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Past Masters (Oxford)
Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction
Just over one-sixth of the world's population subscribes to the Muslim belief that 'there is no god but God, and Muhammad is his Messenger.' Now, in this highly intriguing work, Michael Cook offers a discerning account of the man who inspired this faith, drawing on the traditional Muslim sources to describe Muhammad's life and teaching. A fascinating look at the achievements of one of the great figures of history, this volume also serves as an excellent introduction to Islam. As well, Cook attempts to stand back from the traditional picture of Muhammad to question how far the tale of this great man is historically justified.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 26, 1983
24 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Michael A. Cook
23 books95 followersMichael Allan Cook (born in 1940) is a British historian and scholar of Islamic history.
He studied History and Oriental Studies at King's College, Cambridge 1959-1963 and did postgraduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London 1963-1966 under the supervision of Professor Bernard Lewis. He was lecturer in Economic History with reference to the Middle East at SOAS 1966-1984 and Reader in the History of the Near and Middle East 1984-1986. In 1986 he was appointed Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. Since 2007 he has been Class of 1943 University Professor of Near Eastern Studies. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in Spring 1990.
In 2001 he was chosen to be a member of the American Philosophical Society.
In 2002 he received the prestigious $1.5 million Distinguished Achievement Award from the Mellon Foundation for significant contribution to humanities research.
In 2004 he was chosen to be a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2006 he won Howard T. Behrman Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities at Princeton.
In 2008 he won Farabi Award in the Humanities and Islamic Studies.
In 2013 he was awarded an honorary doctorate at Leiden University.
In 2014 he won the Holberg Prize.
He studied History and Oriental Studies at King's College, Cambridge 1959-1963 and did postgraduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London 1963-1966 under the supervision of Professor Bernard Lewis. He was lecturer in Economic History with reference to the Middle East at SOAS 1966-1984 and Reader in the History of the Near and Middle East 1984-1986. In 1986 he was appointed Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. Since 2007 he has been Class of 1943 University Professor of Near Eastern Studies. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in Spring 1990.
In 2001 he was chosen to be a member of the American Philosophical Society.
In 2002 he received the prestigious $1.5 million Distinguished Achievement Award from the Mellon Foundation for significant contribution to humanities research.
In 2004 he was chosen to be a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2006 he won Howard T. Behrman Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities at Princeton.
In 2008 he won Farabi Award in the Humanities and Islamic Studies.
In 2013 he was awarded an honorary doctorate at Leiden University.
In 2014 he won the Holberg Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 14, 2021
إذا نظرنا الى الكتاب من نافذة التاريخ نجد أن مؤلفه و رغم تحريه الموضوعية ، نجد أنه تحرى شيء من الموضوعية فعلا و لكنه أغفل الكثير من الامور و أخطأ في بعضها و هو يسارع في ترصيص المعلومات في كتابه الشديد الاختصار و التركيز ، لكنه مع ذلك كتيب هام لمن يريد أن يطلع على رأي الدفعة العصرية للاستشراق ، و التي تزعم لنفسها الخروج من عباءة الاستشراق الكلاسيكي ، و ذلك باعتمادها على مناهج العصر الحديث في البحث ، لاسيما فيما يخص الانتروبولوجيا و الاركيولوجيا ، ولكن نظرة فاحصة لكتيب كوك تظهر أن حركة المراجعين الجدد _ حركة أنشأها جون وانسبرو أستاذ كوك مهمتها تهديم صرح الاستشراق الكلاسيكي بعد اعلان القطيعة التامة معه _ لم تعدو عن كونها إبنة شرعية للٱباء المؤسسين للاستشراق الكلاسيكي .
و هذا لا يعني أن الكتاب بلا قيمة في أدبيات التاريخ الحديث ، فكما فيه الغث فيه بعض المعلومات القيمة لاسيما تلك التي نقب عنها كوك في المراجع و المخطوطات غير الاسلامية و التي عاصرت ظهور الاسلام و مشواره .
و هذا لا يعني أن الكتاب بلا قيمة في أدبيات التاريخ الحديث ، فكما فيه الغث فيه بعض المعلومات القيمة لاسيما تلك التي نقب عنها كوك في المراجع و المخطوطات غير الاسلامية و التي عاصرت ظهور الاسلام و مشواره .
