the other books in this era are forgotten, people will continue to read Memories of Muhammad.” (Read the Spirit )

“Safi makes his argument by simply and beautifully narrating the life of Muhammad. Beyond offering a biography of the spiritual leader, Safi explicates his spiritual teachings and describes how he has been remembered by Muslims over 1,400 years.” (Boston Globe )

“A fresh investigation of Islam’s Prophet that uncovers a complex personality. . . . [Safi’s] depiction of a profoundly humane and compassionate visionary offers a much needed corrective to the darker perspective promulgated by some Islamic extremists.” (Booklist (starred review) )

“...Safi maintains that it is necessary to learn about the Prophet Muhammad in order to understand Islam and to engage in open and constructive dialogue.” (Wisconsin Public Radio )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (November 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061231347
• ISBN-13: 978-0061231346
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Muhammed

More About the Author

Omid Safi is one of the leading American Muslim public intellectuals.

He is a professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, and for the past seven years has led the Study of Islam Section at the American Academy of Religion. He is the author of Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters, as well as Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam. In addition, he edited the Progressive Muslims: On Gender, Justice, and Pluralism collection.

Omid draws on the Sufi tradition of Islam, connected to social justice traditions of liberation to articulate a dynamic vision of Islam rooted in mysticism and striving for a life of dignity for all.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Helpful Milestone for non-Muslim Readers Seeking to Understand Islam's Central Prophet, January 2, 2010

By 

David Crumm "Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine" (Canton, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters (Hardcover)

In this second decade of the century, we have a chance to read some remarkably mature new books on Islam, the Prophet Muhammad's legacy and the whole host of issues that were raised so explosively on 9/11/2001. As a journalist covering these issues, I collected the scores of books produced in the years immediately following 9/11--some of them good, some of them politically biased and some of them absolutely dreadful. Beyond pure bias, the haste in which many books were produced led to tragic inaccuracies and limitations in authors' perspectives.

Unfortunately, the non-Muslim world still is desperately seeking information about Islam largely because of continuing violence linked to individuals and groups claiming to represent the faith.

Whatever factors led to HarperOne's decision to publish "Memories of Muhammad," the fact is that this book ranks as a milestone for non-Muslim readers. Dr. Safi is professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina and he serves as the chair of the Study of Islam at the American Academy of Religion.

He's a Muslim scholar writing for general readers from the wealth of his authority as an academic. Looking over the stacks of books available about Islam, he correctly identified the Prophet Muhammad as a central point of confusion for non-Muslims and produced this book to help guide us in understanding the significance of this major religious figure.

When most of the other books in this era are forgotten, people will continue to read "Memories of Muhammad."

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique approach, July 15, 2010

By 

Akmal Niyazmat (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters (Hardcover)

I enjoyed readings this book a lot for a number of reasons:

[a] it is not a typical description of Muhammad's biography and important events in Muslim history. Omid Safi described/analyzed major events by contextualizing them. For example, it does not just talk about when one of the major events in Muslim history took place. He sheds light into why it happened, what were its precursors, as well as immediate and long term implications for Muslim and non-Muslim world;
[b] Omid Safi makes great attempt to associate/relate major events in Muslim history with other world religions, Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism;
[c] Though it is easy to grasp Shia-inclination, I liked how Omid Safi attempted to explain centuries-long tension between Sunni and Shia Muslims;
[d] The style and structure of the book is unprecedented. For example, one of the sub-titles reads "Muhammad, Eric Clapton, and the Tale of Layla and Majnun"...

Please don't be discouraged that Omid Safi's book includes some depictions of major events in Muslim history. One of the reviews refers to this fact and apparently that made him give 1 out of 5. But that's the problem Muslims have. We don't look at the substance and overrule something based on what someone said or what illustrations it includes... I am Sunni Muslim and yet enjoyed reading this book very much, AND would gladly read new pieces of scholarship by Omid Safi.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, the book we were waiting for!, November 19, 2010

By 

Samia Serageldin (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters (Hardcover)

This is the book that was missing in the dialogue on Islam in the West: an authentic, accessible representation of what Islam is for, not just what it is against. It explains why a billion and a half Muslims look to their religious tradition for the same spiritual guidance in their daily lives as Christians, Jews, or Buddhists, with whom they have so much in common, and provides an invaluable resource for Muslims raising English-speaking children in the West.
The Naqib's Daughter