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10 best books on the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

( The Companion recommends ten important books on the life of prophet Muhammad that you can read yourself and can give to others. This list is not exhaustive. The Companion does not necessarily agree with the views of the authors.)

1). The Messenger: The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad by Tariq Ramadan  

The life of the Prophet Muhammad, to whom the Angel Gabriel revealed the verses of the Quran, has inspired Muslims for hundreds of years.

Interspersed with spiritual and philosophical meditations, this profound and stimulating biography shows how Muhammad’s message can be used to address some of today’s most controversial issues – from the treatment of the poor and the role of women to the interpretation of jihad and relations with other religions. It offers Muslims a new understanding of Muhammad’s life and introduces non-Muslims to the story of the Prophet and to the riches of Islam.

Perhaps this book is unmatchable to any other biography of the Prophet written so far. Atypical in its presentation. A spiritual reading of the Prophet’s life will give its reader a completely new taste and approach. The learned author aptly summed up the whole thing with this one sentence: “He who cannot love cannot understand.”

2). Meeting Muhammad by Omar Suleiman

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be in the presence of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, as his companions were? What would it be like to see him, to host him in your home, pray behind him, and have him as a teacher and friend? Through 30 beautifully detailed chapters with narrations from companions, take a journey from only knowing about him to knowing him and loving him and feel what it was like to be a companion of his in this life and strive to be companions of his in the next.

3). Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings  

Martin Lings’ biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies recount numerous events in the prophet’s life. The book has been published in 12 languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgement as the best biography of the prophet in English at the National Seerate Conference in Islamabad.

This is probably the best lucid biography of the Prophet Muhammad in the English language so far. The reverted author Martin Lings beautifully presents the life and times of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

4). Muhammad: His Character and Conduct by Adil Salahi

Muslims all over the world see Muhammad as God’s last messenger to mankind, and, for every community that wants to live under God’s guidance, the Prophet Muhammad’s character and conduct are the light showing the way to God’s pleasure. At a time when the Prophet is much maligned by writers, cartoonists and various other detractors, this book aims to show Muhammad’s true character in detail, both in its most every day and most extraordinary moments. 

This book is a successful attempt to clarify some of the most controversial and misunderstood (at the same time) issues such as war, marriage, treatment with other faiths etc. The author of this book approaches the life of the Prophet from the modern understanding of history and presents a very beautiful and logical interpretation of the Prophet’s life.

5). The Leadership of Muhammad by John Adair

The Leadership of Muhammad is a very personal study of the life-story and leadership skills of the Prophet. John Adair served with a Bedouin regiment in the Arab Legion and this story is full of fascinating detail of desert life and Bedouin beliefs. A business book that crosses boundaries it highlights the key leadership skills displayed by Muhammad and allows you to share in his wisdom. John Adair weaves the story of Muhammad’s life together with aspects of Bedouin culture and ancient proverbs to provide key points for leaders and aspiring leaders. He discusses tribal leadership and essential attributes such as integrity, moral authority and humility.

Learning and leadership go hand in hand. You are not born a leader, but you can become one and it is never too late to learn. John Adair’s study or Muhammad and the tribal tradition of leadership is an essential addition to the leadership debate.

6). Muhammad, Man of God by Seyyed Hossein Nasr

This modern biography contains the teachings of the Messenger and their practical effects on human life in addition to his biography. Recommended for 12th graders.

7). The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum) Biography of the Prophet by Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri

A complete authoritative book on the life of Prophet Muhammad (S) by Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri . It was honored by the World Muslim League as the first prize winner book. Whoever wants to know the whole lifestyle of the Prophet in detail must read this book.

8). Muhammad: A very short introduction by Jonathan A.C. Brown  

Muhammad is one of the most influential figures in history. The furor surrounding the Satanic Verses and the Danish cartoon crisis reminded the world of the tremendous importance of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Learning about his life and understanding its importance, however, has always proven difficult. Our knowledge of Muhammad comes from the biography of him written by his followers, but Western historians have questioned the reliability of this story in their quest to uncover the ‘historical Muhammad’. As modern controversies have shown, whatever the truth about Muhammad’s life, his persona has taken on numerous shapes and played a crucial role in Muslim life and civilization. 

This Very Short Introduction provides an introduction to the major aspects of Muhammad’s life and its importance, providing both the Muslim and Western historical perspectives. It also explains the prominent roles that Muhammad’s persona has played in the Islamic world, from the medieval to the modern period.

9). The Life and Work of the Prophet of Islam by Dr Muhammad Hamidullah

Dr Muhammad Hamidullah, one of the most widely read and known scholars of Islam in the modern Muslim world, has introduced a host of new avenues in the study of Life of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) and has produced fairly a sizeable volume of literature on the subject, characterized by the novelty of its approach, extensive nature of its treatment and the originality of its content.

This important book on the life of prophet Muhammad is written by Dr Muhammad Hamidullah and translated by Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi in English.

10) . Muhammad: A Prophet for All Humanity by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

 In the book entitled Muhammad: A Prophet for All Humanity, the author Maulana Wahiduddin Khan explains that in making Prophet Muhammad the greatest figure, and consequently one of the most resplendent landmarks in human history, God has bestowed his greatest favor on mankind. Whoever seeks guidance cannot fail to see him, for he stands out like a tower, a mountain on the horizon, radiating light like a beacon, beckoning all to the true path. It is inevitable that the seekers of truth will be drawn up to the magnificent pinnacle on which he stands.

