Muhammad: The Messenger of God;
An Analysis of the Prophet's Life,
*[A5] Paperback - 462 pages
*by Dr M. Fethullah Gulen,
Translated by Ali Unal.
Published in Turkey.
Description :
The Life of the Prophet Muhammad,
may Allah Almighty Shower His Blessings upon him, and give him peace, has been a topic for many books and studies.
Gülen's approach to the life of Rasulullah, "the pride of humanity." is not a cronical biography. It differs from other books on the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the sense that Gülen assumes a psychological and sociological analysis on the various aspects of the Prophet's life portraying him as a compassionate father, a profound spiritual leader, a wise statemen, a courageous commander, a loving husband, a most reliable and trustworthy person.
Preface :
I would like to introduce the reader to the exemplary life of the blessed Prophet Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, and his distinguished, exalted personality. The ‘water of life’ for the salvation of humankind should be made known to everyone.
The Prophet Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, is the pride of humankind. For the past fourteen centuries, many thinkers, philosophers, scientists and scholars, each a radiant star in our intellectual world, have stood behind him in respect and admiration and taken pride in membership of his community.
It is enough to appreciate and understand his greatness that even after so many attacks, we still hear the words 'I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God' from minarets five times a day. While his name is being proclaimed from minarets we rejoice, as do the dead and other spiritual beings. It is enough to establish his greatness that, in spite of the concerted efforts to corrupt our younger generation and lead them astray, the young in this century, although it is impossible for them to perceive the full reality of Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, hasten to him as moths hasten to light.
Time has not been able to make us forget the truth about him. He is so fresh in my mind that if I mention his holy name, it is as if I am about to meet him a few steps later. Once, while on pilgrimage to his radiant city, Madina, I felt that he was about to appear and welcome us. As time progresses, some thoughts become obsolete, but Muhammad,
upon him be peace, remains as fresh as a rosebud in the hearts of the Muslims. It is for this reason that as soon as his name is mentioned from the minaret, we immediately abandon our work and hasten to mosque in acceptance of his invitation.
Table of Contents :
---About the Author,
---A General Introduction.
Chapter [I] The Prophet Sent as a Mercy,
---The Dark Period of Ignorance,
---The Prophet's Life Before His Prophethood,
---The Awaited Prophet,
------The Torah and the Psalms,
------The Gospels,
------Many Others Awaited the Prophet.
Chapter [II] Why Prophets are Sent,
---To Illuminate Humanity's Way,
---To Guide People to the Service of God,
---To Teach People God's Laws,
---To be Examples,
---To Establish Balance,
---To be God's Witnesses.
Chapter [III] The Characteristics of Prophets,
---Total Dependence on Revelation and Submission To God,
---Trustworthy and Asking No Wage,
---Complete Sincerity,
---Calling People Wisely and with Kindness,
---Calling Humanity to God's Unity.
Chapter [IV] The Essentials of Prophethood,
---Truthfulness,
------Some of his Predictions,
---Trustworthiness,
------The Trustworthiness of God's Messenger,
------Specific Events,
------His relations with others,
---Communication,
------A comprehensive Inviation to God,
------The method,
------Consistent effort,
------Further remarks,
------Other important points,
---Intellect,
------Examples of his intellectual capacity,
------Concise speech,
---Infallibility,
------Removing Doubts,
------Individual examples,
------[i] Prophet Adam,
------[ii] Prophet Noah,
------[iii] Prophet Abraham,
------[iv] Prophet Joseph,
------[v]
The Final Prophet, Hadrat Muhammad,
---No Bodily or Mental Defects,
------Job's afflictions,
------Moses' speech impediment.
Chapter [V] The Prophet Muhammad as Husband and Father,
---The Prophet and His Wives,
------The Prophet's consultation with his wives,
------The choice God's Messenger gave to his wives,
---God's Messenger and Children,
---''You Are With Those Whom You Love''
---Why he had more than one Wife,
Chapter [VI] Prophet Muhammad as an Educator,
---The Educational Atmosphere,
---Islam Addresses All Human Faculties,
---Educating by Example,
---Essentials of a Good Education,
---Further Remarks.
Chapter [VII] The Military Dimension,
---
Jihad,
------The greater and lesser
Jihad,
------
Jihad's stages and main principles,
------Some Rules,
---Military Expeditions,
------Expeditions,
------A general evaluation,
---The Battles,
------The Battle of
Badr,
------The Battle of
Uhud,
------The Battle of the Trench,
------Toward the Conquest of
Makka,
------The Conquest of
Makka and Its Aftermath,
------The Battle of
Hunayn,
------The Expedition to
Tabuk,
---A General Evaluation of His Military Achievements.
Chapter [VIII] A Universal Leader,
---His Appointment of Competent People,
---He Knew His People,
---His Wisdom,
---Merging Two Different Communities,
---Consultation,
---A Manifest Victory: The Treaty of
Hudaybiya,
---Ending Racism,
---The Last Word.
Chapter [IX] Other Dimensions of his Prophethood,
---His Prayers and Supplications,
---The Prophet of Universal Mercy,
---His Mildness and Forbearance,
---His Generosity,
---His Modesty,
---The Ethos Created by the Messenger,
---The ''Garden'' of Muhammad.
Chapter [X] The Sunna and it's Place in Islamic Legislation,
---The
Sunna and its Role,
---Categories of
Sunna,
------The verbal
Sunna,
------The Practical
Sunna,
------The
Sunna based on approval,
---The
Sunna in the Qur'an,
---The
Sunna in the Traditions,
---The
Sunna's Functions.
Chapter [XI] Establishing the Sunna,
---The
Sunna has to be established,
------Other motives,
---The Companions and the
Sunna,
---Further Remarks on the
Sunna's Importance,
---Relating the Traditions,
------The Messenger's Warning and the Companions' Self-Control,
------Literal Narration,
------Verification,
------Ensuring authenticity,
------Examples,
------The number of authentic Traditions,
------Recording the Traditions.
Chapter [XII] The Companions and Tabi'un,
---The Companions,
---Factors in Their Greatness,
------Relation to Messengership,
------The benefits of company,
------Truthfulness,
------The atmosphere created by Revelation,
------The difficulty of the circumstances,
------The Companions in the Qur'an,
------The Companions in
Hadith,
------The Companions who excelled in narrating Traditions,
---The
Tabi'un.
---Notes,
---The Life of the Prophet in Chronological Order,
---Index.
Recommended!
Decent Turkish Print.
*Note about the Author :
Dr.
Fethullah Gulen although a famous author is nowadays very much involved
with many political aspects of Turkey with the support of the US
government. We therefore only recommend a selection of his publications.
*Dimensions : 22.6 x 15cm.