Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

In recent weeks, made the point of reading this very important Seerah/Biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH-SAW) by Martin Lings entitled: Muhammad his life based on earliest sources after being reminded when the late Queen Elizabeth II passed away on 8th September 2022 and her immediate successor monarch - eldest in seniority former Prince Charles now known as King Charles III - who highly recommended this book due to his historic views on ‘building Bridges between Islam and the west’. As it is now the third Islamic month of Rabi-ul-Awal 1441 - according to the Islamic lunar calendar it is also the month of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH-SAW) was born and passed away on the 12th Rabi-ul-Awal and this is known as Mawlid An Nabi. Overall, the book by Lings is very easy to read and is brilliantly written, very informative and accessible.The book covers many significant moments in the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH-SAW) in simple short paragraphs.There are many details and events that are mentioned in this book which personally speaking was not aware of and maybe due to it being based on the earliest sources written in 1983 which earned him acclaim in the Muslim world and prizes from the governments of Pakistan and Egypt.His work was hailed as the "best biography of the prophet in English" at the National Seerat Conference in Islamabad.Clearly, this Seerah/biography by Lings gives a very good account of the noble prophet Muhammad (PBUH-SAW) and portrays him as a living, talking and walking Qur’an during his life on this earth and a mercy to the worlds and everything that is in it.There a couple of other Seerah/biography books on the life of prophet Muhammad (PBUH-SAW) including Betty Kelen: Muhammad the Messenger of God was not just a primer for famialirising yourself with Islam but it has a much deeper insight into the politics of Arabia at the time, than it appears. Highly recommend people to read this book by Betty Kelen as an independent account from a non-Muslim. As well as Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri book entitled: Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar) - First Prize Winner book in Saudi Arabia in1979.This was also excellent biography of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which is a very detailed book that gives a very comprehensive account of the prophet's life and times within a wider historical context of events that unfolded on the Arabian peninsula at the time.In short, the book by Martin Lings is very easy to read and is brilliantly written, very informative and accessible and is highly recommended and a must buy!

Written with lots of references, some sections need re-reading to understand the complexities. This a thorough seerah with lots of extra information than other books.

A must-read, thoroughly recommend this book for all.

The book about the life of Prophet Mohammad has been written by Martin Ling in a very interesting way. Unlike most biographies the account presented makes the reader “live” in that period. It’s a book based on facts but presented like a “Novel”, a rare combination which makes it very fascinating for anyone regardless of their faith. Highly recommended.

Great way to appreciate foundation for this historical faith.

I have read a few biographies, and this one is by far the best one. It’s so emotional and deep. Incredible for better understanding our religion, it gives so many insights on the Quran, origins of verses and historical contexts… amazing

One of the best written book and understood. I recommend it

Lings has set out to tell the story of Mohammed as a narrative, which is quite a relief given that so many Islamic texts make references to common knowledge that was prevalent at the time of writing, but has fallen from popular consciousness (the Quran doesn't do a great job of telling stories at all, it just refers people to them and talks about God a lot).If you've read "The Lord of The Rings" and are thinking "Islam/Mohammed... what's that then?" you'll be capable of dealing with this text and following the narrative style. It's presented in a similar vein to popular fiction, with very little analysis going on, instead we start with the scene being set with a battle featuring an elephant and a water source being found in Meccah. Our reluctant hero is introduced (he's into trade, and reflective sojourns in caves) and then he teams up with a variety of other larger than life characters (including Omar, a ruddy-faced shaven headed giant of a man, various bearded blokes and a freed slave who's extremely special when it comes to throwing spears at people and seems to fill a similar niche in the narrative to that Irish guy in Braveheart). Battles are fought, visions are had and women are romanced. Eventually, following a period of quest and exile, the gang ride back into Mecca... it's kind of a shame there's not a scene with a volcano, but until Hollywood decide to grow a pair and bring Mohammed and his mates to the silver screen Martin Ling's life of Mohammed is the most exciting treatment of the foundation of Islam that you're going to find.

The book arrived in excellent condition. No complaints! The work is incredible, an excellent introduction to those curious about Islam.

This book gives a good overview of the life of Prophet (pbu) - my kids are reading it now and it is relatively easy to understand 👍🏻

Based on original historical sources, the book tells a narrative like a novel.This is perhaps the best ever Seerah book in English.

Riche d’enseignements

Many of my friends have read this piece and highly recommended it to me!