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Muhammad: Biography of the Prophet Paperback – Aug. 10 2021

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A life of the prophet Muhammad by bestselling religious writer Karen Armstrong.

Most people in the West know very little about the prophet Muhammad. The acclaimed religious writer Karen Armstrong has written a biography which will give us a more accurate and profound understanding of Islam and the people who adhere to it so strongly. Muhammad also offers challenging comparisons with the two religions most closely related to it - Judaism and Christianity.

• Print length 288 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date Aug. 10 2021
• Dimensions 13.3 x 2.2 x 19.7 cm
• ISBN-10 1842126083
• ISBN-13 978-1842126080
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Weidenfeld & Nicolson (Aug. 10 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1842126083
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1842126080
• Item weight ‏ : ‎ 256 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.3 x 2.2 x 19.7 cm
• #161 in History of Islam
• #877 in Religious Biographies (Books)

About the author

Karen armstrong.

Karen Armstrong is the author of numerous other books on religious affairs-including A History of God, The Battle for God, Holy War, Islam, Buddha, and The Great Transformation-and two memoirs, Through the Narrow Gate and The Spiral Staircase. Her work has been translated into forty-five languages. She has addressed members of the U.S. Congress on three occasions; lectured to policy makers at the U.S. State Department; participated in the World Economic Forum in New York, Jordan, and Davos; addressed the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington and New York; is increasingly invited to speak in Muslim countries; and is now an ambassador for the UN Alliance of Civilizations. In February 2008 she was awarded the TED Prize and is currently working with TED on a major international project to launch and propagate a Charter for Compassion, created online by the general public and crafted by leading thinkers in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, to be signed in the fall of 2009 by a thousand religious and secular leaders. She lives in London.

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Muhammad was a prophet and founder of Islam.

Quick Facts

The life of muhammad, the prophet muhammad, the death of muhammad, who was muhammad.

Muhammad was the prophet and founder of Islam. Most of his early life was spent as a merchant. At age 40, he began to have revelations from Allah that became the basis for the Koran and the foundation of Islam. By 630 he had unified most of Arabia under a single religion. As of 2015, there are over 1.8 billion Muslims in the world who profess, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”

FULL NAME: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim BORN: c. 570 BIRTHPLACE: Makkah, Saudi Arabia DEATH: June 8, 623

Muhammad was born around 570, AD in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia). His father died before he was born and he was raised first by his grandfather and then his uncle. He belonged to a poor but respectable family of the Quraysh tribe. The family was active in Meccan politics and trade.

Many of the tribes living in the Arabian Peninsula at the time were nomadic, trading goods as they crisscrossed the desert. Most tribes were polytheistic, worshipping their own set of gods. The town of Mecca was an important trading and religious center, home to many temples and worship sites where the devoted prayed to the idols of these gods. The most famous site was the Kaaba (meaning cube in Arabic). It is believed to have been built by Abraham (Ibrahim to Muslims) and his son Ismail. Gradually the people of Mecca turned to polytheism and idolatry. Of all the gods worshipped, it is believed that Allah was considered the greatest and the only one without an idol.

In his early teens, Muhammad worked in a camel caravan, following in the footsteps of many people his age, born of meager wealth. Working for his uncle, he gained experience in commercial trade traveling to Syria and eventually from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. In time, Muhammad earned a reputation as honest and sincere, acquiring the nickname “al-Amin” meaning faithful or trustworthy.

In his early 20s, Muhammad began working for a wealthy merchant woman named Khadijah, 15 years his senior. She soon became attracted to this young, accomplished man and proposed marriage. He accepted and over the years the happy union brought several children. Not all lived to adulthood, but one, Fatima, would marry Muhammad’s cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib, whom Shi’ite Muslims regard as Muhammad’s successor.

Muhammad was also very religious, occasionally taking journeys of devotion to sacred sites near Mecca. On one of his pilgrimages in 610, he was meditating in a cave on Mount Jabal aI-Nour. The Angel Gabriel appeared and relayed the word of God: “Recite in the name of your Lord who creates, creates man from a clot! Recite for your lord is most generous….” These words became the opening verses of sūrah (chapter) 96 of the Qur'an. Most Islamic historians believe Muhammad was initially disturbed by the revelations and that he didn’t reveal them publicly for several years. However, Shi’a tradition states he welcomed the message from the Angel Gabriel and was deeply inspired to share his experience with other potential believers.

Islamic tradition holds that the first persons to believe were his wife, Khadija and his close friend Abu Bakr (regarded as the successor to Muhammad by Sunni Muslims). Soon, Muhammad began to gather a small following, initially encountering no opposition. Most people in Mecca either ignored him or mocked him as just another prophet. However, when his message condemned idol worship and polytheism, many of Mecca’s tribal leaders began to see Muhammad and his message as a threat. Besides going against long standing beliefs, the condemnation of idol worship had economic consequences for merchants who catered to the thousands of pilgrims who came to Mecca every year. This was especially true for members of Muhammad’s own tribe, the Quraysh, who were the guardians of the Kaaba. Sensing a threat, Mecca’s merchants and leaders offered Muhammad incentives to abandon his preaching, but he refused.

Increasingly, the resistance to Muhammed and his followers grew and they were eventually forced to emigrate from Mecca to Medina, a city 260 miles to the north in 622. This event marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. There Muhammad was instrumental in bringing an end to a civil war raging amongst several of the city’s tribes. Muhammad settled in Medina, building his Muslim community and gradually gathering acceptance and more followers.

