Who was Muhammad? What do Muslims believe about him? What have
non-Muslims said about him? Why has he been such a controversial
figure? Why have non-Muslims called him a charlatan, and
oppurtunist? Why Muslims call him the 'perfect man'? Why have his
sexuality and his military exploits attracted censure? Are the
texts available for constructing his biography reliable or suspect?
There are some of the questions and issues which Clinton Bennett
explores in his book. His preference for a conservative evaluation
of the historical record will not please everyone, nor will his
sympathetic treatment of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses.
In his effort to gain an insider-like understanding of Muhammad,
the author found himself discussing at length some contentious
issues, such as whether or not Muhammad performed miracles. His
encounters with Muslims suggested that whilst non-Muslims have
tended to dismiss the miracle stories as pious fiction, Muslims
accept their authenticity.The author, who develops what he calls
and 'anthropological theology' to pursue his study, argues that our
preconceptions about Muhammad, rather than our reserch methods,
determine how we reply to the question. 'What do you thin of
Muhammad?'. The book takes diversity of Muslim opinion seriously
and explores what theologians, mystics, philosophers and
politicians have said about Muhammad. In addition, the book, which
combines textual and interpersonal research, concludes with an
attempt to incorporate regard for Muhammad within the authors own
Christian worldview. Clinton Bennett's overall approach ensures the
book's usefulness as a guide to Islamic thought and history.
Clinton Bennett, newly appointed Associate Professor of Religion
and Baylor University, Texas, was Senior Lecturer in Religious
Studies, and assistant chaplain, at Westminster College, Oxford. He
has worked in Bangladesh, in Birmingham as a community development
worker, and on the staff of the Council of Churches for Britain and
Ireland. he has also written Victorian Images of Islam (1992) and
In Search of the Sacred: Athropology and the Study of Religions
(1996) and is the editor of Discernment: An Ecumenical Journal of
Inter-Religious Encounter.He is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic
Society and of the Royal Anthropological Institute.
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