The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion

by Robert Spencer

Muhammad: a frank look at his influential (and violent) life and teachings

In The Truth about Muhammad, New York Times bestselling author and Islam expert Robert Spencer offers an honest and telling portrait of the founder of Islam-perhaps the first such portrait in half a century-unbounded by fear and political correctness, unflinching, and willing to face the hard facts about Muhammad's life that continue to affect our world today.

From Muhammad's first "revelation" from Allah (which filled him with terror that he was demonpossessed) to his deathbed (from which he called down curses upon Jews and Christians), it's all here-told with extensive documentation from the sources that Muslims themselves consider most reliable about Muhammad.

Spencer details Muhammad's development from a preacher of hellfire and damnation into a political and military leader who expanded his rule by force of arms, promising his warriors luridly physical delights in Paradise if they were killed in his cause. He explains how the Qur'an's teaching on warfare against unbelievers developed-with constant war to establish the hegemony of Islamic law as the last stage.

Spencer also gives the truth about Muhammad's convenient "revelations" justifying his own licentiousness; his joy in the brutal murders of his enemies; and above all, his clear marching orders to his followers to convert non-Muslims to Islam-or force them to live as inferiors under Islamic rule.

In The Truth about Muhammad, you'll learn

- The truth about Muhammad's multiple marriages (including one to a nine-year-old) - How Muhammad set legal standards that make it virtually impossible to prove rape in Islamic countries - How Muhammad's example justifies jihad and terrorism - The real "Satanic verses" incident (not the Salman Rushdie version) that remains a scandal to Muslims - How Muhammad's faulty knowledge of Judaism and Christianity has influenced Islamic theology--and colored Muslim relations with Jews and Christians to this day.

Recognizing the true nature of Islam, Spencer argues, is essential for judging the prospects for largescale Islamic reform, the effective prosecution of the War on Terror, the democracy project in Afghanistan and Iraq, and immigration and border control to protect the United States from terrorism.

All of which makes it crucial for every citizen (and policymaker) who loves freedom to read and ponder The Truth about Muhammad

Genres: Religion, Islam, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, Middle East

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

ROBERT SPENCER is the director of Jihad Watch, a program of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and the author of seventeen books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book is The Complete Infidel’s Guide to Free Speech (and Its Enemies). Coming in November 2017 is Confessions of an Islamophobe (Bombardier Books).

Spencer has led seminars on Islam and jihad for the FBI, the United States Central Command, United States Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group, the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), the Justice Department’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council and the U.S. intelligence community. He has discussed jihad, Islam, and terrorism at a workshop sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the German Foreign Ministry. He is a consultant with the Center for Security Policy.

Spencer is a weekly columnist for PJ Media and FrontPage Magazine, and has written many hundreds of articles about jihad and Islamic terrorism. His articles on Islam and other topics have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Examiner, the New York Post, the Washington Times, the Dallas Morning News, Fox News Opinion, National Review, The Hill, the Detroit News, TownHall.com, Real Clear Religion, the Daily Caller, the New Criterion, the Journal of International Security Affairs, the UK’s Guardian, Canada’s National Post, Middle East Quarterly, WorldNet Daily, First Things, Insight in the News, Aleteia, and many other journals. For nearly ten years Spencer wrote the weekly Jihad Watch column at Human Events. He has also served as a contributing writer to the Investigative Project on Terrorism and as an Adjunct Fellow with the Free Congress Foundation.

Spencer has appeared on the BBC, ABC News, CNN, FoxNews’s Tucker Carlson Show, the O’Reilly Factor, Megyn Kelly’s The Kelly File, the Sean Hannity Show, Geraldo Rivera Reports, the Glenn Beck Show, Fox and Friends, America’s News HQ and many other Fox programs, PBS, MSNBC, CNBC, C-Span, CTV News, Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News, France24, Voice of Russia and Croatia National Television (HTV), as well as on numerous radio programs including The Sean Hannity Show, Bill O’Reilly’s Radio Factor, The Mark Levin Show, The Laura Ingraham Show, The Herman Cain Show, The Joe Piscopo Show, The Howie Carr Show, The Curt Schilling Show, Bill Bennett’s Morning in America, Michael Savage’s Savage Nation, The Alan Colmes Show, The G. Gordon Liddy Show, The Neal Boortz Show, The Michael Medved Show, The Michael Reagan Show, The Rusty Humphries Show, The Larry Elder Show, The Peter Boyles Show, Vatican Radio, and many others.

Robert Spencer has been a featured speaker across the country and around the world and authored 17 books. Spencer’s books have been translated into many languages, including Spanish, Italian, German, Finnish, Korean, Polish and Bahasa Indonesia. His Qur’an commentary at Jihad Watch, Blogging the Qur’an, has been translated into Czech, Danish, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Spencer (MA, Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) has been studying Islamic theology, law, and history in depth since 1980. His work has aroused the ire of the foes of freedom and their dupes: in October 2011, Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups wrote to Homeland Security Advisor (and current CIA director) John Brennan, demanding that Spencer be removed as a trainer for the FBI and military groups, which he taught about the belief system of Islamic jihadists; Brennan immediately complied as counter-terror training materials were scrubbed of all mention of Islam and jihad. Spencer has been banned by the British government from entering the United Kingdom for pointing out accurately that Islam has doctrines of violence against unbelievers. He has been invited by name to convert to Islam by a senior member of al-Qaeda.

Reviews

[Alok Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you counter Robert's account with facts and figures and truth? The answer is absolutely no!
Can you slander him with your rants? The answer is yes!

Now you can understand why he is hated and why is loved less. I am becoming a fan of him as much as I read him. Robert has peeled the truth naked. Anyone who wants to understand the truth objectively has to go through Robert Spencer's books.

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though often called a "religion of peace," the truth about Islam is quite the opposite, as is the truth about its founder, Muhammad. This book is no anti-Muslim screed, however; it takes its facts and ideas directly from Islamists themselves, from the Koran and the authoritative commentaries that have grown up around the holy book for over a milennia. Cut through the hype and the PR and go directly to the source: Muhammad was a robber, an unsuccessful proselytizer (couldn't convert the Jews, which is why he hated them), and married a nine-year-old girl! As if that weren't enough, the most disturbing fact about the Koran is the "satanic verses" episode in which Muhammad believes he has received a revelation from God, only to discover later (upon introspection) that he had been deceived by Satan. (Which is why Rushdie's book of the same title resulted in such outrage from Muslims: he was rubbing their faces in the fallibility of their "prophet" (blessings be upon him). Read this book and make up your own mind.

[Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly · Rating 3 out of 5]

So after thousands of years we have Judaism with Abraham and Moses; Christianity with Jesus Christ; and Islam with Muhammad (may peace be upon him). The Jews, the Christians and the Muslims. They all believe that there is only one God. And it is the same God they believe in.

Each group, however, considers its religion as the one true faith. The Jews do not consider Jesus as the Messiah they've been waiting for and consider Muhammad as a false prophet. The Christians look down upon the Jews as their old, clueless brothers and the Muslim faith as an aberration of history. The Muslims call the other two as infidels. They all have had this sordid past of killing each other in the name of the same God which they happen to worship differently.

This book was the very first one I've read about the life and times of Muhammad whereas I knew already, more or less, the life stories of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. But I noticed one striking similarity among these four great religious figures: they all claimed to had had direct communications with God, either conversing with the latter or his angels or receiving so-called revelations. From what God supposedly declared via their privileged status sprang the do's and don't's, the practices and theology of their respective systems of belief.

Thus, in this book, I learned that from what Muhammad, obeying God all the time, supposedly did or said emanated the Muslims' practices of praying five times daily facing the direction of Mecca, their concept of martyrdom as involving killing and getting killed in the name of God (unlike in Christianity where martyrdom involves just getting killed for one's faith), the lack of gender equality in their society, their penchant for beheading their captives, their draconian punishments for crimes, the lack of separation between church and state (for Muhammad never uttered anything similar to Jesus's "render unto Ceasar which is Ceasar's..."), the need for their women to cover themselves almost completely in public and to kill (fatwa) people like Salman Rushdie who ridicules their prophet Muhammad, and the right of husbands to have several wives to beat them if they so much as flirt with other men:


"You have rights over your wives and they have rights over you. You have the right that they should not defile your bed and that they should not behave with open unseemliness. If they do, God allows you to put them in separate rooms and to beat them but not with severity...."