Between 624 and 628, the Muslims were involved in a series of battles for their survival. In the final major confrontation, The Battle of the Trench and Siege of Medina, Muhammad and his followers prevailed and a treaty was signed. The treaty was broken by the Meccan allies a year later. By now, Muhammad had plenty of forces and the balance of power had shifted away from the Meccan leaders to him. In 630, the Muslim army marched into Mecca, taking the city with minimum casualties. Muhammad gave amnesty to many of the Meccan leaders who had opposed him and pardoned many others. Most of the Meccan population converted to Islam. Muhammad and his followers then proceeded to destroy all of the statues of pagan gods in and around the Kaaba.

After the conflict with Mecca was finally settled, Muhammad took his first true Islamic pilgrimage to that city and in March, 632, he delivered his last sermon at Mount Arafat. Upon his return to Medina to his wife’s home, he fell ill for several days. He died on June 8, 632, at the age of 62, and was buried at al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet) one of the first mosques built by Muhammad in Medina.

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6 books to read on the prophet muhammad ﷺ.

by Selina Bakkar in Culture & Lifestyle on 8th March, 2022

We’ve taken to social media to once again ask for recommendation on books and resources specifically about the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. For those of us who want to get to know the Prophets life and perhaps it’s the first time you are making the intention to look at his footsteps we’d actually recommend children’s books, they allow you to digest the chronological order of events and simple details so when you dive into heavier literature you are able to navigate it with a bit more ease.

The Simple Seerah

The Simple Seerah was authored by Ustadh Asim Khan and is produced by Toyris Miah who shares on the site

“The idea for The Simple Seerah came about when Toyris discovered his 11-year-old nephew Zakaria had a passion for reading history books. He tried to find some Islamic history books for Zakaria but struggled to find anything which catered to his age group, this sparked a desire to produce a book on the Seerah that appealed to a younger demographic.”

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When The Moon Split: A biography of Prophet Muhammad

The book was published many years ago but recently was revised and has a new front cover, it also has full color pictures and Lessons & Morals at end of each section. It’s another good one for Children, families looking at the seerah together or for someone that wants to grasp the timeline and character of the Prophet Muhammad.

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The First Muslim: The story of the prophet Muhammad

The book was researched and written by Lesley Hazleton who is a British-American author whose work focuses on the intersection and interactions between politics and religion.

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The Sealed Nectar

One of the older books in the list, the book is still highly recommended. This book was awarded first prize by the Muslim World League in worldwide competition on the biography of the Prophet held at Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 1399H/1979.

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Muhammad by Martin Ling

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Karen Armstrong: Muhammad

Muhammad the Prophet by Maulana Muhammad Ali

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Selina Bakkar

I'm a simply striving to be better and improve in different areas of my life through more self awareness, experiences and learning more about the deen. You'll find me talking about community, connection, planting & growing, seeking the truth in an age of propaganda and misinformation. This year I want to document more to do with food heritage and history so watch this space or reach out. Have a listen to the Amaliah Voices podcast where I talk passionately about Islam, nature, motherhooding and back home. Link in bio peeps. To join the Amaliah Writer Community email me at [email protected] IG: SelinaBakkar

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6 Best Biographies of the Prophet Muhammad

I have personally read each of the following biographies of Prophet Muhammad. Some are certainly better than others.

One should also be aware that there are many more books of seerah (biography of the Prophet) that I have not yet read. If you have read another and would like to share what you thought of it, please drop a comment to this entry so others can read your recommendation.

1- Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by the late Dr. Martin Lings

This is arguably one of the very best and most approachable biographies on the Prophet. This book reads more like a novel; it’s fast moving and always interesting.

At the same time, Dr. Lings attempted to make an accurate telling based on the earliest sources. One may also be interested to know that it was during the research for this book that Dr. Lings accepted Islam .

2- Muhammad the Prophet by Maulana Muhammad Ali

This book is one of my personal favorites. Written by an esteemed Muslim from Lahore, Pakistan, this small book is packed with information.

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It is interesting to note that while the author attempts to give an accurate portrayal, you will not find much mention of supposedly miraculous accounts beyond the miracle of the Quran itself.

This is a very straightforward version. Though I was surprised—being used to reading accounts that include such as miracles of the Prophet Muhammad.

Maulana Muhammad Ali is also an interesting writer from whom you will find interesting comments within this book.

“Truth does not depend upon force for its maintenance”.

This is a particularly good choice for non-Muslims.

Those that may be more likely to be skeptical and consider discussion of miracles to be embellishment will appreciate and be moved by this telling.

3- The Life and Work of Muhammad   by Yahiya Emerick

A present day Muslim convert in the U.S., Yahiya Emerick is an excellent writer. He serves as a vice principal at an Islamic school and as President of the Islamic Foundation of North America. This highly readable account covers a wealth of information, based on traditional sources of information.

Mr. Emerick also utilizes a lot of geographical, historical and cultural information that you may not find in other biographies to give a clear picture of the setting and relate the significance of certain choices and situations the Prophet dealt with. You will also learn more about the history of Arabia in an accessible way.

4- When the Moon Split: A Biography of Prophet Muhammad   by Shaikh Safier Rahman Mubarakpuri

Shaikh Mubarakpuri makes it clear in the beginning of his book that he is not an apologist and will not attempt to make the story palatable to those who may be confused or offended by aspects of Muhammad’s story.

This book is definitely best read by Muslims who are already relatively familiar with the life and mission of the Prophet.

The book covers the miraculous events in detail including certain events that would be questionable by modern standards.

Unfortunately, no corresponding explanation is given to help one understand why the choices were correct for the time and place, so non-Muslims, skeptics and others who do not have sufficient background knowledge should steer clear of this book.

