Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came of age while the eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanian Empire of Iran were at war. In this book the historian Juan Cole argues that the Prophet ﷺ's distress at that bloodshed shaped a movement grounded in peace.

Cole's case is that Islam spread in the Prophet ﷺ's lifetime through persuasion more than force, and that the early community sought truces even when it was attacked. He sets this against the stereotype of Islam and its scripture as violent by nature. Juan Cole is a professor of history at the University of Michigan. Bold Type Books publishes the book.

What's inside

• The Prophet ﷺ's life set against the war between two empires
• A historian's argument for peace as central to his message
• 336 pages

Who it's for

Readers who want an academic historian's view of the seerah alongside the traditional accounts, and anyone looking for a book to give a friend or colleague who is curious about the Prophet ﷺ.

Every order supports CelebrateMercy's free programs on the life of the Prophet ﷺ.