There are quite a number of books in English that have the life of the Prophet Mohammed as subject. Both Karen Armstrong and Tariq Ramadan have written acclaimed biographies. There is also a book called The People versus Mohammed by J.K. Sheindlin that sets out to prove that the Messenger of God was a dangerous mental case with a germ phobia. I didn’t think that book would be of much help. In the end I choose Muhammed his life from earliest sources by Martin Lings (1909-2005) a British convert to Sufism, Arabist and Keeper of. Oriental Books and Manuscripts at the British Library: another one of those weird and wonderful enthusiasts who colour the western Islamic firmament. Lings’ biography of Mohammed reads as a story from the Thousand and One Nights. But most importantly it gives a comprehensive picture of not only the life and times of the man but also the customs and circumstances of mid first millennium Arabia. The Surah in the Koran may not be chronologically presented. The biography of the Prophet adds enormously to understanding the content. Quite a bit is known about his life from testimonials of his wives, his close companions and other believers. All the stories, sayings and experiences were collected after his death in three books of what is called the Hadith. Still there is some debate if Mohammed was a historical person or not. There seem to be no contemporary accounts of him except those by the believers. Some suggest that he is a made up character to give Divine credence to stories from Mecca and Medina made up by people with the sole purpose to bring the frisky Arabian tribes together under one banner and challenge the Byzantine power. I heard an online talk in which Wilders’ advisor on Islam Hans Jansen made a suggestion to that extent. It sounds a bit as explanations after the fact.
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