That said, it is based on authenticate early sources. It strives for accuracy, and presents the differing versions of several accounts. To Muslims, this book is one of the best books of seerah , next to The Sealed Nectar .

5- Muhammad by Michael Cook

This tiny book is not a critical analysis. And it doesn’t include any consideration of the validity or effect of the message of the Prophet. Instead it is a simple and straightforward account of what the monotheist message was and how Muhammad brought it to Arabia.

6- Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet by Karen Armstrong

This book is written by a British scholar of Islam who is not a Muslim. Of particular interest is her assertion that she is no longer a practicing Christian either, but has not chosen to follow Islam; she seems to still be searching. She is, however, sympathetic to Islam and highly knowledgeable of history.

Ms. Armstrong gives a wonderful accounting of historical background and puts choices, situations, and issues into a clear perspective of surrounding norms and expectations.

In this way, even skeptics and those who continue to find Islamic injunctions not meeting modern day conceptions can see how much of an improvement the Islamic injunctions were in their own time.

Ms. Armstrong also makes an effort to show how these injunctions are in fact more natural and not as at odds with modern thinking as some seem to feel they are, and explains how if they seem to not meet modern needs it may be because modern needs are wrong. She also displays a clear knowledge of the difference between Islamic law and cultural practice.

Read: Authenticity of the Prophet’s Biography

The one downside is the tone that Ms. Armstrong uses that implies she may not really believe that Muhammad was in fact divinely inspired.

She refers to him as a great man, a reformer and statesman. But she seems to feel that he was a self-made man who accomplished amazing things and made choices based on the best decision of the moment, rather than by being inspired by divine intervention and instruction.

This may be difficult for Muslims to read, but if one can see past it and recognize that she is not a Muslim, one can still enjoy the book. That said, Ms. Armstrong is remarkably respectful of the message of Islam and its validity.

She is obviously in great awe of the Prophet and desires to make him understandable to the non-Muslim public. This is a great book for the historical background and contextual explanations alone.

(From Reading Islam archive.)

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) - Volume 1 - As Seerah An Nabawiyya - السيرة النبوية Paperback – July 18, 2019

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Compiled in the 14th century AD by a prominent Syrian scholar, the As-Seerah An-Nabawiyya of Imam Ibn Kathir is a full examination in chronological order, of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Drawn from the earliest and most reliable Arabic sources, it offers, in this close English translation, the fullest available account of the historical circumstances and personalities most important in the founding of Islam. Ibn Kathir’s work offers a fine example of Islamic scholarship; the quotations and anecdotes that constitute its core are evaluated in terms of the trustworthiness of their sources.

Variant wordings that are related through differing lines of transmission are noted, and Ibn Kathir gives both his own assessments and those of the earliest Islamic authorities concerning the likely authenticity of these records. The comments and conversations, derived from ancient texts, that are quoted in this work constitute the basis of our knowledge of Islam during the lifetime of its founder. Volume 1 (of this 4 volume series) relates the history of the Arab tribes who were the Prophet's forebears, the lives of his parents, and the accounts of unusual events surrounding his birth. It then goes on to relate anecdotes regarding his childhood, the signs of the Prophethood, and the first revelations.

Ibn Kathir was born in approximately 1313 in the Boesra district of eastern Damascus, and studied with many great scholars working in the city during his time. He died in 1374.

Trevor Le Gassick is professor of Arabic Literature at the University of Michigan. He has devoted himself to the translation and commentary of important works, both contemporary and from earlier eras, that reveal important aspects of the rich texture of Arabic literary culture.

• Print length 422 pages
• Language English
• Publication date July 18, 2019
• Dimensions 6.69 x 0.96 x 9.61 inches
• ISBN-10 1791776477
• ISBN-13 978-1791776473
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (July 18, 2019)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 422 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1791776477
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1791776473
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.48 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.69 x 0.96 x 9.61 inches
• #238 in Muhammed in Islam
• #493 in History of Islam
• #4,920 in Religious Leader Biographies

About the author

Imam ibn kathir.

Ibn Kathir was born in the city of Busra in 701 H. His father was the Friday speaker of the village, but he died while Ibn Kathir was only four years old. Ibn Kathir's brother, Shaykh Abdul-Wahhab, reared him and taught him until he moved to Damascus in 706 H., when he was five years old.

Ibn Kathir's Teachers

Ibn Kathir studied Fiqh - Islamic jurisprudence - with Burhan Ad-Din, Ibrahim bin `Abdur-Rahman Al-Fizari, known as Ibn Al-Firkah (who died in 729 H). Ibn Kathir heard Hadiths from `Isa bin Al-Mutim, Ahmad bin Abi Talib, (Ibn Ash-Shahnah) (who died in 730 H), Ibn Al-Hajjar, (who died in 730 H), and the Hadith narrator of Ash-Sham (modern day Syria and surrounding areas); Baha Ad-Din Al-Qasim bin Muzaffar bin `Asakir (who died in 723 H), and Ibn Ash-Shirdzi, Ishaq bin Yahya Al-Ammuddi, also known as `Afif Ad-Din, the Zahiriyyah Shaykh who died in 725 H, and Muhammad bin Zarrad. He remained with Jamal Ad-Din, Yusuf bin Az-Zaki AlMizzi who died in 724 H, he benefited from his knowledge and also married his daughter. He also read with Shaykh Al-Islam, Taqi Ad-Din Ahmad bin `Abdul-Halim bin `Abdus-Salam bin Taymiyyah who died in 728 H. He also read with the Imam Hafiz and historian Shams Ad-Din, Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Uthman bin Qaymaz Adh-Dhahabi, who died in 748 H. Also, Abu Musa Al-Qarafai, Abu Al-Fath Ad-Dabbusi and 'Ali bin `Umar As-Suwani and others who gave him permission to transmit the knowledge he learned with them in Egypt.

