The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah [ハードカバー]

Ibn Ishaq was the earliest, and probably the most thorough, of Islam's historians. He never claimed that everything he heard was the perfect, absolute fact; rather, he very frankly writes "so-and-so said this, but so-and-so said that." Most of the discrepancies he cites are minor, and the vast majority of the incidents he cites are surprisingly consistent with what other Muslim historians say.

Later, Ibn Hisham produced a "rescinded" version of Ibn Ishaq's work, including in his work an introduction that explains frankly that he cut parts that others might find offensive. It is actually this work that survives -- to date no complete copy of Ibn Ishaq's orginial work has been found.

Meanwhile, however, other Muslim historians commented on Ibn Ishaq's work (before it was rescinded and lost) and quoted from it extensively. Guilliaume has taken these pieces and added them back in, and has indicated clearly what has been added, diligently citing the source of the addition in each case.

While this book is not exactly light reading, it is fascinating, and essential for understanding the context of the Quran. The Quran and the Life of Muhammad should be read side by side to really get an understanding of how Islam developed over the course of Muhammad's life.

Don't be put off by the extremely thorough names -- clan and lineage was an integral part of life in sixth-century Arabia so a person's name often is listed as "A son of B son of C son of D son of E of the clan F." It's even worse when they list four or five people that way, taking up two-thirds of a paragraph before getting to a verb, but just skip over this and read the great stories. This is a fascinating read and a fabulous academic resource.

If you want something a little easier to read, get Martin Lings' book: Muhammad, His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. A work of impeccable scholarship, this book is shorter, easier to read, and, while it is largely based on Ibn Ishaq, it also includes some other sources considered authentic by Islamic scholars. Lings won awards in Pakistan and Egypt for the book, which is in its third printing and is sold all over the Muslim world.

Again, the frustrating thing about any book on the life of Muhammad will be keeping track of who's who -- there are so many characters and many of them share the same name, so you have to make an effort to keep track of which Abdullah and which Sa'd they are talking about. (For example, at one point both of Muhammad's personal bodyguards were named Sa'd.) To add further confusion, the most polite way to address someone in Arabic is "Father of so-and-so" or "Mother of so-and-so" but Martin Lings is pretty good about using one form or the other consistently throughout the book. Also, there is a helpful index in the back of both Guillaume's and Lings' book for when you can't remember who's who.

Either of these books is essential reading if you are studying the Quran or Islam.

Ibn Ishaq wrote the Sirat Rasul Allah and the original of that work no longer exists.

Apparently Ishaq provided an unvarnished view of Mohammad and early Islamic practices and history. Those original works were edited by Ibn Hisham (and translated by Guillaume) who censored Ishaq in an early form of "political correctness." For example, Hisham states that he intentionally omitted portions that did not address Mohammad and "about which the Quran says nothing, ..., things which are disgraceful to discuss; matters which would distress certain people; and such reports as al-Bakka'a told me he could not accept as trustworthy (p. 691). Hisham's censorship appears consistent with Sharia law practices and rulings which may be found in "Reliance of the Traveller: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law", Book R (Holding One's Tongue), Chapter 2, (Slander), Section 2; and 6, Chapter 23 (Asking About Another's Mistakes) Section 1; Chapter 8 (Lying) Section 2: Chapter 10, (Giving A Misleading Impression) Section 1; Chapter 20, (Picking Apart Another's Words), Section 2 (Giving a Positive Interpretation to Others Seeming Mistakes).; Chapter 24, (Searching Out A Person's Faults); Chapter 36, (Revealing a Secret) Section 1.

However, according to the publishers, in this translation, Guillaume also incorporated a number of additions and variants found in the writings of early authors and what we have, according to the publishers, "may represent in English most of what is known of the life of" Mohammad.

The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 is The Genealogy of Muhammad; Traditions from the Pre-Islamic Era; Muhammad's Childhood and Early Manhood. Part 2 is Muhammad's Call and Preaching in Mecca. Part 3 is Muhammad's Migration to Medina, His Wars, Triumph, and Death.

Part 3 is relevant to the modern researcher in that it contains a comprehensive list of attacks against Non Muslims. These attacks are the result of Mohammad's contention that Allah ordered him to fight non-Muslims and the background for that "revelation" begins on page 212 (Allah orders Muhammad to Fight.)

