The Lives of Muhammad

353 Pages·2014·2.003 MB·English

by  Kecia Ali

The Lives of Muhammad

The Lives of Muhammad
Kecia Ali
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, Eng land
2014
Copyright © 2014 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First printing
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-P ublication Data
Ali, Kecia.
Th e lives of Muhammad / Kecia Ali.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978- 0-6 74- 05060- 0 (alk. paper)
1. Muhammad, Prophet, –632—Biography—History and criticism.
I. Title.
BP75.3.A454 2014
297.6'3092—dc23 2014009174
Th is book is dedicated to my children Saadia and Tariq, and to
the memory of their sister Shaira (1996– 2012). Th e standard
biographies of Muhammad recount that seven of his eight chil-
dren died during his lifetime. None of the miracles traditional
sources ascribe to him impresses me more than his having sur-
vived such loss.

Contents
Chronology ix
Introduction 1
1 Th e Historical Muhammad 6
2 A True Prophet 41
3 Eminent Muslims 79
4 Th e Wife of Muhammad 114
5 Mother of the Faithful 155
6 An Enlightened Man 200
Conclusion 231
Notes 243
Bibliography 305
Ack now ledg ments 329
Index 331

Chronology
Conventional dating (approximate) of key events in
Muhammad’s biography:
570 Muhammad’s birth
580s Journey to Syria with his uncle Abu Talib
595 Marriage to Khadija
610 Qur’anic revelation begins
615 Some followers seek refuge in Abyssinia
619 Deaths of Khadija and Abu Talib
621 Night Journey and Ascension
622 Migration to Medina
624 Battle of Badr
625 Battle of Uhud
627 Siege of Medina and retaliation
against the Banu Qurayza
630 Conquest of Mecca
632 Muhammad’s death