Reviews

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings

mobyskine's review against another edition

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5.0

Agak lama ambil masa nak tamatkan bacaan sebab sambung baca antara senggang bacaan lain. Jarang nak baca naskhah bukan fiksyen tapi tertarik nak hadam jalan cerita kehidupan Rasullah dari awal kelahiran hingga wafat dan kebetulan ada cabaran bacaan Ramadan.

Terjemahan yang kemas dan sedap susunannya. Kisah-kisah Rasulullah yang biasa dengar sebelum ini cuma lebih terperinci dan aku paling suka deskripsi naratifnya, tersusun pada setiap bab; setiap cabaran dan halangan baginda, awal/semasa/selepas kedatangan Islam, tentang para sahabat (ini antara perihal paling seronok aku baca sebab selalu cuma kenal nama dan kurang ambil tahu kisah mereka di sebaliknya tapi buku ini banyak juga fokus pada kehidupan para sahabat Rasulullah) dan kejadian-kejadian penting dalam sejarah Islam.

Naskhah yang bagus, boleh belek baca di mana-mana bab kalau sesekali nak tenangkan hati baca hal sirah Rasulullah dan berkenaan Islam.

zahirahz's review against another edition

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5.0

Quite detailed, great anecdotes.

sivamous's review against another edition

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4.0

Allahummasalli a'la syaidina Muhammad. alhamdulillah, diberi kesemptan untuk membaca buku ini sampai habis dan yes his truely the love of our lives. the most generous, kind human being in this world. insya Allah dipertemukan di surga Allah aamiin.. this book is my first biography of Muhammad that i've ever read. i cant compared with the other author but yes this is really brilliant of Martin Lings to tell the story of Muhammad Saw.

sanktxjehan's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a good book, don’t get me wrong. It’s especially good if you want to understand the politics and military history of the time of the Prophet. I do feel like the second half of this biography got a little too caught up in that though. I missed some of the more personal stories I’m used to reading in hadith excerpts, for example.

There is also a really kind of random, very Sufi theological chapter near the end. Given the other things Martin Lings has written, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. But it might catch some non-Muslim or non-academic readers off guard. (It’s not bad, it’s just kind of oddly placed.)

misssyanais's review against another edition

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5.0

My very first read of 2019, and I am over the moon that it was this remarkable book. I now realize, how much I love our Prophet and how much I long to meet him. "our tryst will be at the Pool."

So many lessons I've learned- the eye of the heart that sees the Light, the nomadic way of life, the degrees of faith, the wonder in the world, the unfathomable forgiveness of his, the Ridhwan of Allah, the stars that were the companions, the battles, the grief, the smiles, and the death that lead me to tears.

May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, dearer to me than my mother and father.

carpethatdiem2's review against another edition

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3.0

It was informative but the writing style made it hard for me to comprehend what was going on.

themuslimbooknerd's review against another edition

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4.0

From the starting till about a bit further past the first half extremely hooking and it was accurately informative with keeping conciseness in regard. Because of it, I immensely loved the reduction unnecessary blabbering which are usually included in typical seerah book. However, towards the same principle kept feeling like a lack important details.

Highly recommend it if someone is okay with the style of old English

unmended's review

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5.0

I started reading books on Muhammad, because I wanted to know the man. Not know what he has accomplished - but to know what we aren't conventionally taught and told about him. My knowledge about him is a list of characteristics and actions - but there was nothing I knew on a deeper level. How do you try to know a man, who has passed for over a thousand years. So then I decided to read his biography - I read one, and then another, and this is the third. And from all the biographies I read, this one made me cry. It stirred emotion in me for him. I have mentally accumulated tiny minuscule snippets of what Im looking for, of him from the books Ive read.
What I liked about this book was, how it also incorporated the revelations, relevant to certain instances in his life. How everything was gradually revealed to him in a span of 20 years. There would always be times when he would be at a loss of what to do when certain difficulties would arise, and thats when he would wait. Wait for divine help and guidance. And it would surely come, sometimes immediately, and sometimes he would have to wait for longer, days and weeks.
The battles were described in more detail mentioning deployment strategies of archers, flag bearers and those in the front line, along with little anecdotes involving some of his companions. In the entire enormity of his message and mission, there are still several aspects I find myself to be unclear about. I still dont understand a lot of things Muhammad did and didnt do. But I am also glad this book portrayed instances where we see a glimpse of the man, and not the prophet. Like how he would enjoy pleasures of nature, he would close his eyes to feel the wind blow on his face. How he had a favorite a camel and trusted her instincts. A part I particularly remember was when he was leading his army to a city for battle whence he spotted a dog whose puppies were suckling, so he ordered a man to guard her, lest the other men disturb her. I dont mean to undermine his mission - but these small things bring a sense of comfort to me. Another part which touched me was how he was always surrounded by people, always, all time, people asking him questions, people coming for counsel or people who just wanted to be in the pleasure of his company. Then God specifically revealed a verse saying how he needs space, but he is too shy or good to say something to anyone.
As I mentioned before, the timing of revelations really cleared up why some ayahs were revealed and when. Some of the revelations were specific to certain battles and situations. This biography was more detailed than the previous ones Ive read. The main storyline was consistent through out all the books, but I felt this provided a somewhat deeper insight into Muhammads life. Although I am still not satiated in my search for Muhammad, but I found this to be balanced depiction of his mission, his life, and the Quranic revelations.

umartariqshaikh's review

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5.0

A fantastic book. The quality of the writing is absolutely superb, but at the same time it's a very easy read. Apparently the author, Martin Lings, was a Shakespearean scholar and it shows in the flow of the writing and the High English used. This is the first book of Seera I have read, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested.

I obviously can't comment on the accuracy of the book. I've heard that Martin Lings was a Perennealist, but if that's true I really didn't notice it. Shaykh G.F. Haddad has written an introduction to the Swedish translation, in which, along with heavy praise, he lists some criticisms of the book. Most of these criticisms seem small, but it is accessible here: https://www.abc.se/home/m9783/ir/d/crml_e.pdf

mariahsnerdynotes's review

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challenging informative medium-paced

3.75

Largely a translation and compilation of stories around Muhammad (PBUH). It read very much like a religious text rather than a biography.