February 1, 2023
Super short & full of information about Muhammad, Islam, and monotheism in general… however, it was a lil more of a biased account than I expected it to be
November 13, 2013
This book was good for a really short introduction to Muhammad and Islam, but it wasn't very clear at times. And it seemed that the author himself wasn't entirely sure what he was saying sometimes. It's a quick read so I didn't feel like I was wasting my time, but it wasn't great.
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June 3, 2014I've recently read a book titled Muhammad, by Michael Cook. I found most of the book interesting. It is relatively short, only about 170 pages, but I felt it provided a good overview of the origins of the Islamic religion and the life of its founder, Muhammad.
The book starts off with a bit of history, describing Muhammad's early life (he was born on a date which corresponds to June 8,570) and how he led a series of military expeditions to unite several warlike tribes in what is now Saudi Arabia. It explains how Muhammad came to develop his faith following a series of visits ("visions") from the Archangel Gabriel over the course of his life during which he was taught about creation, Judgment Day, etc. from which he developed the structure of Islam which has been virtually unchanged to this day and which he incorporated into the Quran.
The book clearly states the basic belief of Islam in that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is his messenger. I felt that Michael Cook was trying to give an incisive account on the man who inspired this religion. He draws a lot from traditional Muslim sources to describe Muhammad's life and teachings. The book describes the harsh life people led at this time and one can see where a lot of the strict rules of Islam come from.
At first I thought this was going to be only a biography on Muhammad, but as I got deeper into it, I later found out that this more about Islam and its history and how one man was the important behind the creation of this religion.
This book is fairly short so it’s a good prime for people who want to learn about this religion. Overall I thought the book was pretty good.
The book starts off with a bit of history, describing Muhammad's early life (he was born on a date which corresponds to June 8,570) and how he led a series of military expeditions to unite several warlike tribes in what is now Saudi Arabia. It explains how Muhammad came to develop his faith following a series of visits ("visions") from the Archangel Gabriel over the course of his life during which he was taught about creation, Judgment Day, etc. from which he developed the structure of Islam which has been virtually unchanged to this day and which he incorporated into the Quran.
The book clearly states the basic belief of Islam in that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is his messenger. I felt that Michael Cook was trying to give an incisive account on the man who inspired this religion. He draws a lot from traditional Muslim sources to describe Muhammad's life and teachings. The book describes the harsh life people led at this time and one can see where a lot of the strict rules of Islam come from.
At first I thought this was going to be only a biography on Muhammad, but as I got deeper into it, I later found out that this more about Islam and its history and how one man was the important behind the creation of this religion.
This book is fairly short so it’s a good prime for people who want to learn about this religion. Overall I thought the book was pretty good.
July 21, 2016
Short. Good overview and description of the religion of "Only one God."
Starts off with history - Muhammad successfully lead several military expeditions. Brought together tribal groups in area. His religion was closely associated with his military success. Together lead to Muslim conquest of Middle East within a generation of his death. The religion was revealed to him over the course of his life through the angel Gabriel. (One) God created and rules the universe in 6 devine days (each lasting 1000 years). Humans get large share of God's attention, starting with Adam and have sinned in failing to accord Him exclusive worship. When the world ends, God will judge men according to their deeds; the saved go to paradise while the rest go to hell.
Basic principles: washing, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage along with prescriptions of religious law.
In regards to Christianity - fundamental error that Jesus is son of God. For Judaism - to fulfill their covenant with God by accepting Muhammad's message of revelation.
Starts off with history - Muhammad successfully lead several military expeditions. Brought together tribal groups in area. His religion was closely associated with his military success. Together lead to Muslim conquest of Middle East within a generation of his death. The religion was revealed to him over the course of his life through the angel Gabriel. (One) God created and rules the universe in 6 devine days (each lasting 1000 years). Humans get large share of God's attention, starting with Adam and have sinned in failing to accord Him exclusive worship. When the world ends, God will judge men according to their deeds; the saved go to paradise while the rest go to hell.
Basic principles: washing, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage along with prescriptions of religious law.
In regards to Christianity - fundamental error that Jesus is son of God. For Judaism - to fulfill their covenant with God by accepting Muhammad's message of revelation.
