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In Muhammad and the Empires of Faith, Sean W. Anthony demonstrates how critical readings of non-Muslim and Muslim sources in tandem can breathe new life into the historical study of Muhammad and how his message transformed the world. By placing these sources within the intellectual and cultural world of Late Antiquity, Anthony offers a fresh assessment of the earliest sources for Muhammad’s life, taking readers on a grand tour of the available evidence, and suggests what new insights stand to be gained from the techniques and methods pioneered by countless scholars over the decades in a variety of fields. Muhammad and the Empires of Faith offers both an authoritative introduction to the multilayered traditions surrounding the life of Muhammad and a compelling exploration of how these traditions interacted with the broader landscape of Late Antiquity.
“Sean Anthony has written a marvelous book: deeply learned and engaging, it advances and deepens the discussion of how we should think about the ways Muslims remembered Muhammad and the relationship of the stories they told to the broader world in which Islam developed. I couldn’t put it down.”—Jack Tannous, author of The Making of the Medieval Middle East: Religion, Society, and Simple Believers
“Sean Anthony breathes fresh insight into the study of the biography of Muhammad. His persistence in hunting down little-known sources and competence in analyzing well-worn texts make this an innovative work that has much to offer both neophytes and experts.”—Robert Hoyland, Professor of Middle East History, New York University