Muhammad, His Life Based on the Earliest Sources, Revised edition (Martin Lings)

Author: Martin Lings

Publisher: Inner Traditions

Paperback,  6 inches x 9 inches, 384 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1-59477-153-8 (9781594771538)

ISBN: 1-59477-153-7 (1594771537)

A revised edition of the internationally acclaimed biography of the prophet 

• Includes important additions about the prophet’s spread of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states 

• Contains original English translations from 8th and 9th century biographies, presented in authoritative language 

• Represents the final updates made on the text before the author’s death in 2005 

Martin Lings’ biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies that recount numerous events in the prophet’s life, it contains original English translations of many important passages that reveal the words of men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life. 

Scrupulous and exhaustive in its fidelity to its sources, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is presented in a narrative style that is easily comprehensible, yet authentic and inspiring in its use of language, reflecting both the simplicity and grandeur of the story it tells. This revised edition includes new sections detailing the prophet’s expanding influence and his spreading of the message of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states. It represents the final updates made to the text before the author’s death in 2005. The book has been published in 12 languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgment as best biography of the prophet in English at the National Seerate Conference in Islamabad.

About the Author(s):

Martin Lings (1909-2005) was a renowned British scholar with degrees in English and Arabic from London University and Oxford University. At Oxford, he studied English under C. S. Lewis, who later became a close friend. Lings taught at several European universities and the University of Cairo and served as the keeper of Oriental manuscripts for the British Museum and the British Library. His friendship and similar beliefs with philosophers René Guénon and Frithjof Schuon inspired Lings to convert to Islam. He went on to become an influential member of Western Muslim society, participating in several international Islamic councils and conferences, including acting as consultant to the World of Islam Festival Trust. He is the author of twelve books on religion and spirituality.

Praise for Muhammad:

"Lings provides a wealth of detail on the life of Muhammad, the time and place of many Koranic revelations, and the foundation of Islam, all based exclusively on 8th- and 9th-century Arabic biographical sources and collections of the sayings attributed to Muhammad. General readers will find a well-written, straightforward chronological narrative; Muslim readers will appreciate the favorable treatment of Muhammad; while specialists will find a faithful and convenient rendering of source material." 

- Joseph Gardner, California State Univ. Lib., Northridge Library Journal

“For those interested in Islam . . . it is mesmerizing.”

- Parabola

“This work is widely recognized as the most readable account of the life of the Prophet to date.”

- Times of London