Muhammad: His Character and Conduct

by Adil Salahi

Muslims all over the world see Muhammad as God's last messenger to mankind. Through his actions, he showed the way to live a life that provides for all the needs of body, mind, and soul, and elevates man's aspirations towards a sublime ideal in a very simple, direct, and truthful manner. He built a state that was dedicated to truth and justice and to the liberation of man throughout the world. He wrote to emperors, kings, and rulers, calling on them to believe in God and to follow His message, yet, at the same time, he lived a life of poverty, leaving aside the riches that were offered to him. At a time when the Prophet is much maligned by writers, cartoonists, and various other detractors, this book aims to show Muhammad's true character in detail, both in its most everyday and most extraordinary moments. Adil Salahi 's writings include the acclaimed Man and Prophet and Pioneers of Islamic Scholarship , and the English translation of the eighteen-volume In the Shade of the Qur'an . His main career has been in radio and print journalism, and for over thirty years he was editor of "Islam in Perspective," a twice-weekly full-page column in the Arab News , a Saudi daily newspaper.

Genres: Islam, Religion

296 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2014

About the author

Shaykh Adil Salahi has a varied background in English Literature and Islamic Studies, with professional accolades that include institutions as diverse as the World Health Organisation and the Markfield Institute of Higher Education. Having studied under various scholars in Damascus, his experience resulted in certification from numerous teachers in the age-old tradition of Islamic juristic thought. His main career has been in broadcasting and print journalism, which has seen him spend time on Syrian radio and at the BBC Arabic Service.

For over 30 years he was the editor of Islam in Perspective, a twice-weekly full-page column in Saudi’s daily newspaper, the Arab News. His writings include the acclaimed Muhammad: Man and Prophet, the much lauded Pioneers of Islamic Scholarship, and an English translation of the Quran. More recently Shaykh Salahi penned Muhammad: His Character and Conduct, and he continues to publish in the Arab broadsheets, always offering his unique perspective on Islamic history and Quranic study.

Reviews

[Suzana Sulaiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book on his virtues and conducts for all man kind to follow.

[Faizan Fayaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whatever praise we may say will always fall short of what Muhammad PBUH deserves. He was the man who showed the way, and he taught goodness to humanity so that He would fulfil the aim of His mission that He expressed in His own words: "I have been sent so that I would bring good manners to perfection."

[Humza]

A simply written, straightforward book about characteristics of the Prophet (saw). I bought this book thinking it would be similar to “Portrait of a Prophet” by Shaykh Muhammad Al-Tirmidhi or “Our Master Muhammad: His Sublime Character & Exalted Attributes” by Imam Abdallah Sirajuddin al-Husayni. Both of those books were essentially collections of ahadith grouped into different subtopics along with some elaboration and commentary. On the other hand, Salahi’s work consisted less of the details of the character and conduct of the Prophet (SAW) but was heavier on the explanation, justification, rationalization of the actions of Prophet. In doing so, Salahi touches on multiple topics in the seerah that cause controversy amongst modern readers. While definitely valuable, the commentary sometimes felt a bit unrelated to the specific Prophetic characteristic being discussed. Additionally some of the issues that were talked about at length may have been better left off explained more succinctly. However, I think this does makes the book an excellent resource for anyone who has very little starting knowledge about the life and character of the Prophet (SAW).

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It didn’t have a huge impact in me, at least not the way I thought it would. However, its objectiveness and straightforwardness made it easier to acquire more information on the prophet’s (swt) character. I’m glad I read it for I learned a great deal from it.

[Asad Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I had a strong emotional reaction to this book. This books doesn't present the Prophets life as a set of facts, or try to to over exaggerate his characteristics in a fanciful story. The book focuses more on the akhlaq of the Prophet in a way that makes one fall in love with him.

That being said it is not an academic work and has many issues. One of which was in its claim of using only the most authentic sources. There aren't many primary sources used in this text. Hadith are rarely quoted with their source. Furthermore the Quran is almost never used as a source to elucidate the character of the Prophet. There are also some problematic opinions that the author asserts in the book. These are mostly related to interpreting what the Prophet was thinking or intending without any evidence to support his claim.

Overall it is a great book that uses the authors thoughts and opinions to paint a vivid picture of the character and humanity of the Prophet. Not to be seen as an academic work.

[Hande Tamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a dense book I won’t lie- took me a while to read because I wanted to remain critically engaged the whole time. With all that being said, this is an easy 5⭐️ for me because It truly feels like the author concisely breaks down the prophets PBUH character from all things financial, state affairs, war, marriage, and more. There is a lot to take away from this book, since obviously we are meant to model ourselves after the prophet PBUH. After reading this, I would say the core message is to always handle oneself with grace, patience, and forethought. It is evident the prophet never acted without thinking first. This is obvious, and easier said than done of course, but the way in which the prophet PBUH handled himself with pure tact each and every time is a testament to his sublime character we should all strive to achieve.

[Nesi · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5) Wonderful about the character of the Prophet (pbuh) divided into chapters, each highlighting an aspect of his behaviour. It was very informative, I learned plenty. I think it's very important to read such books as an addition to the seerah to put his (pbuh) character into perspective. The missing star (.5 if i could give it 4.5) is for the section about the age of Aisha (ra), where the author came to a definitive conclusion about her having been 18 or 20 at the time of marriage. This wasn't done justly in my opinion, as most Sahih Ahadith and scholars say otherwise. I would've preferred if the author had written it like an additional possibility, instead of formulating it like the one right answer. Otherwise, excellent book

[dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, to say the least. It was informative and eye opening. To put it safely, this book is great for someone who is trying to learn more about the Prophet (SAW).

With that said, the book has an interesting way of explaining the Prophet (SAW)’s character and conduct. Instead of listing all his characteristics and mannerisms, it aims to justify and explain the actions he made that suited his era as opposed to the more modern day we exist in. Moreover, the book was boringly repetitive on explaining the events that took place in the Prophet (SAW)’s life, which made it infuriating to read.

This is not necessarily a book I would recommend others to read, unless they are new to Islam or are trying to learn more about the Prophet (SAW).

[Shaik Moosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i truly admire author for his research about topic like age of aishah , qurayzah jews,wives of prophet and the attitude towards women and slave .i love the book very much chapter 9 mercy to all is best.

[Tala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps not exactly what I was looking for in a book about the Prophet (pbuh), but still a good read.

[midori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written book in explaining the Messenger aware of his task of “bringing good manners to perfection.”

[Qalab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I read so far this year!

[.🍃. thecursed_Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a straightforward book about the life of the prophet and beautiful written at best.


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[Bilaal😎😎 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always got more love for the GOAT… wanna do a reread

[Ahmad Fikri · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the excellent source on the life of prophet Muhammad saw pbuh. The author's did an excellent job in presenting how our beloved Prophet carried himself in private and in public. The best character and conduct of a human being to me personally is of our prophet Mohammad saw pbuh. If we could only make him as a source of reference for how a true believers should behave then insyaAllah we would have peace in our innerself.

[Afzal Anwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A household book which every house should have. Beautifully presented the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with narrations and references.

Clears a lot of ambiguities which exist in our Ummah and depicts how easy our religion is to follow.

An easy to read book even for children for better understanding of how to conduct our life.