Did these men of faith really exist thousands of years ago? Apart from the belief or faith of the respective adherents of these religious systems, who really can tell one way or the other? They are not historical figures whose past existence cannot possibly be disputed like, say, Ayatollah Khomeini or Abraham Lincoln. Or, at least for Jesus, not yet. The search for the historical Jesus is apparently continuing, every now and then one hears about things like the discovery of Jesus's possible tomb, the latest results of the study of the Shroud of Turin, or some newly discovered ancient texts saying that Jesus was married. As to Abraham and Moses, they are far too removed from the present time that finding evidence of their flesh and blood existence seemed remote; while the Muslims find no interest whatsoever in proving the very much real Muhammad who gets offended if he is drawn as cartoon figures, or made into film, and would like cartoonists and film makers fatwa'd.

But from what we read about them (Old Testament, New Testament, the Koran), can we say that they are improbable, most likely fictive characters? Certainly not. After their times, and even up to now, there were still people who claimed to be prophets with messages coming from God. However, nowadays, these self-proclaimed messengers from heaven are either given medication or treated in mental asylums. Some managed to form their sects and perish in a blaze of glory (see, for example, Mario Vargas Llosa's The War of the End of the World).


"Aisha once asked Muhammad what the experience of receiving revelations was like, and he responded: 'Sometimes it is like the ringing of a bell...Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me...' On another occasion he explained: 'The revelation dawns upon me in two ways--(the angel) Gabriel brings it and conveys to me as a man conveys to another man and that makes me restless. And it dawns upon me like the sound of a bell till it enters my heart and this does not make me restless.' Aisha noted: 'When revelation descended upon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) even during the cold days, his forehead perspired....' (A)nother asked Muhammad a question. Muhammad 'waited for a while, and then the Divine Inspiration descended upon him...The Prophet's face was red and he kept on breathing heavily for a while and then he was relieved.' Then he gave an answer to the questioner."


So let's say you're a Jew, or a Christian or a Muslim and you are scared to even consider the possibility that your prophets were as much as a mythical figure as those Greek gods in Mount Olympus, you then make their existence as a given. After all, it is less likely that they never existed at all or that they were just works of fiction created in a conspiracy among their earliest proponents. The next question, however, is this: did your prophets' teachings really came from God? Again, I say, setting aside faith, who really can tell?

But think: would a Merciful God, creator or all that exist, really prefer one people over the others, or one system of belief over the others, that he--through revelation or the lips of one prophet--would give an order to his favorite people to annihilate the others? Especially if the latter also worships him, but only in a different manner?

Indeed, what if Jesus et al. were but wonderful storytellers? The dogmas, traditions, practices, apologetics, theology and philosophy we now have for each of the religions that sprouted from their brief lives here on earth, mere layers of stories upon stories that has passed on and evolved throughout the thousands of years of history? All our hopes and anger, the killings and crimes we've done and are still doing to each other in the name of God, based simply on the differences of these tales we grew up with? Can goodreads, then, become the religion of the future? Do we here create fleeting or more permanent gods, depending on how long the stories we read move us and stay with us, or those we tell move and stay with our readers? Do we worship when we read, and act like gods when we tell our stories? Are we all prophets to some degree? When we say how we feel, do we say "And God said..." like Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad did? Can literacy and the love of the printed and spoken word save us?

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think Muhammed was a man of peace, a man to be admired, and a man to be imitated, you need to read up on him. Muhammed was none of these things. The historical record is very clear. He was a man of violence, expediency, and is a man worthy of disdain.

This is a good extended introduction to Muhammed and Islam. For the most part Spencer avoids value judgments on the truthfulness of Islam, instead focusing on the ethics of Muhammed and his followers. With regard to these, he is very harsh, and justifiably so.

