Book Review about Islamic Religion
Reviled by numerous critics and appreciated by millions of her admirers, a British author Karen Armstrong managed to unearth her unprecedentedly new approach to cultivate senses of perception in the piece of research entitled “Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet”. One cannot but encounter the fact that Armstrong here sharpened her focus on methodically eradicating some common misconceptions about Islamic religion among the bulk of Westerners. A peculiar thing is that the author goes beyond simply narrowing attention on to a single focus – a religious pluralism within Islam. The focus here lies in arguing that the author puts a lot of effort into prompting the intended readers to peer deep into the very core of ideas that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was driven by throughout life. In “Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet”, Armstrong should be viewed as bringing the Islamic concept of religion alive through unveiling its origins. It is not an exaggeration to say that the book deserves a strong recommendation due to providing the multitude of insightful interpretations, and, thus, being a priceless contribution to a better understanding of Islamic culture in general and the Prophet Muhammad in particular.
Armstrong’s “Muhammad: A Biography of a Prophet” outlines a comparison between the major religions traditions. Apart from taking an excursus into the very framework of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, the book offers valuable insights into both Buddhism along with Hinduism. One cannot but agree with Armstrong when she unravels a truly global conflict with the Islamic world. In addition, the author endows the audience with an opportunity to reconsider the negative effect that Western perception of Islam actually has on the chances that Muslims will adapt to American life. On the whole, a bestselling religious writer Karen Armstrong concludes that it is extremely hard to live as a Muslim within the United States of America; and the ongoing trend towards the clash of civilizations can only worsen the situation facing Muslims worldwide.
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In regard to this biography, Karen Armstrong takes an excursus into the religious experience of Muhammad, making an emphasis on his truly “distinctive and valuable contribution to the spiritual experience of humanity” (1992, p. 14). One cannot but give the author credit for describing the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as far from being equipped with superhuman characteristics; this in turn can be seen as an attempt to re-brand the image of Muhammad, positing the Prophet as a real historical figure who, albeit, did have an excessive sense of spirituality and abundant empathy for others. Yes, the Prophet’s views on socio-political situation occurred as an outward disclosure of inner convictions, the bulk of which rested upon a dire need for promoting morality among the masses. It becomes clear that Muhammad’s deep concern over moral emptiness gave the Islamic religion its unique character.
As the book opens, Armstrong alludes to both the socio-economic and political aspects proving dominant at the time of Muhammad’s birth. It is important to highlight the fact that the author draws special attention to some of the fundamental factors that came to determine the course of life in the peninsula; in particular, she puts an emphasis on traditional Arab tribes that have settled down in Makkah. Supposedly, it is about these tribes that contributed to transforming the city of Islam into the spiritual centre of the Arab world. Notably, the barren terrain, not very good for growing crops, left the locals with the activity of buying and selling of goods as the only possible profession. Pulling deep into “Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet”, it becomes apparent that Makkah has soon “become the centre of finance and the most powerful settlement in Arabia” (Armstrong, 1992, p. 45). It can be said with an absolute certainty that the city became the thriving trade capital; in other words, Makkah was central to all trade routes from north to south.
Providing a unique perspective on the city of Makkah as an oasis on the caravan trade route, Armstrong ascertains that Arabian tribes retained a highly unwelcome conduct towards the others, which in turn contributed to constituting the basis for the traditional unscrupulous tribal code. To be precise, the author centres around a sense of superiority as a force that directed the tribes of Mekkas and predisposed them to behave in a dishonest and unethical way. On the whole, the spirit of generosity was replaced by the ideology, strongly associated with the cult of private greed. One has to be conscious that the traditional awareness of others’ feelings, needs, and concerns has gradually played out its crucial role, which resulted in transforming money into a “quasi-religious value” (Armstrong, 1992, p. 67). Specifically speaking, the new generation could be characterized by thoughtlessly sticking to the concept of moral turpitude; the reluctance to abstain from private fortunes as the major reference point exacerbated the situation in Mecca dramatically. Surely, the predominance of immoral goals among the tribes served as a wake-up call to elaborate on a different moral code of interpersonal interactions. When “one night Gabriel came to the Prophet” (Armstrong, 1992, p. 115), it was to cultivate that Muhammad will become the saviour of the mankind.
Contemplating upon Armstrong’s “Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet”, one has to take into account the fact that one of the book’s chapters gravitates towards shedding the light to “conditions in Arabia before the coming of Islam” (1992, p. 54). Muslims often call this period the jahiliyah, which is commonly believed to predominate at the time of the Prophet’s birth in Mecca. Although a number of Muslim scholars qualify the term jahiliyyah as tightly linked to the pre-Islamic Arabia, the author reveals that it has very little to do with this time period. As Armstrong claims, this notion should be referred to as a mindset. In the book, the author makes an attempt to defend the Islamic religion as a peaceful religious tradition. This piece of research explores how the Prophet came across his calling and, ultimately, became Allah’s messenger. This is not to say that Armstrong conveys the formation of Islam and elucidates the place of the Prophet Muhammad in an exceptionally clear way; to put the matter differently, the book does, to some extent, rest upon some contentious presuppositions. For all that, Armstrong succeeds in encapsulating a mostly believable portrait of the Prophet Muhammad. Yes, the book is definitely worth reading, though Armstrong might make it more concise by omitting multiple polemical digressions. Overall, “Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet” presents a coherent story of Muhammad’s lifetime, and, hence, may evoke critical responses in readers.
Surely, it emerges to be extremely hard for Muslims within today’s turbulent times to gain a full understanding of those challenges that the Prophet Muhammad passed through whilst proclaiming his belief; and it is particularly about being nourished by the stories of supernatural powers of prophets that most of Muslims fail to get to know what the Prophet’s campaign to spread Islam actually entailed. It is worth indicating that Karan Armstrong provides a thorough reflection upon the tribal structures that prevailed at the time Muhammad lived in Mecca. According to the author, the locals saw the tribal affiliation as an integral part of the social model; and taking a stance against the dominant tribal practices could cause serious conflicts within the community. Speculating upon the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), one cannot help but become aware that, at some point, he fully experienced all the burdens of being involved in preaching. To make it certain, since ruling tribes drastically opposed the basic teaching of Muhammad, the Prophet vividly comprehended what it was like to lose the tribal protection. Notwithstanding this, Muhammad did not renounce the initial faith’s teachings.
Sinking into the chapters of Armstrong’s “Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet”, the author defines the position of the Prophet as that of constantly challenging Western misunderstanding of Islam. In the process of depicting the Prophet Muhammad from another angle, however, the author has disregarded certain source issues, and, therefore, the book suffers from some serious factual problems. Firstly, Armstrong advances an argument that people can probably know more about the central figure of Islam than about the founders of distinct religious traditions. Yet, since most of materials on Muhammad were received after the Prophet’s death, it is absurd to assume that the accounts of his lifetime are more certain that those of Christ. Secondly, while describing Muhammad as more affable to America’s society, Armstrong makes use of a subjective tone, which in turn calls into question that the manner, in which she conveys Islamic values makes sense in all respects. Regardless of weak points, the significance of Armstrong’s concern over anti-Muslim sentiments in the West cannot be understated from the perspective of the way it may potentially contribute to putting an end to anti-Islamic campaign. In sum, one has to know that reading “Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet” is definitely not a waste of time.
References
Armstrong, K. (1992). Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
