The Cambridge Companion to Muhammad

A collection of essays by some of the most accomplished scholars in the field exploring the life and legacy of the Prophet.

Jonathan E. Brockopp (Edited by)

9780521886079, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 April 2010

346 pages, 14 b/w illus. 3 maps
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.58 kg

'Three things above all impressed me about this companion … the clear explanation and digest of modern Muhammed scholarship made accessible to the ordinary reader and believer and student; the emphasis on ways in which the life and times, prophetic and political gifts of Muhammed impacted on past followers and continue to shape the devotional lives of Muslims today; and how widespread, influential and often conflicting are the representations of Muhammed on global cultural politics today.' Reference Reviews

As the Messenger of God, Muhammad stands at the heart of the Islamic religion, revered by Muslims throughout the world. The Cambridge Companion to Muhammad comprises a collection of essays by some of the most accomplished scholars in the field exploring the life and legacy of the Prophet. The book is divided into three sections, the first charting his biography and the milieu into which he was born, the revelation of the Qur'?n, and his role within the early Muslim community. The second part assesses his legacy as a law-maker, philosopher, and politician and, finally, in the third part, chapters examine how Muhammad has been remembered across history in biography, prose, poetry, and, most recently, in film and fiction. Essays are written to engage and inform students, teachers, and readers coming to the subject for the first time. They will come away with a deeper appreciation of the breadth of the Islamic tradition, of the centrality of the role of the Prophet in that tradition, and, indeed, of what it means to be a Muslim today.

Introduction Jonathan E. Brockopp
Part I. Muhammad in His World: 1. The Arabian context of Muhammad's life Walid Saleh
2. Muhammad's message in Mecca: warnings, signs, and miracles Uri Rubin
3. Glimpses of Muhammad's Medinan decade Michael Lecker
Part II. Muhammad in History: 4. The Prophet as law-giver and legal authority Joseph Lowry
5. Personal piety Robert Gleave
6. Muhammad as pole of existence Carl Ernst
7. The Prophet Muhammad in ritual Marion Katz
8. Muslim philosophers' rationalist explanation of Muhammad's prophecy Frank Griffel
9. Where earth and heaven meet: remembering Muhammad as head of state Asma Afsaruddin
Part III. Muhammad in Memory: 10. Muhammad in sufi eyes: prophetic legitimacy in medieval Iran and Central Asia Shahzad Bashir
11. European accounts of Muhammad's life John V. Tolan
12. Religious biography of the Prophet Muhammad in twenty-first-century Indonesia Anna M. Gade
13. Images of Muhammad in literature, art and music Amir Hussain
14. Epilogue: Muhammad in the future Abdulkader Tayob.

Subject Areas: Islamic studies [JFSR2], Islam [HRH], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]