Omid Safi

Several months ago I had sent out a note asking to see whether some of you may be interested in getting copies of my book on the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, and over a hundred of you had written back. This book has just been published by HarperCollins as Memories of Muhammad:  Why the Prophet Matters.  It is available this weekend at the AAR, and soon nationally (on Amazon, etc.)

It is definitely intended as a general introductory text, and hopefully will be suitable for courses on Islam, Islamic Civilization, and Sufism. In terms of style, I hope that it can be something that evokes several titles like Michael Sells’ Approaching the Qur’an, Schimmel’s And Muhammad is His Messenger, Martin Lings’ Muhammad, and Carl Ernst’s Following Muhammad. Of course those are the very archetypes of excellence, and one can only hope to aspire to them.

If you happen to be strolling through the book fair at the AAR, feel free to stop by the HarperCollins booth to have a look at it.     

Here is a chapter by chapter breakdown:

Chapter One:  The World Before Muhammad
Chapter two:  The Muhammadi Revolution
Chapter three:  Ascension of Muhammad:  Face-to-Face with God
Chapter Four:  Islam as an Abrahamic Tradition
Chapter Five:   Life after the Prophet, Death after Hossein
Chapter Six:   Echoes of Muhammadi Grace
Conclusion

It will offer a good introduction to the world of the Prophet, the message of the Qur’an, the life of the Prophet, the connection of Islamic spirituality to the being of the Prophet, the rise of Sunni/shi’i conflicts, and the devotion to the Prophet down to our own day.

Please click here to see the book at Amazon.