xv, 240 pages : 23 cm

"The Prophet Muhammad is a hero for all humankind. In his lifetime he established a new religion, Islam; a new state, the first united Arabia; and a new literary language - the classical Arabic of the Qur'an, for the Qur'an is, believed to be the word of God revealed to Muhammad by the Archangel Gabriel. A generation after his death he would be acknowledged as the founder of a world empire and a new civilization." "Any one of these achievements would be more than enough to permanently establish his genius, but Muhammad also managed to stay true to himself and retained to his last days the humility, courtesy, and humanity that he had learned as an orphan shepherd boy in central Arabia. If one looks for a parallel example in the history of Christianity, one would have to combine Paul the Apostle with the Emperor Constantine and Francis of Assisi."

"In this biography, Barnaby Rogerson explores the life and times of this deeply influential figure. Vividly describing the sixth-century Arabia where Muhammad was born, Rogerson charts his early years among the flocks, the caravans and the markets of his native Mecca; the night the Archangel Gabriel appeared before him and Muhammad become the messenger of God; the dangerous years of reciting the divine revelations in Mecca; his escape to Yathrib (Medina) and the subsequent battles between the pagan Meccans and the Prophet's Muslim forces, who would ultimately prove victorious."--BOOK JACKET

Includes bibliographical references (pages 228-231) and index

Dawn over Mecca -- Arabia and her neighbours -- From boy shepherd to the caravans of old Arabia -- Muhammad, man, husband, father, seeker -- Muhammad's first revelations -- Muhammad in Medina : the Prophet and his city -- War with Mecca -- Victory and magnanimity : Muhammad converts Arabia to Islam

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