The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad Paperback – February 4, 2014

Based on early biographies of Muhammad, this is a secular but unbiased look at what we know about the man. The author takes great pains to be fair and balanced while not overly judgmental -- this book makes no qualitative claims about the relative good or bad of Islam, and instead presents Muhammad as a surprisingly human historical figure, deeply flawed and yet also highly influential. The narrative is an indispensable historical guide to understanding the religion and the man. The reader is left with a fuller understanding of the conflict between Islam and Judaism, the motivation behind Islamic jihad and learns not only about a religion started by a man, but about the man himself and his motivations; the politician, the husband, the war lord and the mystic. The author does an admirable job presenting the story without editorializing the existence or non-existence of miracles, the supernatural and divine, instead allows the reader reach his own conclusions on these topics as one witnesses the path of Muhammad transgress from non-violent spiritual guru to military rebel, from loving spiritualist to vengeful despot. Of course, this is my own interpretation of the man based on the book and the story it provides -- the brilliance in the author's style is her ability to present a narrative of events without sullying the expose by providing assumptions and emotional interpretations. She provides the proper 7th century context vital to understanding the often violent story of Islam's birth, warts and all, and it makes for a refreshingly human story.A must read for any American looking for a broader context to understanding current events impacting western civilization.

Muhammad's story so lends itself to hagiography. It follows then that anyone attempting to write it can take the easy road and yield to this wonderful temptation. After all, who doesn't like to hear (or tell) a super hero story once every while? But, all of us have to go home once the movie ends. And, that is where Lesley Hazleton's story begins.Building on the solid premise of an orphaned child's need for social acceptance and inclusion, she effortlessly provides a new window from which to view the Prophet's life and mission. She uses his various personality traits (detachment, integrity, steadfastness) to show why he was so exclusively suited to the role he played while also highlighting the weight of prophethood on even this strongest of shoulders. She presents us the man with all his frailties, idiosyncrasies and failures but with empathy and the understanding that hindsight is always 20/20. Lesley claims and does carefully avoid the mistake many historians (or history journalists as I like to call them) make - projecting the future into the past. She adamantly examines him in the backdrop of 7th century Arabia and remains true to Muhammad's early biographers, Ibn Ishaq and Al-Tabari.To a discerning Indian reader, especially to those exposed to Irawati Karve and M T Vasudevan Nair, this approach might not seem too novel. It is one thing to re-render a mythological story but it is totally another to reconstruct the story of a man who lived in flesh and blood and held dear by millions of people. That Lesley manages this with compassion and a lot of respect (for a scarcely understood man) is what makes this a compelling work.Some people (most people) like Tony Stark better than Iron man. Maybe you are one of them.

The First Muslim: The Story of MuhammadLesley Hazelton isn't just a seasoned reporter who's probed her subject like few others have, she's a elegant writer, able to craft a compelling and fluid story. And a story is what this is, considering that her subject lived some 1400 years ago and spent most of that time clouded by legend. That said, she's painstakingly researched the primary biographies of the prophet and Koran itself translating the original text word by word. With a reporter's zeal and a novelist's eye she pulls together the most realistic, thoughtful and entertaining story of Mohammed anyone could ask for. Nevertheless she will have her critics. Since it is nearly impossible to untangle Islam from the strife, the war, the land, the water supply, the oil, the fanaticism, racism and history that inextricably link it to Western thought, there are those who'll find her "off message" and, therefore, suspect. Look only as far as Hari Kunru in the New York Times, who seems stunned and confused that Ms. Hazelton managed to see beyond the prism of his own personal experiences. After all, some fundamentalist government banned him from speaking somewhere...shouldn't that be part of her story? For him, and those like him, the bigger story is problematic; personal experience matters, so long as it's his own. Fortunately reviewers like Kunru seem to be the minority, and a transparent minority at that. This book is strong enough to stand on its own merit, and its own quality.

I liked the style of the author, who weaves her narrative in a very easy to read manner and captures the attention of the reader by bringing the main character to life! Truly, this is a remarkable narrative written with authenticity and compassion.Lesley Hazelton does justice to this biography with facts and masterful story telling, which takes one through the life of Prophet Muhammad as though you were there with him during the time he lived.I read the book with riveted attention and could hardly put it down! Indeed a marvelous piece of writing as the author creates the awareness of his being fully human and the task ahead to convey God’s message to mankind as His chosen Messenger.She does justice to his life’s mission and why he is considered the most influential person in history.