Needs to be read with an alert mind; possible inaccuracies, August 18, 2002

I was thoroughly disappointed with this book. However, I must admit to having approached it with high expectations. As one who does not speak Arabic, I had no choice but to rely on the various modern works available on the subject of Muhammad, his life and mission. While there are many excellent examples of such biographies, they inevitably mirror the author's particular way of thinking and this affects how they interpret certain important milestones in Muhammad's life. That left me feeling that I couldn't really pierce through the veil that was each author's interpretation.

When I came across Guillaume's translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirah, I was ecstatic. Here at last was an opportunity for me to read about Muhammad's life from primary sources, I thought. As I am quite familiar with translations (into English) of other Arabic works from the same period, I knew that reading the book would be hard work - the style in which classical Arabic texts are written just doesn't conform to modern prose, and I was prepared for that.

But what I wasn't prepared for was what I believe can only be construed as factual inaccuracies in the text. And here's why I believe so: There are just too many inconsistencies in both the style of prose as well as the picture it paints of Muhammad and his contemporaries that I cannot help but believe that something's gone amiss. For example, sometimes the exposition is somber, calm and considered. (I find these parts of the Sirah pleasantly enlightening.) At other times, the story becomes so incredulous - often childish - so as to defy belief. It is extremely difficult to believe that Ibn Ishaq could have varied that much in his style of writing.

The same thing goes for the picture Guillaume's rendition of the Sirah paints of Muhammad and his companions. The picture is simply too conflicting and inconsistent to make sense. I find it quite beyond belief that a man who had painstakingly adopted an attitude of non-confrontation in dealing with the prejudice of the Meccan elite - which could often get very brutal and which culminated in an attempt on his life - could also be the same person who attacks members of foreign delegations for something so trivial as his being asked an odd question. Anyone familiar with modern biographies of Muhammad will not, I am quite sure, readily identify the latter as a feature of what they've read.

These kinds of inconsistencies begin imperceptibly at first, but then become more glaring as one advances through the pages. In the end, by the middle of the book, I found myself very confused and unable to readily make out what was accurate and what was probably not. Reading Guillaume's rendition of the Sirah had by then become a laborious affair for me.

Some readers below have pointed fingers at Guillaume for his supposedly Orientalist bias. I don't know if this is a fair accusation - I am not familiar with Guillaume's views - nor do I think it is a very helpful stance to adopt.

Be that as it may, I do think Guillaume can be faulted for negligence in some aspects of the translation. One example of this is the section dealing with "the hypocrites" (around p.272 or so). Much of the text here is just an exposition of Qur'anic verses so that there would have been plenty of other references with which Guillaume could have cross-referenced.

Instead, the meaning of a number of Qur'anic verses here have been completely distorted (i.e. no translation of the Qur'an would ever give you that meaning). A person of Guillaume's caliber should have thought to double-check, surely - after all, many of the "standard" translations of the Qur'an we have today (viz., Pickthall and Yusuf-Ali) were already in circulation during his time.

By way of summary, Guillaume's translation of the Sirah is definitely not for the reader unfamiliar with the subject, in my view, however much (s)he is keen to learn of the life of Muhammad from the earliest sources. It will be just too easy to get lost and confused. I was disappointed with the book, but maybe that's only because I had such high expectations for it in the first place.

For those who deem themselves fit enough to swim in deep waters, as it were, this book can offer some rewards; but please keep an open mind and watch out for potential inaccuracies!

A better translation, as some readers have called for, is most definitely needed.