In his book, Al-Mu jam Al-Mukhtas, Al-Hafiz Adh-Dhaliabi wrote that Ibn Kathir was, "The Imam, scholar of jurisprudence, skillful scholar of Hadith, renowned Fagih and scholar of Tafsir who wrote several beneficial books."

Further, in Ad-Durar Al-Kdminah, Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar AlAsqalani said, "Ibn Kathir worked on the subject of the Hadith in the areas of texts and chains of narrators. He had a good memory, his books became popular during his lifetime, and people benefited from them after his death."

Also, the renowned historian Abu Al-Mahasin, Jamal Ad-Din Yusuf bin Sayf Ad-Din (Ibn Taghri Bardi), said in his book, AlManhal As-Safi, "He is the Shaykh, the Imam, the great scholar `Imad Ad-Din Abu Al-Fida'. He learned extensively and was very active in collecting knowledge and writing. He was excellent in the areas of Fiqh, Tafsfr and Hadith. He collected knowledge, authored (books), taught, narrated Hadith and wrote. He had immense knowledge in the fields of Hadith, Tafsir, Fiqh, the Arabic language, and so forth. He gave Fatawa (religious verdicts) and taught until he died, may Allah grant him mercy. He was known for his precision and vast knowledge, and as a scholar of history, Hadith and Tafsir."

Ibn Kathir's Students

Ibn Hajji was one of Ibn Kathir's students, and he described Ibn Kathir: "He had the best memory of the Hadith texts. He also had the most knowledge concerning the narrators and authenticity, his contemporaries and teachers admitted to these qualities. Every time I met him I gained some benefit from him."

Also, Ibn Al-`Imad Al-Hanbali said in his book, Shadhardt Adh-Dhahab, "He is the renowned Hafiz `Imad Ad-Din, whose memory was excellent, whose forgetfulness was miniscule, whose understanding was adequate, and who had good knowledge in the Arabic language." Also, Ibn Habib said about Ibn Kathir, "He heard knowledge and collected it and wrote various books. He brought comfort to the ears with his Fatwas and narrated Hadith and brought benefit to other people. The papers that contained his Fatwas were transmitted to the various (Islamic) provinces. Further, he was known for his precision and encompassing knowledge."

Ibn Kathir's Books

1 - One of the greatest books that Ibn Kathir wrote was his Tafsir of the Noble Qur'an, which is one of the best Tafsir that rely on narrations [of Ahadith, the Tafsir of the Companions, etc.]. The Tafsir by Ibn Kathir was printed many times and several scholars have summarized it.

2- The History Collection known as Al-Biddyah, which was printed in 14 volumes under the name Al-Bidayah wanNihdyah, and contained the stories of the Prophets and previous nations, the Prophet's Seerah (life story) and Islamic history until his time. He also added a book Al-Fitan, about the Signs of the Last Hour.

3- At-Takmil ft Ma`rifat Ath-Thiqatwa Ad-Du'afa walMajdhil which Ibn Kathir collected from the books of his two Shaykhs Al-Mizzi and Adh-Dhahabi; Al-Kdmal and Mizan Al-Ftiddl. He added several benefits regarding the subject of Al-Jarh and AtT'adil.

4- Al-Hadi was-Sunan ft Ahadith Al-Masdnfd was-Sunan which is also known by, Jami` Al-Masdnfd. In this book, Ibn Kathir collected the narrations of Imams Ahmad bin Hanbal, Al-Bazzar, Abu Ya`la Al-Mawsili, Ibn Abi Shaybah and from the six collections of Hadith: the Two Sahihs [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] and the Four Sunan [Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, AnNasa and Ibn Majah]. Ibn Kathir divided this book according to areas of Fiqh.

5-Tabaqat Ash-Shafiyah which also contains the virtues of Imam Ash-Shafi.

6- Ibn Kathir wrote references for the Ahadith of Adillat AtTanbfh, from the Shafi school of Fiqh.

7- Ibn Kathir began an explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari, but he did not finish it.

8- He started writing a large volume on the Ahkam (Laws), but finished only up to the Hajj rituals.

9- He summarized Al-Bayhaqi's 'Al-Madkhal. Many of these books were not printed.

10- He summarized `Ulum Al-Hadith, by Abu `Amr bin AsSalah and called it Mukhtasar `Ulum Al-Hadith. Shaykh Ahmad Shakir, the Egyptian Muhaddith, printed this book along with his commentary on it and called it Al-Ba'th Al-Hathfth fi Sharh Mukhtasar `Ulum Al-Hadith.

11- As-Sfrah An-Nabawiyyah, which is contained in his book Al-Biddyah, and both of these books are in print.

12- A research on Jihad called Al-Ijtihad ft Talabi Al-Jihad, which was printed several times.

Ibn Kathir's Death

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asgalani said, "Ibn Kathir lost his sight just before his life ended. He died in Damascus in 774 H." May Allah grant mercy upon Ibn Kathir and make him among the residents of His Paradise.

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148 episodes

Interviews with authors of Indiana University Press books.

