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Muhammad: The Story of a Prophet and Reformer
Before he became one of the most venerated, and most misunderstood, religious leaders in history, Muhammad was an orphaned child and a shepherd..."I recommend this book to all those who are honestly struggling against bigotry and ignorance. This is a useful tool in the hands of truth seekers and peacemakers." -- Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, National Director of the Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances, Islamic Society of North America"This is a luminous introduction to the life and mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). I enjoyed every word of it. It will inspire people of all backgrounds and ages." --Eboo Patel, Founder and President, Interfaith Youth CoreIn these pages, you will meet a Muhammad very different from the figure often presented in Western popular culture. Drawing from biographies, the Quran, and hadith, this is the story of a radical Prophet who challenged the rich and powerful, guided his community of followers through a dangerous time of persecution and exile, formed alliances with people of different beliefs, and preached "love for humanity what you love for yourself."Sarah Conover is the co-author of Ayat Beautiful A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents (Skinner House Books), winner of the 2004 Aesop Prize from the American Folklore Society.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Conover
12 books79 followersSarah Conover holds a BA in comparative religions from the University of Colorado, and an MFA in creative writing from Eastern Washington University. She has worked as a television producer for PBS and Internews (an international media NGO), a social worker for Catholic Charities, a public school teacher, and taught creative writing through the community colleges of Spokane, Washington. She is the author of six books on world wisdom traditions and spirituality published by Skinner House Books, the educational publishing arm of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Her poetry, essays and interviews have been published in a variety of literary magazines and anthologies. She is a feature writer and columnist for Tricycle Magazine: the Buddhist Review and has taught meditation for many years at Airway Heights Corrections Center and within the Spokane community.
Ms. Conover was a recipient of Washington State’s Grants for Artist’s Projects (GAP grant) and writing fellowships from the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming, and the Willapa Bay Artist Residence Program in Oysterville, Washington. She lives in a condo in Spokane, Washington and in her beloved yurtiverse at the base of the North Cascades in Winthrop, Washington, where she and her husband are building a small hermitage for monastic retreats.
Ms. Conover was a recipient of Washington State’s Grants for Artist’s Projects (GAP grant) and writing fellowships from the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming, and the Willapa Bay Artist Residence Program in Oysterville, Washington. She lives in a condo in Spokane, Washington and in her beloved yurtiverse at the base of the North Cascades in Winthrop, Washington, where she and her husband are building a small hermitage for monastic retreats.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this rendering of the Prophet -P's life. the author uses rich sensory detail to humanize the prophet-p's life in a really accessible way.
November 25, 2021
This book is different from the typical biographies I have read because as the author states (and succeeded in doing) he wanted to evoke a palette of emotions and really paint a picture for us to imagine life as the Prophet new it. Telling the story in this manner helped me feel closer to the Prophet and highly recommend this book to someone who needs help depicting that picture but is turned off by too much flowery detail. This book seem to strike just the right balance while remaining true to the story and being completely believable.
December 16, 2013
Did you know that the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was saved by a spider and a dove? This is just one of the details of his life that are brought to light in Sarah Conover’s lovely book, Muhammad: the story of a prophet and reformer. It’s a book that can be enjoyed by both children and adults, and one that is especially needed in post-9/11 America – an accessible introduction to the life of the founder of one of the three great monotheistic faiths.
In popular (mis)conception, Islam is a religion of violent extremists and its founder is, perhaps, the greatest terrorist of them all. This is not to say that there are not branches on the Muslim tree that are not violent and extreme, but the trunk and the roots are something else entirely. In his day Muhammad was known as a particularly just man, a peaceful man, a man of extraordinary trustworthiness. And Sarah Conover – who is a gifted storyteller – helps us to see the man behind the myths and more modern misrepresentations.
In the early 1990s the Venerable Tich Nhat Hanh wrote a biography of the Buddha – Old Path, White Cloud – in which he combines the gentle simplicity of a children’s story with a commitment to ensuring that every incident reported is grounded in the oldest and most venerated traditions. Ms. Conover has now done the same thing. She relates the events in Muhammad’s life – from the his early days as a Bedouin herder, to his first encounter with an angel in a cave, to his flight from Mecca to Yathrib (renamed Mecca) because of the backlash from those who were challenged by his teachings. At the end of the book Conover has placed notes on each of chapter to help the reader know what was her own invention and what is accepted within Islam. The spider and the dove, for instance, are well known and well beloved parts of the Prophet’s story. A scene in which Muhammad plays with his children comes from Conover’s imagination, yet it is in keeping with what the traditions say about him. And she promises that the only words she put into Muhammad’s mouth are words that traditions ascribe to him as well.
Recent years have given several reminders of how seriously the prohibition against visual representations of the Prophet is taken (at least in some branches of the Muslim family), yet Conover has painted a portrait with words in which we can see the devoted husband, loving father, and man of deep faith who responded to his understanding of the voice of the sacred and called for a reform of the religion of his day. Whatever your tradition, or lack thereof, this is a man worth meeting. I can think of no better introduction than Sarah Conover’s new book.
Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom,
Charlottesville, Virginia
Wikstrom is a Unitarian Universalist minister and the author of Teacher, Guide, and Companion: rediscovering Jesus in a secular age, and, Simply Pray: a modern spiritual practice to deepen your life.
In popular (mis)conception, Islam is a religion of violent extremists and its founder is, perhaps, the greatest terrorist of them all. This is not to say that there are not branches on the Muslim tree that are not violent and extreme, but the trunk and the roots are something else entirely. In his day Muhammad was known as a particularly just man, a peaceful man, a man of extraordinary trustworthiness. And Sarah Conover – who is a gifted storyteller – helps us to see the man behind the myths and more modern misrepresentations.
In the early 1990s the Venerable Tich Nhat Hanh wrote a biography of the Buddha – Old Path, White Cloud – in which he combines the gentle simplicity of a children’s story with a commitment to ensuring that every incident reported is grounded in the oldest and most venerated traditions. Ms. Conover has now done the same thing. She relates the events in Muhammad’s life – from the his early days as a Bedouin herder, to his first encounter with an angel in a cave, to his flight from Mecca to Yathrib (renamed Mecca) because of the backlash from those who were challenged by his teachings. At the end of the book Conover has placed notes on each of chapter to help the reader know what was her own invention and what is accepted within Islam. The spider and the dove, for instance, are well known and well beloved parts of the Prophet’s story. A scene in which Muhammad plays with his children comes from Conover’s imagination, yet it is in keeping with what the traditions say about him. And she promises that the only words she put into Muhammad’s mouth are words that traditions ascribe to him as well.
Recent years have given several reminders of how seriously the prohibition against visual representations of the Prophet is taken (at least in some branches of the Muslim family), yet Conover has painted a portrait with words in which we can see the devoted husband, loving father, and man of deep faith who responded to his understanding of the voice of the sacred and called for a reform of the religion of his day. Whatever your tradition, or lack thereof, this is a man worth meeting. I can think of no better introduction than Sarah Conover’s new book.
Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom,
Charlottesville, Virginia
Wikstrom is a Unitarian Universalist minister and the author of Teacher, Guide, and Companion: rediscovering Jesus in a secular age, and, Simply Pray: a modern spiritual practice to deepen your life.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews