Lesley Hazleton
2013
I just finished Lesley Hazleton's book, and I want to read it again. So much is answered in this narrative of Muhammad's life, but the story raises so many questions. Divided into three parts: Orphan, Exile and Leader, the book traces and documents Muhammad's life. Appropriate questions are raised that try and dispel the natural myths that grow around such a revered figure. By stripping him down to a more personal level, he becomes that much more interesting.
Much like the life of Jesus, Moses or Abraham, Hazleton's book tries to sort what singled out these men and enabled the growth of a religious movement. Commitment to the written word -- and the ability of those words to transcend time seems crucial.
The book is well-researched and the people in Muhammad's life, from his first wife to his son-in-law are firmly placed around him. Hazleton shows restraint when trying to imagine what these people were like day in and day out and tries to match the time to the possibility.
Islam, Muhammad and the believers--Muslims--have been the subject of many inches of copy in the past decade. Hazleton takes us back to the politics, history and needs of the time to set the stage for the birth of a religion. Regardless of faith or perhaps for the human need for it, the book certainly adds to civil discourse, not rhetoric.
Leslie Hazleton was a reporter in the Middle East, writing for The New York Times, The New York Review of Books and Harper's. Her last book, After the Prophet was a finalist for a PEN Center USA Literary Award.
Same Shelf:
After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam
Lesley Hazelton (2010)
Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes
Tamim Ansary (2010)