[Dwain · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fascinating to read this book and "Mohammed: A Prophet for our time" together, as they are written from two completely different perspectives on Mohammed. Spencer portrays a Mohammed that has inspired generations of hate, intolerance, and violence, while Armstrong portrays somebody with the attributes of Jesus. I found them both biased, and I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle of the two opinions, but it was refreshing to hear somebody who wasn't scared to death to be politically correct. At times it didn't seem possible that the two authors were talking about the same person. I think most of the difference was in what stories they told and what stories they didn't tell. Armstrong's book is filled with tales of Mohammed's compassion and how he treated his followers, while Spencer's book is concerned with stories of his battles, his punishments, and his vengeance. At times I thought Spencer was inflammatory and unfair, but there were many times that Armstrong glossed over or dismissed truly worrying episodes in Mohammed's life. Reading either one of these books individually I would give two stars, but reading them together makes the overall experience worthy of three.

[Mirjam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how I ended up reading this book, but it's absolute racist garbage, obviously. Islam prohibits idolatry, so no, the Prophet was not the "founder" of Islam any more than Jesus "invented" the Christian God. And yowza, arguing that Islam is "the world's most intolerant religion" is rich, coming from a Christian... for a dime, explain the Crusades, Bobby.

Yes, it's true that the Prophet was not a perfect saint who did nothing wrong. Neither was Jesus, neither was Moshe, etc., neither was any historical religious leader. The Quran is not exceptionally more violent than the Bible, and Christians such as our friend little Bobby S. here seem to do just fine with that. His assertion that the common narrative in the US political sphere is that "Islam is peace" (which is, to be literal, what the word means) is also nonsense. Assuming that all Muslims follow the teachings of the Quran to a T is no less idiotic than assuming that all Christians would stone their own daughters to death if the poor girls were raped, or that wearing mixed-fiber clothing is an offense punishable by death, or that divorce is punishable by death, or that slavery is not only common practice but also meticulously detailed and described. Unless each and every Christian who's had premarital sex, been divorced, lied, dishonored their parents, been wealthy (camel, eye of needle, etc.), worn mixed-fiber clothing, worked on the Sabbath, not prayed every day, coveted something they didn't have, committed adultery, and countless other minor offenses is going to sacrifice themself to be executed with the full knowledge that they will be condemned to eternal torment in the depths of Hell as punishment for their transgressions against the doctrine of their Lord God, I don't think we should hold all Muslims accountable for every tiny little detail in the Quran, actually. It wasn't until the 1960s that the Catholic Church decided that holding each and every Jew throughout the entirety of history equally responsible for the death of Jesus was perhaps not the best way to go -- despite the fact that Jesus himself was a Jew. There is no singular religion that is "the" most intolerant.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be well written, well researched, and factual. As a non-Muslim, I fully anticipated others degrading the author's words, but I have been independently studying islam now for several years and there was little presented that I had not come across on my own whether in hadiths or in the Quran. My experience has been that most people will turn a blind eye or adamantly deny the truth of Islam. It is not Islamophobia to be educated and know the teachings of Islam. I would highly recommend the book.

[Johnrh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like his book The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Islam (and the Crusades) it is packed with facts, the conclusions to draw are your own. These are largely quotes and accounts from the Quran, Sura, and hadith. The book is largely a fascinating and reasonably brief historical account of the life of Muhammad. As a Protestant Westerner and minor history buff, I enjoyed it and felt educated by it! I was enthralled enough to listen to the 7 hour book within a single 24-hr period. Spencer sticks to the facts throughout and lets them speak for themselves. Only in the final chapter does he coalesce the various points presented and apply them to our modern world. Is 7th century Muhammad a bad example for conduct in the 21st century? (My question.) Read\listen and decide for yourself. I highly recommend this book.

[CultDoctor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look at the reviews below that rate this less than three stars. They don't even comment on the content and references sited. I was very impressed with how meticulously the author referenced assertions and claims that would understandably upset those that follow Muhammad. No matter what side of the fence you are on before reading this book or listening to the CD version, truth is truth, and this author can't change truth. Do the research and be informed. A fantastic read and listen! AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ FOR THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT THE WESTERN WORLD. I also liked 'The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades'. Semper Fi.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Muslims won't tell you about Muhammad. Robert Spencer is excellent on this topic.