The lists of attacks, about 45 or so, and a couple of defensive operations, are identified:

The first raid: on Waddan.(p. 281)

Hamza's raid to the coast (p. 283)

Raid on Buwat (p. 285)

Raid on al-Ushayra (p. 285)

Raid on al-Kharrar (p. 286)

Raid on Safawan (p. 286)

Battle of Badr (p. 289)

Raid on B. Sulaym (p.360)

Raid called al-Sawig (p. 361)

Raid on Dhu Amarr (p. 362)

Raid on al- Furu (p. 362)

Attack on B. Qaynuqa (p. 363)

Raid on al-Qarada (p. 364)

Battle of Uhud (p. 370)

Raid of Dhatu'l Riqa (p. 445)

Last Expedition to Badr (p. 447)

Raid on Dumatu'l-Jandal (p. 449)

Battle of the Ditch (p. 456) (a defensive operation)

Attack on B. Qurayza (p. 461)

Attack on B. Lihyan (p. 485)

Attack on Dhu Qarad (p. 486)

Attack on B.al-Mustaliq (p. 490)

Expedition to Kharbar (p. 510)

Raid on Muta (p. 531)

Khalid destroys al-Uzza (p. 565)

Battle of Hunayn (p. 566)

Capture of al-Ta'if (p. 587

Raid on Tabuk (p. 602)

Destruction of al-Lat (p. 615)

Usama's expedition to Palestine (p. 652)

Ghalib's raid on B. al-Mulawwah (p. 660)

Zayd's raid on Judham (p. 662)

Zayd' raid on B.Fazara and the death of Umm Qirfa (p. 664)

Abdullah b. Rawaha's raid to kill al-Yusayr (p. 665)

Abdullah b. Unays's raid to kill Khalid b. Sufyan (p. 666)

Uyayna's raid on B, al-Anbar (p. 667)

Ghalib's raid on B.Murra (p. 667)

Amr b. al-'As's raid on Dhatu'l Salasil (p. 668)

Ibn Abu Hadrad's raid on Idam (p. 669)

His (Ibn Abu Hadrad) raid on Ghaba (p. 671)

Abdu'l Rahman's raid on Dumatu'l-Jandal (p. 672)

Abu Ubayda's raid to the coast (p. 673)

Salim b. Umayr's raid to kill Abu `Afak (p. 673)

Umayr b. Adiy's raid to kill Asma (p. 675)

Alqama's raid (p. 677)

Kurz's raid on the Bajilis (p. 677)

Ali's raid on the Yaman (p. 678)

Ishaq gives "A Summary of Muhammad's raids and expeditions" (p. 659) recounting that Muhammad personally led 27 raids and actually fought in nine (9) engagements: Badr; Uhud, al-Kandaq; Qurayza; al-Mustaliq; Khubar; the occupation; Hunayn and al-Ta-if.. (p. 660).

Ishaq provides details identifying names of both Muslims and Non-Muslims in multiple engagements, sequencing and phasing of the fighting characterizing various attacks, description, background and narratives of specifically targeted assassination raids, and of the murders of other raid and expedition survivors. For example, the attack on B.Fazara resulted in the capture of Umm Qirfa Fatima d. Rabi'a b. Badr. "She was a very old woman, wife of Malik." And she was murdered "by putting a rope to her two legs and to two camels and driving until they rent her in two (p. 665). Muhammad's piecemeal, leisurely, butchery of between 600 - 900 survivors of the raid on B. Qurayza is described on page 464 and the parceling of the Qurayza property, women and (36) horses among the Muslims is described on page 466.

Contained in each of these descriptions are examples of the planning, execution, discipline and tactics that should be of interest to modern day analysts who are confronted by actors modeling themselves on the examples of Mohammad and his followers.

Whether one is evaluating Mohammad as a self proclaimed prophet, military or diplomatic leader, this particular book is an essential source for analysts and researchers who need the best practical historical record.

In partial reply to the "reader from Maryland USA" below who scathingly reviewed this title ... The reader is correct in his summation of Alfred Guillaume. However, the translation of this classic text still is a work worthy of being read. Ibn Ishaq's abridgement of Ibn Hisham's work is used extensively throughout the Muslim world, and in its Arabic original it is out of reach to the normal English reader and student of Islam, Muslim or non. The wealth of biographical, historical, and other information in this volume is deep. The narration the "reader from Maryland" mentions (about the Gabriel incident) has in fact been mentioned by some Muslim scholars of the past (e.g. Ibn Sa'd, at-Tabari), though by general consensus among the majority of the 'ulema (Islamic religious scholars, both past and present) have deemed it false and weak. In studying this work, the reader should keep in mind A. Guillaume was not a Muslim, but rather an Orientalist translating a classic Muslim compilation of the Prophet of Islam. Biases and prejudices are apparent, but the views and "commentary" & notes of the translator should be kept in mind as such, and as not necessarily being the words of Ibn Ishaq or Ibn Hisham. With that said, I would recommend this title, and to read selected portions with caution.