A Portrait of the Prophet: As Seen by His Contemporaries [Paperback]

In Islam, two sources are used to explain the religion and its laws: the Qur'an, a revered text, and the hadith, the sayings and activities of the Prophet Muhammad as reported by friends and followers during his lifetime. This skilled translation, which includes the Arabic of one of the key Islamic texts, long-awaited in English, presents a fascinating selection of hadith compiled by the ninth-century scholar at-Tirmidhi that humanizes the Prophet for modern audiences, presenting him through the eyes of contemporaries who comment not only on his spiritual demeanor and qualities but also on his physical appearance and mannerisms—including his hairdressing, his sitting posture, his sandals and turban, his armor, his favorite condiments, and his jests and laughter. 

 

Summary 

This new edition of the Sham¥’il translated by Muhtar Holland, published by Fons Vitae Press is a welcome addition to the classic works of the world’s spiritual traditions. The work represents a continuation of a textual tradition reaching back over a thousand years. This translation provides us at the same time with a window opening onto the roots of the spiritual tradition of Islam itself, a tradition that perceived spirituality as a process of transformation in the individual that was integrally linked to one’s adherence, both inwardly and outwardly, to the example of the Prophet Muhammad. This implied that the degree to which one was participating in the Prophetic model was the degree to which one was considered to be participating in Islamic spirituality itself. The present translation also provides meaningful material for responding to the urgent need to revisit and re-evaluate what Islamic spirituality actually entails. This is as important for Muslims today as it is for other faith traditions. Access to original texts serve this purpose better than any third person account or interpretative work. Flӥ