[Ahmed Mofty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think Spencer made an assumption based on his own feelings and vision and started writing the book about prophet Mohammed PBUH. He tried his best to view Islam and the Prophet as violent and ignored the facts on ground when compared to other religions.

[taarak · Rating 5 out of 5]

To know is to be fore-warned. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed. This is NOT an easy thing to listen to. Sobering, insightful, and necessary for anyone who values Western culture and the global threats it faces.

In The Truth about Muhammad, New York Times best-selling author and Islam expert Robert Spencer offers an honest and telling portrait of the founder of Islam -- perhaps the first such portrait in half a century -- unbounded by fear and political correctness, unflinching, and willing to face the hard facts about Muhammad's life that continue to affect our world today. Spencer details Muhammad's development from a preacher of hellfire and damnation into a political and military leader who expanded his rule by force of arms, promising his warriors luridly physical delights in Paradise if they were killed in his cause.

[Kathleen C. Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening!

Very informative book about the founder of Islam. With politicians and the media constantly repeating that Islam is a religion of peace but constantly seeing acts of violence in the name of Islam, I decided to learn more about the religion. This book delivers the facts about Islam from it's most reliable sources.

[Michael Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some reviewers have called this book a polemic, but I found it rather dry and academic. Spencer goes into a great deal of detail about the Arabic sources on the life of the Prophet Muhammad. The three main sources are the Qur'an, the Hadith (traditions and commentary) and the Sira (biography of Muhammad).
Muhammad was born in 570 A.D. His full name was Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn And al-Muttalib. Muhammad's tribe was the Quraysh. Mecca was their main city. Their local shrine was the Ka'bah. Muhammad was the first person to unite all the tribes of Arabia, and the first to convert the Arabs from their traditional polytheistic religions to a monotheistic religion.
Muhammad first tried to peacefully persuade his Arab tribe in Mecca, the Quraysh, to convert to Islam. They refused. In 622 A.D. he left Mecca and moved to Medina. The Muslims call this journey the Hijra. Medina was a Jewish city at the time, called Yathrib. The three main Jewish tribes in Medina were the Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir, and Banu Qurayzah. Muhammad tried to peacefully persuade the Jews in Medina to convert to Islam. They also refused. So then he mounted an army, attacked Mecca, and forced the Arabs there to convert to Islam.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, after reading this one-sided muckraking, one may wonder how anybody can revere this Muhammad. ("One-sided" because the opinions are basically only the author's and "muckraking" because the author's stated premise is that the worst historical facts about Muhammad can and should guide American policy.) While there can be benefit from raking the muck of Muhammad's martinet side (and why not The Crusades and Inquisition, too?), the author is not seeking a balanced view. I don't have any reason to disagree with any of his historical observations. I only disagree with his conclusions, such as that "Islam is peace" is a "mantra that controls American policy." I think many Muslim families would also disagree with that assessment.

However, drama aside, it basically suggests Islam as a religion can serve as a basis for a culture that can condone religious persecution and some abuse. As a textbook for Islamophobia I give it an A+, but it doesn't jive with the reality of a religion held by so many worldwide with most of them being decent people.

[Russell · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a load of crap! This guy's "facts" must have come straight from Fox News....they are grossly distorted and misinterpreted. It's obvious he doesn't know any muslims nor has he read the Qur'an. He can't even reference the Qur'an correctly and his translations and selective use of ayats (verses) while excluding others is irresponsible. Spencer's motivation in writing this book and connections with AIPAC becomes evident the more I read. He makes his living by spreading hatred and misinformation. Spencer had better hope that God isn't real regardless of the chosen faith or he will have much to answer for. Make him get a real job by NOT purchasing this book!

[Amjad Al Taleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think Muslims would agree to anything written in this book, which has been made clear by the author himself by presenting the opinions of apologetics of the history of Islam on many of the issues raised in the book. But anyway, the main idea which at least sincere Muslim reformers might be to some degree in accordance with; is that Islam is outdated and need to be fixed by Muslims themselves, otherwise, they cannot blame Islamophobic for how they see Islam.

