The Messenger

An intimate biography of the Prophet and a compelling meditation on Islam in the modern world

The life of the Prophet Muhammad, to whom the Angel Gabriel revealed the verses of the Quran, has provided inspiration to Muslims for hundreds of years. In The Messenger, leading Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan considers the ways in which the Prophet’s actions, words and teachings can guide us in the modern world.

Interspersed with spiritual and philosophical meditations, this profound and stimulating biography shows how Muhammad’s message can be used to address some of today’s most controversial issues – from the treatment of the poor and the role of women to the interpretation of jihad and relations with other religions. It offers Muslims a new understanding of Muhammad’s life and introduces non-Muslims to the story of the Prophet and to the riches of Islam.

Author Biography

Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University (Oriental Institute, St Antony’s College) and also teaches at the Oxford Faculty of Theology. He is Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Qatar), Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan) and Director of the Research Centre of Islamic Legislation and Ethics (Doha, Qatar).