The Rise of the Prophet Muhammad

Book excerpt: They say you can judge a person by the friends he keeps, but the focus of this book comes, in part, from the enemies of the Prophet Muhammad. Viewed by some as one of the most influential figures in history, he continues to polarise people. This book is written for people of all faiths and none who are curious as to how an illiterate orphan born in 570 emerged from the desert sands of Arabia to become a great political, military and religious leader. His importance to today’s 1.8 billion Muslims cannot be underestimated especially since his name is part of the five-times-a-day call to prayer. Whenever it is spoken by them, it is usually followed by the phrase “may God’s blessings and peace be upon him.” The phenomenal growth of Islam saw the rise of an empire more than 10 times the size of lands conquered by Alexander the Great, five times the size of the Roman Empire, and seven times the size of America.