[Shabbar · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst about ever. Author clearly has not done enough research to convey the history of Islam.

[Ramaprasad KV · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will just say: A must read book - if you want to understand how the world has been afflicted and troubled in the last 14 centuries.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick aside: in high school a good friend of mine picked up the Koran on a whim and would carry it throughout the school day (more for show than actually reading it) and no one batted an eye. (This was the late 80’s – long before the insanity that’s besieged the world for the last almost-twenty years now.) But when I started reading this book I knew I’d never feel comfortable carrying it around on a train or bus and it could prove dangerous (to my own health and well-being).

So I opted to read it in the safety of my own home and it was rather informative but dry and boring a lot of the times (so many similar names of early followers and warriors/victims didn't help matters). It's well-researched and even-keeled (at least until the last chapter where the author finally takes the gloves off). Yes, of course it has an agenda - but what doesn't?

It wasn't planned but at the same time I was reading this book (about the man who created one of the major world religions) I was also re-reading 'Footprints of Gautama the Buddha' (about a man who created one of the other major world religions a thousand years before Islam) and it's really sad even so early in history we were already going backwards and could be so vicious and vile towards each other.

Throughout reading the book I kept thinking about a great segment on 60 Minutes from years ago which shows a surviving relic that was written (and 'signed' with a handprint) by Mohammad to be cool with Christians. If we could only just be cool with each other...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtiname_of_Muhammad

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

You really have to appreciate how one guy could manipulate so many people. That's about the best thing that can be said about Muhammad.

[Vincent T. Ciaramella · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it comes to religion every one is weird from an outsiders prospective. The Romans thought that the early Christians were incestuous cannibals (eating the flesh of their lord, drinking his blood, and calling each other brother and sister while being husband and wife). Islam is no different. What I liked about this book is that it doesn't whitewash some of whats said in The Qur'an or Muhammad's later actions in the Medina period. What I didn't like is that it makes it hard to look at early Muslim history in the same light as I once did.

When it comes to Muhammad he reminds me in ways of Joseph Smith, another controversial religious figure. I think both thought they started out thinking they were on the right path and both were but then they went astray. In Muhammad's case it seems after his first wife died he didn't have her to reel him in. If you read the Mecca portions of his revelations VS the Medina period you will see a dramatic shift from Abrahamic monotheism to localized events dealing in warfare. In ways I think Muhammad wanted to be accepted by his tribe and also the Jews of Arabia and was rejected by both thus setting him off on Holy War.

I know Muhammad was just a man and fallible. Muslims believe he is a model to live up to. This idea seems difficult when bringing 7th century morals and standards into the 21st. As a non-Muslim I see no reason not to modernize but as I said, I am not a Muslim and don't have that life experience.

In the end through I do believe in my heart of hearts that most Muslims are good people. Right now the religion is going through a turbulent period much like Christianity did. Islam has given us some of the greatest buildings in history, saved Plato from the dustbin, and kept the light of learning going why Europe was stuck in the Dark Ages. It cannot be an all bad religion if it has survived this long. I really hope Islam can come to terms with itself. If not it might self destruct.

One of my best friends is a Muslim and he will always be my friend regardless of how I feel about his faith. Faith is just one aspect of every human and not the complete package.

[Jahnavi Jha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the current political scenario, this book is a perfect fit. Everyday we hear apologists defending terrorists and the general backward behaviour of these people. I would urge them to read this and understand how fundamental these principles are in Islam. This writing is well backed up by verses from the Quran and teachings from the Hadith. What I really liked about the book is that it doesn't read like it is filled with personal hate against Islam but it is a proper factual look at Mohammed's life and prophetic career.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a somewhat abrasive in intent book summarizing the life of Muhammad, founder of the Islamic religion. It mostly uses original/accepted source material, but obviously cherry picks the "offensive" parts (no one is complaining about the 2.5%-of-wealth Zakat to the poor). Aside from the obvious (7th century nomadic arab life was pretty horrible generally...), the main takeaway is that IS and other fundamentalist Islamic movements are pretty solidly grounded in the fundamentals of the religion, and trying to confront them on that basis is doomed to failure.

