The True Nature of Imposture Fully Display’d in the Life of Mahomet. 3rd edition corrected

1698

Shoults Eb 1698 P

London: Printed for William Rogers

Muḥammad, or Mahomet (570-632 CE) was the Messenger of God, the founder of Islam. His teachings, practices, and the Qur’an form the basis of Islamic religious belief. He had two distinct parts to his life: Mecca, where he was born and faced hostility and persecution; and Medina (Yathrib), where, before he died, he had success in uniting Arab tribes under the Constitution of Medina. His move to Medina in 622 CE marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. The Ḥadīth (sayings and deeds of Muḥammed) and the sīra literature (accounts by others on the biography of Muḥammed) form much of what is known about his life. In 1697, Humphrey Prideaux (1648-1724) penned his Life of Mahomet. Although he gained some literary kudos from this volume, it was an error-ridden, valueless book. Somewhat unbelievably, this is the third edition of 1698.