January 22, 2019
لم ينل إعجابي !!! العنوان لا يعكس المضمون كاملاً يتحدث عن الأنبياء من غير ألقابهم في وجهة نطري حتى لو لم تكن مسلم يجب ان تحترم رسولهم و تقول النبي محمد .. استشهاد الآيات ليست كامله ولا التفاسير موضحة بشكل جيد
I really do not recommend this book for non Muslims as it does not explain the Quran phrases accurately also I can’t see any respect to this prophet I can’t understand what is exactly the message the writer needs to convey ...
I really do not recommend this book for non Muslims as it does not explain the Quran phrases accurately also I can’t see any respect to this prophet I can’t understand what is exactly the message the writer needs to convey ...
March 14, 2020
The book try to say the Islamic religion is copied from jew and Christian with some added.. actually.. the writer he was very rong and he was need to read more and deep about the Islamic religion ..
September 30, 2014
A victim of its own concision. Barely more than the headline info and even that is so foreshortened that it actually reached the point of being difficult to follow.
September 19, 2020
Short and doesn't leave much for your interpretation, exactly what I needed.
December 4, 2025
- And although overt paganism rapidly disappeared in Medina, there remained a group whose outward acceptance of Muhammad's religion covered an inner scepticism and disaffection. The leading representative of these `hypocrites' (munafiqun) was `Abdallah ibn Ubayy, an ambitious tribesman who had almost succeeded in establishing himself as king in Medina when Muhammad arrived. His temporising was responsible for the fact that the Banu Qaynuqa' were expelled rather than killed; he left Muhammad in the lurch just before the major military disaster of his career; and he played a part in articulating the resentment of the ansar against the muhajirun. At no point, however, did such tensions degenerate into civil war.
- This evolution in the course of half a century from uncertainty to profusion of precise detail is an instructive one. It suggests that a fair amount of what Waqidi knew was not knowledge.
- The most interesting hypothesis which has been advanced, and one which accounts rather well for this and other effects, is that the eighth-century authors drew much of their material directly from the specialist story-tellers of early Islam, the qussas. We should then think in terms of a common repertoire of material in circulation among these story-tellers, rather than of hard and fast lines of individual transmission. If, as is plausible, we assume that this story-telling remained a living source for the authors of scholarly biographies as late as the time of Waqidi, we can readily explain Waqidi's superior knowledge as a reflection of the continuing evolution of this oral tradition.
- To begin with the Jews, we have already seen how tradition preserves a document, the `Constitution of Medina', in which Muhammad establishes a community to which believers and Jews alike belong, while retaining their different faiths. The document is anomalous and difficult, and could well be authentic in substance. Be that as it may, tradition goes on to recount a series of breaks between Muhammad and the Jews of Yathrib whereby the Jewish element was eliminated from the community several years before the conquests began. The early non-Muslim sources, by contrast, depict a relationship with the Jews at the time of the first conquests such as tradition concedes only for the first years ofMuhammad's residence in Medina. The Armenian chronicler of the 660s describes Muhammad as establishing a community which comprised both Ishmaelites (i.e. Arabs) and Jews, with Abrahamic descent as their common platform; these allies then set off to conquer Palestine. The oldest Greek source makes the sensational statement that the prophet who had appeared among the Saracens (i.e. Arabs) was proclaiming the coming of the (Jewish) messiah, and speaks of `the Jews who mix with the Saracens', and of the danger to life and limb of falling into the hands of these Jews and Saracens. We cannot easily dismiss this evidence as the product of Christian prejudice, since it finds confirmation in the Hebrew apocalypse referred to above. The break with the Jews is then placed by the Armenian chronicler immediately after the Arab conquest of Jerusalem.
- Sozomenus, a Christian writer of the fifth century, reconstructs a primitive Ishmaelite monotheism identical with that possessed by the Hebrews up to the time of Moses; and he goes on to argue from present conditions that Ishmael's laws must have been corrupted by the passage of time and the influence of pagan neighbours.