[vantablack · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous book, not fact checked, blatant lies. Authors views and other work are all Anti-Islam/Islamophobic, racist, bigoted, discriminatory and misinform anyone who reads this book. Author is clearly very hateful and biased towards Muslims. Islam is a peaceful religion. Jihad means “to struggle”. This is not the right book for anyone looking for information on Islam.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

well i can say it was pretty biased.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read up on Muslims as I wanted enough knowledge to read and understand the Quran as I want to understand which Muslims actually follow it, the calm ones or the warrior ones, or both.

For this I read a few basic commonly recommended books and then randomly saw "The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran" by Robert Spencer on an obscure site. On the site I read that he is an alt-right or extremist right-winger so I really wanted to avoid the book. But then I also figured that I have read maybe 100 books from a left-wing perspective but pretty much no books with a modern right-wing perspective. So I probably should be fair and check it out for some pages and see what it is. Well, it was a really great book that while being critical for sure was well researched and very fair instead of manipulative. He used direct quotes for every claim and his book was a way more fair and neutral guide to the Koran than Karen Armstrong's book. He's not alt-right or anything like that. He never once writes about his feelings or beliefs.

This of course made me want to seek out more of his writing. And this book is even better! I gave the Koran book a ⅘ star rating for being a bit confusing at times with how it sources passages in the book. This biography is much more direct and actually uses dates and names before quoting passages which is a huge plus and makes it way easier to understand.

Besides it being well researched it's also a really fun audiobook about Muhammad and some of his crazy and extreme ideas and deeds. He was truly power hungry and psychopathic at times. Obviously this book is not trying to tell his full story so I'm sure there are plenty of stories with Muhammad helping local Muslims out and feeding needy people. At least I assume they exist. But this book is factual and uses clear sources. Muslims today fight over what sources are good or bad or how to understand the negative passages about women, Jews, Christians and slavery in the Quran, but we do have a few fairly good and concrete sources and guides. It would be weird for a very faithful Muslim, in an area where any Muhammad critic could very likely be killed, to invent negative stories about the prophet he himself loves. We cannot trust these negative life stories fully but then again we cannot trust the positive stories either or the Quran itself.

This book creates a very vivid and energetic biography of the prophet. And as it had a narrow scope it's a very short and direct book that always remains interesting. There are so many interesting anecdotes here! It's great to read such stories no matter if you are a Muslim or maybe don't even care about Islam. I don't think Muslims will be offended by Robert Spencer's books either because he always stays true to Muslim stories so for Muslims this may even read like a regular and fair biography without the usual Prophet praise on every page you see in Muslim books. I do recommend you check out these books even if you are Muslim as they are historically very interesting. Just know that the sources are hand-picked and that there are many other stories about Muhammad.

Now comes the negative part. Unfortunately I can't really judge these ideological historical books fairly. I've read maybe 6 books about Islam so far and watched some documentaries and such, but I'm pretty much clueless on these stories and ancient texts. I can't judge the validity of these claims. He may be wrong in some passages. But I'm currently reading the Quran and I can say that he quoted the Quran exactly right and explained the text in it correctly.

It's also way more interesting to read this stuff while you read the Quran than before reading it. Now I feel like both books become much more clear at once. While before I'd read a book about the Quran and didn't know if I should take the claims seriously. It also makes you see that Robert Spencer is quoting it properly. It's also only after reading the Quran passages that I discovered that a book I initially liked, Karen Armstrong, is not only biased but willingly omitting various claims from the Quran that go against her Western progressive values.

So, it's hard to rate a book that tries to be biased in that it's about one point of view only. But as far as I can judge it's factual and not unfair. It's also a great biography with a ton of enjoyable stories. Now I have to read his Jihad book. I'm not super eager for such negative topics but Robert Spencer has proven that he deserves this chance.

[FAD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly enlightening book written by Robert Spencer. I appreciate this book because he addresses all the goods and bads of Muhammad's ministry. The controversial aspects to Muhammad's time on Earth were intriguing because it seems like the type of things Muslims would (and do) try to cover up. Yet, Spencer points out how real even these gritty details are because even the Pro-Muhammad historians have to at least acknowledge their existence if they are going to paint over or fudge the details. His coverage of the fiasco of the Satanic Verses was my favorite part of the book. His conclusions regarding the Satanic verses incident are also hold a lot of truth to them, but I won't spoil them.