Behind the Cover with Indiana University Press New Books Network

• MAR 9, 2024

Sarah A. Cramsey, "Uprooting the Diaspora: Jewish Belonging and the Ethnic Revolution in Poland and Czechoslovakia, 1936-1946" (Indiana UP, 2023)

In Uprooting the Diaspora: Jewish Belonging and the Ethnic Revolution in Poland and Czechoslovakia, 1936-1946 (Indiana UP, 2023), Sarah Cramsey explores how the Jewish citizens rooted in interwar Poland and Czechoslovakia became the ideal citizenry for a post–World War II Jewish state in the Middle East. She asks, how did new interpretations of Jewish belonging emerge and gain support amongst Jewish and non-Jewish decision makers exiled from wartime east central Europe and the powerbrokers surrounding them? Usually, the creation of the State of Israel is cast as a story that begins with Herzl and is brought to fulfillment by the Holocaust. To reframe this trajectory, Cramsey draws on a vast array of historical sources to examine what she calls a "transnational conversation" carried out by a small but influential coterie of Allied statesmen, diplomats in international organizations, and Jewish leaders who decided that the overall disentangling of populations in postwar east central Europe demanded the simultaneous intellectual and logistical embrace of a Jewish homeland in Palestine as a territorial nationalist project. Uprooting the Diaspora slows down the chronology between 1936 and 1946 to show how individuals once invested in multi-ethnic visions of diasporic Jewishness within east central Europe came to define Jewishness primarily in ethnic terms. This revolution in thinking about Jewish belonging combined with a sweeping change in international norms related to population transfers and accelerated, deliberate postwar work on the ground in the region to further uproot Czechoslovak and Polish Jews from their prewar homes. Geraldine Gudefin is a French-born modern Jewish historian researching Jewish family life, legal pluralism, and the migration experiences of Jews in France and the United States. She is currently a research fellow at the Hebrew University’s Avraham Harman Research Institute of Contemporary Jewry, and is completing a book titled An Impossible Divorce? East European Jews and the Limits of Legal Pluralism in France, 1900-1939.

• MAR 8, 2024

Dariusz Tołczyk, "Blissful Blindness: Soviet Crimes under Western Eyes" (Indiana UP, 2023)

The most heinous Soviet crimes - the Red Terror, brutal collectivization, the Great Famine, the Gulag, Stalin's Great Terror, mass deportations, and other atrocities - were treated in the West as a controversial topic. With the Cold War dichotomy of Western democracy versus Soviet communism deeply imprinted in our minds, we are not always aware that these crimes were very often questioned, dismissed, denied, sometimes rationalized, and even outright glorified in the Western world. Facing a choice of whom to believe -the survivors or Soviet propaganda- many Western opinion leaders chose in favor of Soviet propaganda. Even those who did not believe it behaved sometimes as if they did. Blissful Blindness: Soviet Crimes under Western Eyes (Indiana UP, 2023) explores Western reactions (and lack thereof) to Soviet crimes from the Bolshevik revolution to the collapse of Soviet communism in order to understand ideological, political, economic, cultural, personal, and other motivations behind this puzzling phenomenon of willful ignorance. But the significance of Dariusz Tolczyk's book reaches beyond its direct historical focus. Written for audiences not limited to scholars and specialists, this book not only opens one's eyes to rarely examined aspects of the twentieth century but also helps one see how astonishingly relevant this topic is in our contemporary world.

• 1 hr 32 min
• MAR 6, 2024

Leona Toker, "Gulag Literature and the Literature of Nazi Camps: An Intercontexual Reading" (Indiana UP, 2019)

Devoted to the ways in which Holocaust literature and Gulag literature provide contexts for each other, Leona Toker's Gulag Literature and the Literature of Nazi Camps: An Intercontexual Reading (Indiana UP, 2019) shows how the prominent features of one shed light on the veiled features and methods of the other. Toker views these narratives and texts against the background of historical information about the Soviet and the Nazi regimes of repression. Writers at the center of this work include Varlam Shalamov, Primo Levi, Elie Wiesel, and Ka-Tzetnik, and others, including Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Evgeniya Ginzburg, and Jorge Semprún, illuminate the discussion.  Toker's twofold analysis concentrates on the narrative qualities of the works as well as on the ways in which each text documents the writer's experience and in which fictionalized narrative can double as historical testimony. References to events might have become obscure owing to the passage of time and the cultural diversity of readers; the book explains them and shows how they form new meaning in the text. Toker is well-known as a skillful interpreter of Gulag literature, and this text presents new thinking about how Gulag literature and Holocaust literature enable a better understanding about testimony in the face of evil.

• 1 hr 31 min
• FEB 18, 2024

Christiane Gruber, “The Praiseworthy One: The Prophet Muhammad in Islamic Texts and Images" (Indiana UP, 2019)

In our most recent public memory, images of the Prophet Muhammad have caused a great deal of controversy, such as satirical cartoons of Muhammad in French magazine Charlie Hebdo, or Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. The sometimes violent backlash to these images has reinforced the popular narrative that Islam is aniconic and iconoclastic. In The Praiseworthy One: The Prophet Muhammad in Islamic Texts and Images (Indiana University Press, 2019), Christiane Gruber, Professor in the History of Art at the University of Michigan, demonstrates that there is long rich history of images of Muhammad from within the Islamic tradition. The styles, themes, and strategies used to represent the Prophet have significantly shifted and altered over time. Gruber synthesizes an extensive archive of images and leads the reader through various thematic patterns, cultural specificities, and unique examples. We are presented with a detailed overview of textual and visual representations of Muhammad that is placed within a deep understanding of the history of Islamic art. In our conversation we discussed how the iconoclasm narrative has been reinforced, the symbolic Prophet versus a historical Muhammad, why there exists no very early images, the first visual representations of Muhammad, the Prophet as king and hero, representations of Muhammad’s spiritual radiance, images in the context of fraternal Sufi communities, Safavid images and the centering of Shi’a interpretations of Muhammad, images of ‘Ali, Ottoman visual culture, embodying Muhammad through objects and relics, modern renderings of Muhammad, and public scholarship and the constraints of academic writing. Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Old Dominion University. You can find out more about his work on his website, follow him on Twitter @BabaKristian, or email him at [email protected].

• FEB 6, 2024

Dallas Michelbacher, "Jewish Forced Labor in Romania, 1940-1944" (Indiana UP, 2020)

Between Romania's entry into World War II in 1941 and the ouster of dictator Ion Antonescu three years later, over 105,000 Jews were forced to work in internment and labor camps, labor battalions, government institutions, and private industry. Particularly for those in the labor battalions, this period was characterized by extraordinary physical and psychological suffering, hunger, inadequate shelter, and dangerous or even deadly working conditions. And yet the situation that arose from the combination of Antonescu's paranoias and the peculiarities of the Romanian system of forced-labor organization meant that most Jewish laborers survived.  Jewish Forced Labor in Romania, 1940-1944 (Indiana UP, 2020) explores the ideological and legal background of this system of forced labor, its purpose, and its evolution. Author Dallas Michelbacher examines the relationship between the system of forced labor and the Romanian government's plans for the "solution to the Jewish question." In doing so, Michelbacher highlights the key differences between the Romanian system of forced labor and the well-documented use of forced labor in Nazi Germany and neighboring Hungary. Jewish Forced Labor in Romania explores the internal logic of the Antonescu regime and how it balanced its ideological imperative for antisemitic persecution with the economic needs of a state engaged in total war whose economy was still heavily dependent on the skills of its Jewish population.

• JAN 10, 2024

Yair Furstenberg, "Purity and Identity in Ancient Judaism: From the Temple to the Mishnah" (Indiana UP, 2023)

The concern for purity was the cornerstone of the religious culture of ancient Judaism, shaping the worldview of Jewish people during the Second Temple period as well as their daily practices and social relations. In his book, Purity and Identity in Ancient Judaism: From the Temple to the Mishnah (Indiana UP, 2023), Yair Furstenberg examines how different groups offered competing visions and methods for living a life of purity, which embodied a promise for personal and cosmic salvation and at the same time determined the degree of sectarian separation.  Yair Furstenberg is Associate Professor and Chair of the department of Talmud at Hebrew University, and has also published: Jewish Martyrdom in Antiquity: From the Books of Maccabees to the Babylonian Talmud. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020). He can be reached at [email protected].

• © New Books Network

Top Podcasts In Arts

Muhammad: the Demon Possessed False Prophet of Islam

Publisher description.

"Woe is me poet or possessed…" Those are the words of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Muhammad, including many of his contemporaries, believed he was possessed. Indeed, Muhammad experienced twitching, foaming at the mouth, convulsing, roaring or snorting like a camel, and other bizarre manifestations when he received his "divine inspirations." We thoroughly examine the idea that Muhammad was demon-possessed or at least demonically influenced. We use over 300 direct quotations from the most authentic and authoritative Islamic sources (the Quran, the sahih hadiths, and the Sira literature). Muhammad believed an entity, the angel Gabriel, communicated through him, but the entity was more characteristic of an evil spirit. The entity that Muhammad encountered in the Cave of Hira left Muhammad terrorized, foaming at the mouth, and crawling on his hands and knees. We also examine Muhammad's very questionable morality. Would God, who is righteous and holy, work behind a person who sanctioned and committed many evil and atrocious acts, such as child marriage and domestic violence? What spirit was moving behind Muhammad to do and sanction many acts of wickedness? Muhammad claimed that God affirmed the inspiration, preservation, and authority of the Torah and the Gospel, but the Torah and the Gospel contradict Allah's words. Why would God commission Muhammad to contradict His previous revelation? The Bible warned about the preaching of another Jesus and another Gospel, which Muhammad did. This e-book has a wealth of evidence that Muhammad was indeed demonically influenced and thus shouldn't be trusted as a true prophet of God.

Watch CBS News

Salman Rushdie on the attack that nearly killed him and his new book "Knife"

By Anderson Cooper , Aliza Chasan , Michael H. Gavshon, Nadim Roberts

April 14, 2024 / 7:32 PM EDT / CBS News

Prolific author Salman Rushdie doesn't like to think about the man who almost stabbed him to death at a literary festival in Chautauqua, New York in August 2022.

In less than half a minute, Rushdie was stabbed and slashed in the face, neck, chest, abdomen, thigh and hand. He lost an eye in the attack and is still adjusting to the change. Rushdie doesn't use his attacker's name and it doesn't appear in his newest book, "Knife," hitting bookshelves Tuesday.

"He and I had 27 seconds together, you know? That's it," Rushdie, now 76, told 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper. "I don't need to give him any more of my time."

"Knife," Rushdie's 22nd book, is one he initially did not want to write. The book, however, felt unavoidable, and it became an opportunity for Rushdie to come to terms with the attack. 

"I need to focus on, you know, to use the cliché, the elephant in the room," Rushdie said. "And the moment I thought that, kinda something changed in my head. And it then became a book I really very much wanted to write."

