Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
The cover of the 1991 edition
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| Author | Martin Lings |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | 1st Edition (1983) 2nd Edition (1991) |
| Subject | Biography |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Islamic Texts Society (1991), Inner Traditions (2006) |
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Publication date
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1 January 1983 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 362 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 9195533 |
Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is an award-winning 1983 biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad by Martin Lings.
The book provides a new account of the sira or the life of Muhammad, with details that had not been elaborated in other accounts. It is based primarily on old Arab sources that go back to the 8th century, of which some passages are translated for the first time. It is not contradictory to other accounts but rather offers new insights and new details. The book also includes excerpts from original English translations of speeches by men and women who lived close to Muhammad, heard him speak, witnessed his actions, witnessed the way he interacted with situations and witnessed events he encountered throughout various stages of his life.
References used are Ibn Ishaq (references here are to Ferdinand Wüstenfeld's edition of Sirat Rasul Allah, a life of the Prophet by Muhammad ibn Ishaq in the annotated recension of Ibn Hisham). Also Ibn Sa’ad (the references are to John Leyden's edition of Kitab al-Tabaqat al Kabir by Muhammad ibn Sa’d). Also there is Al-Waqidi (and the references are to Marsden Jones' edition of Kitab al Maghazi, A Chronicle of the Prophet's Campaigns, by Muhammad ibn Umar al- Waqidi).
It is a narrative of the history of Arabia and the birth and the life of Muhammad. The biography consists of 85 short chapters, some as short as just two pages in length. Each chapter deals with an important event in the history of Islam and provides chronological context for the advent of the religion, as well as detailed information about Muhammad.
The biography has gone through many reprints in English and it has been translated and published into many languages including French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Dutch, Malay and Tamil.
A distinctive element of the biography is the vivid, approachable narrative style, which is fast moving and flows fluently. The book reads more like a novel and was written in a style, which is easily readable, comprehensible and it uses language, which reflects both simplicity and grandeur.
Lings uses a more archaic style of English to depict conversations and translations of the Qur'an, which helps slows down the rapid flow of the narration. The focus in the book is less about the teachings of Islam and more about Muhammad.
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