The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 were some things that did come across as low blows in what may be seen as a personal attack on Islam. He criticizes Islam over certain historical facts that someone can turn around and give to Mr. Spencer (a self-proclaimed Eastern Catholic) over historical details in Christianity. They don't really work when attacking Christianity, and it is clear they don't seem to work with Islam either.

Robert Spencer is very passionate in what he does, but it is clear he is not an Islamophobe. He treats the subject very respectfully, albeit boldly. The end of the book that sums up the negative aspects of Muhammad is also treated very respectfully. Given that Mr. Spencer puts his life on the line to talk about Islam, it is surprising that he maintains such a cool head when discussing these matters intellectually.

One final thing that I agree with him involving his writing both this book and his other book "Did Muhammad Exist?"- he wrote both of these books to see if it could be done. He wanted to approach Muhammad and Islam from a similar historical criticism approach that secular scholars do to Christianity. He wanted to see if society, as well as Muslims around the world, would tolerate a scholarly approach towards Islam without resorting to hatred, violence, and retribution- but also that the conversation could continue. It doesn't seem like too many people are eager to join in Robert Spencer's conversations, and one can understand why. Yet, this is still early in the conversation that Mr. Spencer is revving up. I hope everyone can keep their heads cool and read this book as an intellectual investigation. One doesn't have to come to the same conclusions Mr. Spencer does, but at least by reading this they can come to a better reason as to why they disagree. All in all, a great read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Spencer is a NYT best-selling author who has written fifteen books on Islam. He has worked with the FBI, the Joint Terroism Task Force, and other intelligence and military groups. This book, The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the world's Most Intolerant Religion, repeats much of what I've read in other books about Muhammad and Islam including some written by current and former Muslims. The origins of Islam were formed based on Muhammad's claimed visions brought to him by the Angel Gabriel that told him how to establish a new religion. The author writes that because Muhammad could neither read nor write, he had to memorize and repeat to others what had been told to him. The Qu'ran was then developed from all of these memorized parts that Muhammad had shared with various followers but only long after his death with numerous opportunities for errors and mis-statements. Muhammad started with local people gaining converts and as they grew in numbers he attacked larger settlements with his armed raiders promising them shares of whatever they could take from cities as well as caravans including livestock, women, gold, and slaves as long as Muhammad received his twenty percent first and his choice of slaves and women. He also promised them virgin girls and young men in paradise if they were killed while furthering the cause of Allah and Islam. With this incentive system in place the Muslims added many more followers and conquered larger and larger cities and countries around them. I couldn't help but contrast these histories of Muhammad's rise to power as, for all intents and purposes, a land pirate preaching convert or die, with Jesus and Christianity where no weapons or threats were employed yet they also had many converts. The author explains that much of what eventually found its way into the Qu'ran or Hadiths is still driving some Muslims today in their long-term goal of forcing the entire world under Islam. This was eye-opening and, as with other books by Robert Spencer, well researched and referenced for those inclined to fact check. Anyone curious about Islam, its Muslim adherents, Muhammad, or the origins of Islam and whether it is a religion unlike all others or something else.

[Steven Below · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many people after 9/11, I started a path of discovery into the religion of peace [sic]; and found that peace is only for the believer of Islam. Anyway, I digress. I recommend, anyone looking to venture down the path of Islamic discovery to read this book; not as a study guide to end all study guides, but to give yourself an idea of the root system of this ideology. Unlike the apologists within Islam, this book outlines the relationship Muhammad had with, not only his own tribe but how he forced his way through Arabia. It also starts to paint a humorous picture of how it seemed whenever something or someone approached Muhammad on a matter, he somehow received the right message at the next moment from Allah, which always leaned in his favor. It's also interesting how--once you read the Quran and this book--that Muhammad's messages appear to be plagiaristic in nature to that of the Torah and Christian Bible; of course, always benefiting Muhammad in the end.