Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet Large Print

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In this riveting novel, beloved international bestselling author Deepak Chopra captures the spellbinding life story of the great and often misunderstood Prophet.

Islam was born in a cradle of tribal turmoil, and the arrival of one God who vanquished hundreds of ancient Arabian gods changed the world forever. God reached down into the life of Muhammad, a settled husband and father, and spoke through him. Muhammad's divine and dangerous task was to convince his people to renounce their ancestral idols and superstitious veneration of multiple gods. From the first encounter, God did not leave Muhammad alone, his life was no longer his own, and with each revelation the creation of a new way of life formed and a religion was born.

Muhammad didn't see himself as the son of God or as one who achieved cosmic enlightenment. His relatives and neighbors didn't part the way when he walked down the parched dirt streets of Mecca. There was no mark of divinity. Orphaned by age six, Muhammad grew up surrounded by dozens of cousins and extended family to become a trusted merchant. Muhammad saw himself as an ordinary man and that is why what happened to him is so extraordinary.

Rooted in historical detail, Muhammad brings the Prophet to life through the eyes of those around him. A Christian hermit mystic foretells a special destiny, a pugnacious Bedouin wet nurse raises him in the desert, and a religious rebel in Mecca secretly takes the young orphan under his spiritual wing. Each voice, each chapter brings Muhammad and the creation of Islam into a new light. The angel Gabriel demands Muhammad to recite, the first convert risks his life to protect his newfound faith, and Muhammad's life is not a myth but an incredible true and surprisingly unknown story of a man and a moment that sparked a worldwide transformation.

Reviews

"Chopra shows that neither revering nor reviling Muhammad will unlock the meaning he embodied. So what will Chopra's answer is bound to challenge Muslims and non-Muslims alike." -- Irshad Manji, Director, Moral Courage Project, New York University

"Chopra takes us into the past through the Prophet Muhammad's journey, and brings wisdom and perspective to an often misunderstood figure. His compassionate and clear depiction is a courageous undertaking, and a valuable effort against the enemy of ignorance. An important and timely book, indeed." -- Greg Mortenson, New York Times bestselling author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools

"I am grateful that Deepak Chopra, instead of adding to the often useless pile of [Muhammad] biographies, has instead crafted an absorbing novel based on Muhammad's life. Any reader will come away better informed both about the prophet himself and about Islam, the world's second largest religion." -- Harvey Cox, Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard University, and author of The Future of Faith

"It's worth discovering Muhammad through Deepak Chopra." -- Ayaan Hirsi Ali, bestselling author of Infidel and Nomad

"Compellingly told, this is not only good storytelling, it also helps readers, especially non-Muslims, better understand the complexities and contradictions surrounding Islam." -- Booklist

"[O]ne of the most imaginative and touching biographies of Muhammad....Chopra's grasp of Muhammad's life and mission extends his range in a surprising direction; his popularization is welcome." -- Publishers Weekly

"...an intricate, deeply considered depiction of the Prophet's life. At a time when Muhammad is largely misunderstood outside (and sometimes inside) of the Muslim world, the novel gives a vivid voice to his story." -- The Daily Beast

"It is a positive portrait that nonetheless points to human flaws and complexities." -- The Arizona Republic

"...profound summation of his life, teachings, and service of humanity..." -- Spirituality & Practice

"His approach is as engaging as it is informative and deeply humanizing. The first-person narratives each paint a new layer onto the picture of the Beloved of God, in all his humanity and complexity and perfection." -- Dalia Mogahed, in a Huffington Post review

"...the finest of his long shelf of books. ...Chopra returns in his own attractive voice with one of the more level, tough-love, discussions of Islamic religion available." -- The Daily Beast

"[Chopra] produces an imaginative, evocative rendition of what it must have been like to be in the company of such an individual, making his way in an environment in many ways so alien to our own." -- The Historical Novels Review

Author Bio

Deepak Chopra is the founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California, and is acknowledged as one of the master teachers of Eastern philosophy in the Western world. He has written more than fifty-five books and has been a bestselling author for decades, with over a dozen titles on the New York Times bestseller lists, including Buddha and Jesus .