Twenty Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad [Paperback]

Ali Dashti (Author), F. R. C. Bagley (Translator), F.R.C. Bagley (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 18228 pages
• Publisher: Mazda Pub; 1st edition (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568590296
• ISBN-13: 978-1568590295
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating View of an Interesting Historically Relevant Man, February 15, 2003

By 

C. J. Hardman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twenty Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad (Paperback)

While fundementalist Muslims in Iran could silence Ali Dashti's voice and still his heart, they failed to supress his words. Dashti evidently put a lot of careful heartfelt thought into his volume "Twenty Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammed". If you've become dreary and nauseated from reading inflated proselytizing puff pieces on the life of Mohammed, founder of the Islamic religion, then what a treat this book will be! Dashti is cautious and considerate in his handling of issues touchy within the sphere of Shi'ia Islam. He is clear in communicating whether something is from a specific source, opinion, or theory.

With this volume, Dashti took the courageous step of looking at Mohammed as a human: capable of mistakes, capable of anger, capable of being unjust, as are any of us. This perhaps, is what kindled so great a rage in the men who imprisoned him and tried to obliterate his words. I wouldn't call Dashti anti-Islamic, for I found nothing suggesting he was trying to destroy Islam, not a speck of evidence that he was trying to promote Atheism in the stead of religion. However, I am not surprised that unreasonable forces who disagreed with his point of view felt so threatened by his words. It can be a dangerous task, sorting out the facts--especially if those facts disagree with popular opinion, or the version supported by people who are more powerful and can make your life tough. Or take your life away.

Make a fundamentalists eyes bug out, make an Ayatollah's face turn red--buy and READ Ali Dashti's book. Keep the idea alive and appreciate the freedom to have ideas that are forbidden to so many others.

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Euphemisms for Islam's falsehood, June 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Twenty Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad (Paperback)

Although I had the sense throughout that 'Ali Dashti was tempering many of his scholarly conclusions to suit the easily outraged, his text still comes across as blisteringly blasphemous. It is not surprising that 'Ali Dashti "disappeared" in his home country of Iran when considering the unorthodox approach he takes by interpreting much of the Qur'an as a product of the Prophet Muhammad's psychology. While Dashti doesn't explicitly renounce Islam, he vigorously attacks precepts which he sees as hideous relicts of the age the Prophet Muhammad lived. While other biographers of the Prophet, especially those writing to proselytize, might be expected to gloss over the Prophet's assassinations, mass slaughters of prisoners, and otherwise Machiavellian behavior Dashti puts it to the light. But at the same time, he doesn't neglect to mention the more positive aspects of the Prophet's personality while attempting to cut through the underbrush of the deification of the Prophet. All in all a refreshing read, though certainly one would do well to read several biographies in comparison.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An All Time Classic, December 2, 2001

By 

Robert O. DeVries (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twenty Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad (Paperback)

The late Foreign Minister of Iran 'Ali Dashti was a leading politician and classical scholar in that country. His book 'Twenty Three Years' is one of the all time classic religious biographies. It probably ranks with Fawn Brodie's 'No Man Knows My History' as one of the two best of the 20th century. After the events of September 11, 2001, Americans have suddenly awakened to the reality of Islam. Many prefer the path of political correctness, and for them 'Ali Dashti will be of no interest whatever. But for those who value candor and scholarship, who really want to know what the prophet Mohammad taught and practiced regarding the use of violence, the answer is carefully documented in this book. Admittedly the author gets quickly lost when he wanders from his chosen subject. Christian people will certainly wonder why he holds to the discredited theories of Ernest Renan regarding the origins of our Faith. But otherwise 'Ali Dashti is "A Plus". Unfortunately there was a price to be paid for candor about the prophet Mohammad, and 'Ali Dashti died after being tortured in the Evin Prison in December 1981.