- The reader may recollect that four Meccans are said to have experienced a revulsion from paganism in the generation before Muhammad, and that three of them ended up as Christians. The fourth, Zayd ibn `Amr, is a more interesting figure. He set out from Mecca in quest of the religion of Abraham, and travelled to the Fertile Crescent. The choice was natural: where else could he hope to find such a treasury of religious expertise? Once there, he went about questioning monks and rabbis, but all to no purpose. Eventually he found a monk in the uplands to the east of Palestine who had something to tell him: there was no one at present who could guide him to the religion of Abraham, but a prophet was about to be sent to proclaim this religion - and would arise in the very land from which Zayd had set out. Zayd did not care for what he had seen of Judaism and Christianity, and he now set off on the long road back to Mecca. The Arab had wandered in vain; the truth was about to be revealed on his own doorstep.
- This evolution in the course of half a century from uncertainty to profusion of precise detail is an instructive one. It suggests that a fair amount of what Waqidi knew was not knowledge.
- The most interesting hypothesis which has been advanced, and one which accounts rather well for this and other effects, is that the eighth-century authors drew much of their material directly from the specialist story-tellers of early Islam, the qussas. We should then think in terms of a common repertoire of material in circulation among these story-tellers, rather than of hard and fast lines of individual transmission. If, as is plausible, we assume that this story-telling remained a living source for the authors of scholarly biographies as late as the time of Waqidi, we can readily explain Waqidi's superior knowledge as a reflection of the continuing evolution of this oral tradition.
- To begin with the Jews, we have already seen how tradition preserves a document, the `Constitution of Medina', in which Muhammad establishes a community to which believers and Jews alike belong, while retaining their different faiths. The document is anomalous and difficult, and could well be authentic in substance. Be that as it may, tradition goes on to recount a series of breaks between Muhammad and the Jews of Yathrib whereby the Jewish element was eliminated from the community several years before the conquests began. The early non-Muslim sources, by contrast, depict a relationship with the Jews at the time of the first conquests such as tradition concedes only for the first years ofMuhammad's residence in Medina. The Armenian chronicler of the 660s describes Muhammad as establishing a community which comprised both Ishmaelites (i.e. Arabs) and Jews, with Abrahamic descent as their common platform; these allies then set off to conquer Palestine. The oldest Greek source makes the sensational statement that the prophet who had appeared among the Saracens (i.e. Arabs) was proclaiming the coming of the (Jewish) messiah, and speaks of `the Jews who mix with the Saracens', and of the danger to life and limb of falling into the hands of these Jews and Saracens. We cannot easily dismiss this evidence as the product of Christian prejudice, since it finds confirmation in the Hebrew apocalypse referred to above. The break with the Jews is then placed by the Armenian chronicler immediately after the Arab conquest of Jerusalem.
- Sozomenus, a Christian writer of the fifth century, reconstructs a primitive Ishmaelite monotheism identical with that possessed by the Hebrews up to the time of Moses; and he goes on to argue from present conditions that Ishmael's laws must have been corrupted by the passage of time and the influence of pagan neighbours.
- The reader may recollect that four Meccans are said to have experienced a revulsion from paganism in the generation before Muhammad, and that three of them ended up as Christians. The fourth, Zayd ibn `Amr, is a more interesting figure. He set out from Mecca in quest of the religion of Abraham, and travelled to the Fertile Crescent. The choice was natural: where else could he hope to find such a treasury of religious expertise? Once there, he went about questioning monks and rabbis, but all to no purpose. Eventually he found a monk in the uplands to the east of Palestine who had something to tell him: there was no one at present who could guide him to the religion of Abraham, but a prophet was about to be sent to proclaim this religion - and would arise in the very land from which Zayd had set out. Zayd did not care for what he had seen of Judaism and Christianity, and he now set off on the long road back to Mecca. The Arab had wandered in vain; the truth was about to be revealed on his own doorstep.
September 16, 2025
محمد نبي الاسلام
.
مايكل كوك
.
ترجمة نبيل فياض
--------------
لو سألتني عم يتحدث الكتاب لقلت لك عن محمد. لا شيء آخر ممكن أن اضيفه.
لن تستطيع ادراك توجه الكاتب, هل هذه سيرة نقدية او رجعية او استشراقية او برو اسلامية للنبي محمد!!
