The Truth About Muhammad

by Spencer, Robert

• ISBN13: 9781596985285
• ISBN10: 1596985283
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-08-07
• Publisher: Regnery Pub

Summary

In The Truth about Muhammad, New York Times bestselling author and Islam expert Robert Spencer offers an honest and telling portrait of the founder of Islam unbounded by fear and political correctness, unflinching, and willing to face the hard facts about Muhammad's life that continue to affect our world today, Spencer details Muhammad's development from a preacher of hellfire and damnation into a political and military leader who expanded his rule by force of arms, promising his warriors luridly physical delights in Paradise if they were killed in his cause. He explains how the Our'an's teaching on warfare against unbelievers developed-with constant war to establish the hegemony of Islamic law as the last stage.

Author Biography

ROBERT SPENCER is the director of Jihad Watch, a program of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and the author of eighteen books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad . His latest book is Confessions of an Islamophobe (Bombardier Books) . Coming in summer 2018 is The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS (Bombardier Books).

Table of Contents

Chronology of Muhammad's life	p. xi
Names and places	p. xiii
Why a biography of Muhammad is relevant today	p. 1
Is Islam a religion of peace? Why it matters
Dueling Muhammads
Why Muhammad matters
Polite fictions are useless
The purpose of this book
Why I did not want to write this book
Death to "blasphemers"
Defending freedom of speech
General notes
In search of the historic Muhammad	p. 19
What can we really know about Muhammad?
The Qur'an
The Hadith
The Sira
Historical fact and Muslim belief
Muhammad becomes a prophet	p. 33
Arabia before Muhammad
Muhammad's early life
Khadija
The first visitation
The suicidal despair returns
Muhammad's revelations and their sources	p. 47
Borrowings from Judaism
"Tales of the ancients"
Borrowings from Christianity
Other borrowings
Revelations of convenience?
The consequences
Modern embarrassment
"A warner in the face of a terrific punishment"	p. 73
Difficulties with the Quraysh
The evolution of the command to wage war
The Satanic verses
The Night Journey
Muhammad becomes a warlord	p. 89
The Hijra
The covenant between the Muslims and the Jews
The conversion of Abdullah and tensions with the rabbis
The Hypocrites
The Nakhla raid
The break with the Jews and the change of qibla (direction for prayer)
"War Is deceit"	p. 103
The Battle of Badr
Allah fights for the Muslims
The problem of booty
The Qaynuqa Jews
Anger toward Jews and Christians
Assassination and deceit
The Quraysh strike back
Assuaging doubts after Uhud
The deportation of the Banu Nadir
Casting terror into their hearts	p. 123
The Battle of the Trench
Dealing with the Banu Qurayzah
Finding excuses for a massacre
The women of the Banu Mustaliq
Abdullah bin Ubayy and praying for one's enemies
The Treaty of Hudaybiyya
The raid at Khaybar
The poisoning of Muhammad
The spoils of Khaybar
Victorious through terror	p. 145
The conquest of Mecca
Apostates to be killed
Muhammad at the Ka'bah
The Battle of Hunayn and mastery of Arabia
Invitations to Islam
The Tabuk raid
Collecting the jizya
The last pilgrimage: the rights of women and the expulsion of the pagans
The murder of the poets
Muhammad's final illness
After Muhammad
Muhammad's legacy	p. 169
The War on Terror
Pedophile prophet?
Misogynist?
Draconian punishments?
Warrior prophet?
Islamic tolerance?
A kinder, gentler Muhammad
The veneration of Muhammad
Imitating Muhammad today
Frightening reality
What is to be done
Acknowledgments	p. 195
Notes	p. 197
Index	p. 215
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