A review by zhelana
First Muslim : Story of Muhammad: The Story of Muhammad by Lesley Hazleton

5.0

When my father told me he had purchased this book in the airport in Turkey, this is not at all what I was expecting. What I was expecting was propaganda, and a book that pushed Islam. Instead I got a clear historian's eye on a major but very controversial figure. It clearly stated when things that are commonly believed are not likely to be true, and tried to portray Muhammad as a very human figure with common worries alongside the uncommon ones he clearly bore as a politician and major religious figure. For example, it showed the scene where he came back to Mecca as difficult for him because exiles build up their old homes in their minds, and then when they come back it is not at all what they expected. It also showed how Muhammad's decisions were against a lot of what Islam later came to stand for including shrouding women and dynasties of rulers. This is one of the best nonfiction books I've read in years.