Review of Ayman S. Ibrahim, A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad. Answering Thirty Key Questions. Grand Rapids, Baker, 2022. Click here to buy it on Amazon.
I highly recommend Ayman Ibrahim’s book A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad. Few in Muslim ministry are writing excellent books that benefit the whole missions community. But with Ibrahim’s flurry of recent publications, I hope he will join the list.
Ibrahim’s expertise in Islamic studies is evident in his book, A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad. His unique background, growing up in Egypt as part of the Christian minority and surrounded by Muslims, has provided him with a deep understanding of the subject. As a native Arabic speaker, he has been able to study early Muslim sources such as the Hadith, Sirah, and maghazi in depth. His academic journey, including PhDs from both Fuller Theological Seminary and Haifa University, has led him to his current role as a professor of Islamic studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad consists of thirty simple questions broken into two primary parts. The First part is about Muhammad’s history, which begins by discussing the major sources of Muhammad’s life and then analyzing those sources. The remainder of this part asks questions about his life, like “What is Muhammad’s Night Journey to Jerusalem?” And “What Do We Know about Muhammad’s Wives and Their Roles in Islam?” Each question is answered in about 5-7 pages. What I enjoyed most about Ibrahim’s responses was that they were both thorough and straightforward at the same time. He provides the Islamic response and critical responses that disagree with the Islamic understanding. Ibrahim phrased his reactions generously and lovingly to challenge a Muslim reader without overly offending them. In this way, Ibrahim’s book provides excellent content and a template for evangelists to Muslims to think through how to present this challenging information to Muslims in a way that is most likely to receive a hearing.
The second part of the book focuses on Muhammad’s message, a topic that remains highly relevant for ministry today. Ibrahim’s previous concise guide about the Qur’an is frequently referenced in this part. He examines Muhammad’s message in the Hadith and other early Islamic sources, comparing them with his findings from his book on the Qur’an. The questions addressed in this part, such as ‘What is Muhammad’s Central message?’ and ‘What is Muhammad’s Message about Jesus?’, are particularly pertinent for ministry today. As in the previous part, Ibrahim handles these questions well, demonstrating his points from early Islamic sources and comparing them with both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars.
As I mentioned, I heartily recommend this brief book by Ibrahim. I was surprised at how valuable it was for me. It is the most concise and simplest guide I have found for bringing to the surface all the critical questions modern scholars want to ask about Islam. After reading this book, I plan to get the rest of Ibrahim’s books and read them. No doubt, missionaries to Muslims will significantly benefit from these writings.
No Cousins Left 