The extraordinary life of the man who founded Islam, and the world he inhabited-- and remade. Drawing on early eyewitness sources and on history, politics, religion, and psychology, she renders him as a man in full complexity and vitality. Hazleton follows the arc of Muhammad's rise from powerlessness to power, from anonymity to renown.

"A six-year-old cries in his mother's arms as she draws her last breaths to urge him: "Muhammad, be a world-changer!" The boy, suddenly orphaned in a tribal society that fears any change, must overcome enormous obstacles to unleash his own potential and inspire others to do the same. Fusing details long known to Muslim scholars but inaccessible to popular audiences, Mohamad Jebara brings to life the gripping personal story of Islam's founding prophet....

"A ... history that brings to life the fascinating and complex world of the Prophet, Muhammad is the story of how peace is the rule and not the exception for one of the world's most practiced religions."--Jacket.

Examines these four figures both separately and comparatively in an effort to grasp the essential features of their lives and teachings and to explore the factors that contributed to their greatness.

"Surveys the life and times of Muhammad and the rise of Islam, including the prophet's visions and the politics that shaped his message"--Provided by publisher.