Rushdie's previous brushes with death

For years, no place was safe for Salman Rushdie, whose sprawling 600-page novel "The Satanic Verses" offended some Muslims for its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. Iran's then-Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa—a religious decree— calling for Rushdie's death in 1989. There were worldwide protests from London to Lahore. "The Satanic Verses" was burned and 12 people died in violent clashes with police. The book's Japanese translator was murdered, and others associated with the tome were attacked.

Rushdie had no idea then that his book would lead to such a violent backlash. 

"I thought probably some conservative religious people wouldn't like it. But they didn't like anything I wrote anyway," he said. "So I thought, 'Well, they don't have to read it.'"

Rushdie, who was born in India, was living in London when he went into hiding to evade the assassins sent to kill him. The British government provided him with 24-hour police protection for 10 years. Over that period, Rushdie said there were as many as half a dozen serious assassination attempts from state-sponsored terrorism professionals.

The Iranian state called off its assassins in 1998 after diplomatic negotiations, but the bounty on his head remained.

What happened during the attack

Rushdie moved to New York in the early 2000s and for the next two decades lived openly. He continued writing and publishing books and became a celebrated advocate for freedom of expression. 

In 2022, Rushdie was invited to speak at a literary festival in Chautauqua, New York about a subject he knows all too well: the importance of protecting writers whose lives are under threat. 

Two days before the event, Rushdie had a dream in which he was being attacked, what he calls "a premonition."

"And it was just somebody with a spear stabbing downwards, and I was rolling around on the floor trying to get away from him," Rushdie said. "And I woke up and was quite shaken by it."

Rushdie almost pulled out of going to Chautauqua, but brushed off his concerns as he'd presented at many events in his years living in America. Rushdie hadn't had security detail in a long time, but the venues he spoke at usually had venue security. In this case, he said, there wasn't any.

Rushdie was seated at stage right before the attack, and writes about what happened next in his book "Knife."

"Then, in the corner of my right eye — the last thing my right eye would ever see — I saw the man in black running towards me down the right-hand side of the seating area," Rushdie writes. 

He describes his attacker as a "squat missile" wearing black clothes and a black mask.

"I confess, I had sometimes imagined my assassin rising up in some public forum or other, and coming for me in just this way." Rushdie writes. "So my first thought when I saw this murderous shape rushing towards me was, 'So it's you. Here you are.'"

Rushdie didn't see the knife and thought, at first, that he'd just been punched. Then he saw the blood. 

"I think he was just wildly, you know, flailing around," Rushdie said about his attacker. 

Rushdie doesn't remember being stabbed in the eye. 

"I remember falling. Then I remember not knowing what had happened to my eye ," Rushdie said. 

The attack lasted 27 seconds.

"That's quite a long time," Rushdie said. "That's the extraordinary half-minute of intimacy, you know, in which life meets death."

Rushdie's attacker was a 24-year-old Muslim man from New Jersey who lived in his mother's basement. He's believed to be a lone wolf. He has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and is awaiting trial.

In an interview, he told the "New York Post" he'd only read a couple of pages of "The Satanic Verses" and seen some clips of Rushdie on YouTube. He said he "didn't like him very much" because Rushdie had "attacked Islam." 

His motive remains something of a mystery to Rushdie, who feels that if he'd written a character who knew so little about his proposed victim, his publishers would tell him the character was "under-motivated."

Aftermath of the attack on Rushdie

Audience members pulled the attacker off Rushdie while others desperately tried to stem the flow of his blood.

"I remember thinking that I was probably dying. And it was interesting because it was quite matter of fact…It wasn't, it wasn't like I was terrified of it or whatever," Rushdie said.

Rushdie's near-death experience hasn't left him with any revelations about what comes after death, "except that there's no revelation to be had."

Paramedics flew Rushdie to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, 40 miles away, where a team of doctors battled for eight hours to save his life. When he finally came out of surgery, his wife Eliza Griffiths, a poet and novelist, was waiting.

"He was a different color. He was cold," she said. "His face was stapled. Just staples holding his face together."

Rushdie was on a ventilator, unable to speak. After 18 days in the hospital and three weeks in rehab, Rushdie was discharged. One of the surgeons told Rushdie he was both really unlucky and really lucky. 

"I said, 'What's the lucky part?' And he said, 'Well, the lucky part is that the man who attacked you had no idea how to kill a man with a knife," Rushdie said.

Have brushes with death changed Rushdie?

After "The Satanic Verses" was published, Rushdie felt the only thing people knew about him was the death threat against him and he doesn't want the 2022 attack to be yet another defining incident.

For Rushdie, the worst part of the attack two years ago beyond the physical wounds, was the feeling of being dragged into the past.  

"That sense of time warp, you know, of being dragged into a narrative that I thought had concluded," he said, "and then it turned out had not."

While Rushdie was attacked with a physical knife, he fought back with one that's more metaphorical: his writing. Rushdie thought he could use his book to take charge of what happened to him. 

"I mean, language is a way of breaking open the world," Rushdie said. "I don't have any other weapons."

He says he feels the presence of death more than he did before.

"I think that shadow is just there," Rushdie said. "And some days it's dark and some days it's not."

Almost 25 years ago, Rushdie, addressing the fatwa, said that he wanted to find an "and to this story. It is the one story I must find an end to." He thought he had found that ending until he was attacked in 2022.

"I'm hoping this is just a last twitch of that story," he said. "I don't know. I'll let you know."

• Salman Rushdie

Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," has contributed to 60 Minutes since 2006. His exceptional reporting on big news events has earned Cooper a reputation as one of television's preeminent newsmen.

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