Introduction
Countless biographies of the Prophet Muhammad already exist.^1 From
classical sources (such as the works of Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham) to
morc recent accounts of the life of God's Messenger, as well as other
renowned works by Muslim scholars over the course of history, it seems
that everything must have already been said over and over again and that
the subject matter must necessarily have been exhausted. So why should
we undertake yet another attempt?
The present biography does not aim to compete with classical sources
(which indeed arc its source material), disclose any new facts, or provide
an original or revolutionary reinterpretation of the history of prophet-
hood and its context. The aims of the present study are far more modest,
though it does not make them any easier to achieve.
The Prophet l\Iuhammad occupies a particular place in the life and
conscience of i\fuslims today, juSt as he did in the past. According to
them, he received and transmitted the last revealed book, the Quran,
which repeatedly insists on the eminent and singular position of the Mes-
senger of God, all at once a prophet, a bearer of news, a model, and a
guide. He was but a man, yet he acted to transform the world in the light
of Revelation and inspirations he received from God, his Educator (ar-
Rabb). That this man was chosen and inspired by God but also fully
accepted his own humanity is what makes Muhammad an example and a
guide for the 1{uslim faithful.
Muslims do not consider the Messenger of Islam a mediator between
God and people. Each individual is invited to address God directly, and
although the 1t essenger did sometimes pray to God on behalf of his