تشعر بأنه يقص عليك السيرة النبوية و هو جالس مع عدة أشخاص حول نار حطب في وسط الصحراء. و الأكثر من هذا أنك لا تعرف متى يكون الكلام لمايكل كوك و متى يكون لنبيل فياض.
على كل حال الكتاب لا بأس به خاصة لمن لم يقرأ ابدا أي دراسات نقدية للسيرة النبوية.
.
مايكل كوك
.
ترجمة نبيل فياض
--------------
لو سألتني عم يتحدث الكتاب لقلت لك عن محمد. لا شيء آخر ممكن أن اضيفه.
لن تستطيع ادراك توجه الكاتب, هل هذه سيرة نقدية او رجعية او استشراقية او برو اسلامية للنبي محمد!!
تشعر بأنه يقص عليك السيرة النبوية و هو جالس مع عدة أشخاص حول نار حطب في وسط الصحراء. و الأكثر من هذا أنك لا تعرف متى يكون الكلام لمايكل كوك و متى يكون لنبيل فياض.
على كل حال الكتاب لا بأس به خاصة لمن لم يقرأ ابدا أي دراسات نقدية للسيرة النبوية.
May 10, 2023
Very concise overview of the life of Muhammad with only a little interpretation offered. I found it useful but will probably need reinforcement from other sources to remember everything. Going to try Cook's "Islam: A Very Short Introduction" also.
As an aside - unfortunate that this "Past Masters" series literally only has books on men.
As an aside - unfortunate that this "Past Masters" series literally only has books on men.
December 20, 2009
The Life of Muhammad presented early in this book was disappointingly bare bones, been there, done that. I pushed on; there are only 89 pages after all. The essays on theology and sources brought into sudden focus the half a dozen (at least) books of a similar vein I have read since Hagarism. The other books, I suppose, are scholarly and so hedge their bets until I have to ask myself, "Is this really what he's saying?" Yep. Muhammad lets us know: This is really what he's saying. I think the format of the Past Masters series, although an Oxford imprint, is to blame for the dearth of sources cited. All those other books on my shelves that left me uninspired because of their hedged bets will now come into play. I'm even going to list myself as a fan of Michael Cook. Can you be a fan of a Princeton don?
November 6, 2015
A disciplined, thorough-enough (it picks and chooses from what is known about the subject in wise ways) account of the Prophet's life and impact. It also suggests possible redactions, alternate points of view, and thoughts on how Muhammad himself would respond to Islam as it has been practiced since his death. Michael Alan Cook never slips into self-indulgence; his spare humor is achieved subtly, with word order - but I found myself laughing aloud. Moreover he brings Muhammad's world of nearly endless tribal conflict and negotiation to vivid life - like a movie. Without addressing directly the reader's lack of information per se, he fills in gaps and offers a genuine knowledge base. I learned much I previously had little clue about regarding Islamic, pre-Islamic and Peninsula culture. I cannot recommend this book enough.
August 10, 2016
The title of the book is misleading. I was hoping for a concise construction of the life of Muhammad (to the best of our knowledge), but more than half discussed the Qu'ran and the origins of Islam. Was provided with books for further reading on the life of Muhammad.
The author described that there is no single, trustworthy narrative of Muhammad's life. We take each author with a grain of salt and we get contradictions when comparing authors.
Gives an example where an earlier author has a fuzzy recollection of when Muhammad's father dies, but a later author has very specific details on his death. There are some non-Muslim historical accounts of Muhammad that contradict some Muslim stories (Armenian and Jewish sources).
The author described that there is no single, trustworthy narrative of Muhammad's life. We take each author with a grain of salt and we get contradictions when comparing authors.
Gives an example where an earlier author has a fuzzy recollection of when Muhammad's father dies, but a later author has very specific details on his death. There are some non-Muslim historical accounts of Muhammad that contradict some Muslim stories (Armenian and Jewish sources).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2009
A short little book on the life of Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam. I read it online, so I feel almost like I didn't read it, if that makes sense. Anyway, it was fairly informative, but I didn't really like how it was written or how it dealt with its sources.
September 1, 2025
أعجبني الكتاب وأنصح به
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September 23, 2010Muhammad (Past Masters) by Michael Cook (1983)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews