Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy (Islam in the Twenty-First Century)

I loved this book through and through. I believe it is a must-read for Muslims seeking a critical analysis of the history of the interpretive tradition of their religion, as well as people who want to learn more about Islam. Brown liberally takes from "familiar" Western philosophical history as well as Jewish and Christian experiences of scripture and interpretation to compare and contrast with the diversity of Muslim interpretations of Quran and Hadith.This book is deceptively approachable because it not only provides a strong foundation of the classical Sunni framework, but it takes the reader a step farther in its comparison with other faiths and its contrasting modern "Salafi" and "reformist" Muslim interpretations. Brown does not use complicated jargon or drown the author in Arabic terms, but takes utmost care to make the material approachable to non-Arabs and non-Muslims.Brown does not shy away from difficult topics, and instead approaches them head-on. He does not take an apologetic (and therefore weak and defensive) stance which is particularly refreshing. That Hadith about 72 virgins? He talks at length in the book itself and includes an appendix as well! He takes care to present multiple viewpoints with nuance, leaving the reader to think for herself about which argument and use of evidence seems most convincing.Th reason I consider this book compassionate is that Brown manages to capture the raw yearning for meaning and spirituality among humans of all heritages without sacrificing intellectual honesty or academic rigor. The questions in this regard which he poses are not uncritically sympathetic to his own identification with Islam, but instead highlight the human civilization's search for meaning and our cumulative efforts to collect, categorize, standardize and neatly package Truth as tradition.I can't believe I waited so long to read this book!

For Muslims Al Quran is infallable. And Hadiths, despite composed by men, are a close second. But in reality the people who read them are still subject to (mis)interpretation, are prone to errors and human emotions like greed and envy, or can have their own hidden agendas using religious doctrines. This book is about that human fallability.The book shows the complex intellectual and spiritual debates on the interpretation of Al Quran, and how complicated and political the writings of the Hadiths are. It shows that Islam is where it is today not only through the conquerings and assimilations, but also as a result of many theological frictions occurring for the past 1400 years.The central message of this book is very straight to the point: we need to read Al Quran wholly, from cover to cover (or Khatam). Reading only some verses of Al Quran or just bits and pieces would take the verses out of context, and thus their individual messages could be highly misleading - the major problem the world has always had since the 600s, especially today.Chapter 3 was spot on in highlighting this point. The author, Jonathan A.C. Brown, shows the infalibility of the work of Shakespeare, the Bibble, even Homer's Illiad and Odyssey, where each one of them have obvious flaws but were overlooked. So why should we intellectually scrutinise the blank spots of the Quran? The point of this chapter is, if we read the texts separately it will indeed produce oddities and flaws (or blank spots), but if we read them wholly the big picture will make sense in the end, just like the work of Shakespeare and Homer.Moreover, it seems like everything are being discussed by his book. Everything, including controversial topics like the Hadith about masturbation, the long debate about who is entitled for zakat, and the relevancy of Quranic verses and Hadiths in modern time. It also discusses whether a woman can lead a mass prayer, an extensive discussion and analysis on syariah banking, and those 72 virgins alledgedly "promised" to martyrs.It also shows the extensive debate between Muslim ulamas and philosophers on reading the Quran and Hadiths in a literal way, including the literal reality of heaven and hell. Most importantly, using many references from various ulamas and scholars, the author also directly answer one controversial verse with another verse that cancels it out, and explains the reasoning and the context for those particular verses to emerge.For example, the controversial verse "when you meet the unbelievers in battle, smite their necks until you overcome them, then bind them as prisoners, either then setting them free out of munificence or for a ransom, until the war ends...." (47:4) is actually cancelled out by "It is not for a prophet to take prisoners until he has triumphed in the land" (8:67) and "Fight the polytheists altogether as they fight you altogether" (9:36).Another example is the "wife beating verse" (An-Nisa 4:34) that is often misinterpreted, because the syariah in no way condoned a husband striking his wife, and the Prophet himself never struck a hand on any of his wives. A similar controversy lies in "honour killing", where the book clearly state that no Muslim scholar of any sect throughout history has sanctioned a man killing his wife or sister or daughter for tarnishing family honour. The author then elaborate the context that honour killing is a product of patriarchal societies in underdeveloped economies, including those not predominantly Muslim countries like Brazil and India.This is no doubt a truly inspiring book, and it definitely will be my go-to reference book whenever I need to understand any specific matters under Islamic law. The fact that so many briliant scholars debating so many specific aspects of the Quran and Hadiths - as analysed extensively in the book - it humbles me, and show how small I am in the presence of the many experts, and how little I know about my own Holy Book and the sayings of my Prophet. With so much wealth of hard truths and brilliant reasonings this book is a must-read for every Muslims.

I'm a Muslim American woman, and I have read a number of books and essays about various parts of Islamic history. But, I've always been left with a fragmented sense of the history of Islamic thought. This book does an excellent job creating a narrative and progression, tying all the different pieces together, in an easy accessible manner. I am still in the middle of reading it, but I'm finding I can't put it down.

For those with an interest in Islamic jurisdiction and/or confused by the large number of different Islamic opinions on any given topic, then this is a book to read. The book is a journey through the development of the Islamic law (aka Sharia). It tries to draw the historical picture of how different Islamic schools of thought developed across the last fourteen centuries.This is neither an easy-to-read book nor a light summary that you can quickly skim through. The writer has poured a lot of knowledge in detailing how Islamic law has progressed during the years. It may be boring for those uninterested in the details.Also, the book is not only about the pre-modern time but also details how Islamic law is challenged by the recent changes in history; from colonization, the fall of the Othman empire, and the strong influence of western culture and globalization.I read this book from the first to the last page, every section added something. It was a thought-provoking journey, in which I even read some sections more than once. I am really astonished by the author's capabilities to cover such variety of concepts in one book.This is a book, which once finished, won't be easily forgotten. Your view of the Islamic history and the modern Islamic challenges will definitely be reshaped after it.

Despite its strong academic content the narrative is spun beautifully with lots of historical examples. Learnt about so many different groups, personalities and ideas that have enriched and sometimes plagued the Islamic civilisation. Particularly enjoyed the similarities and differences with other faith traditions notably Judaism and Christianity.

Well researched and balanced review of the Prophet of Islam, and some difficult and controversial issues for a contemporary readership. Suitable for both academics and laypersons.

A fantastic book, if you're interested in the hadith tradition and the understanding that developed from this aspect of Islam then this is a must read. It's a dense book that is very readable as the author uses an engaging narrative that presents actual scenarios where hadiths were quoted and the understanding, implementation and a critique as well.

One of the best books I've read on the topic of Islamic legal theory. Great content. Jonathan Brown is one of the greatest minds in this field today. 10/10

I have now read this several times and upon each I feel like I take away something new and insightful.

Informative, not as concise as I'd like it to be but the storytelling sort of flow to it makes it up. I still use it (after years now) as a reference when talking about various Islamic topics. I'm also a fan of how the author opens the hadith up for individual interpretation instead of having us follow his ideas for what the hadith meant.

Approaching this book as someone without a deep grounding in Islam, I found it rather difficult to absorb. I'm sure it would have been more rewarding for those with more of a background.

Detailed, thorough, balanced and easy to read style.Highly recommended.

Exactly what I wanted

More than a systematic look at Islam as it has been interpreted and practiced over the centuries, misquoting Muhammad highlights the difficulties in reconciling any scripture with common practice.

Fascinating.

a worthy read debating how it is we interpret the words that come from so very long ago and a engaging read.

Good book.

Very interesting, engaging style.

very well written and laid out. Easy to read and very informative