Rating: 
Summary: A fair treatment of one of history's most important figures
Review: Karen Armstrong successfully captures the world in which Islam was born and the complexities of Muhammad, one of history's most important figures. She is particularly effective in showing how Muhammad's message, especially in the area of women's rights, was far more advanced than others of his time, including the attitudes of Christians and Jews of that era. Some of the reviewers are troubled because she is "sympathetic" toward Muhammad, which of course reflects their agenda. It is easier to hate others when you can vilify their heroes, harder when you take a moment to look at them with a fair eye. Muhammad saw himself as the last of the Biblical prophets, and indeed lived in a world the prophets would have been familiar with. Comparing his life to that of Biblical heroes such as Moses, Joshua, David and others is instructive. Muhammad exceeded the moral standards of not only his world, but that of these biblical figures. Had Muhammad been born a few centuries earlier, he would undoubtedly have been part of the canon of Jewish and Christian prophets, as his life and actions are parallel to Moses, Joshua, Elijah etc. That is why he is so disturbing for some Westerners -- we have been taught to vilify him, but the truth is in him we see ourselves.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable information
Review: The thing that gripped me about this book is that it refutes medieval misconceptions about Islam that are shockingly still widespread today. For a long time Western society has feared Islam because its a religion that we know little of. If ignorance was forgivable centuries years ago, it may have been blamed on lack of media and communication tools. That's no longer the case and for one who seeks actual knowledge about Muhammad and Islam as opposed to rumors, headlines, pre-conceptions, or even the actions of some of Islam's disillusioned followers, this book is a great start.
Rating: 
Summary: EUPHORIA OF A NEW FAITH
Review: I think the author is caught up in the euphoria of her new religion because she has ended up comparing islam with other religion however its a well researched book and has also given me an insight into how the muslim feels.I initially thought she may be afraid of a fatwa for being so careful but i figure she is just happy she found islam and wants to share her good news
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Summary: More Western self-loathing and political correctness
Review: Armstrong is candid about her objective: to make Muhammad and Islam palatable to us Westerners whose "prejudice" has prevented us from honestly assessing one of the world's great religions. I'm afraid her objective is likely to be realized, and that lazy American readers will accept her version of Islam as an accurate and "enlightened" view, thereby relieving themselves of the need to actually READ the Quran and other, more objective commentary on the life of Muhammad. I take it that Armstrong, as a "former" Christian, has adopted the current politically correct position that all religious expression is equally valid and springs from the same <human> impulses -- so let's all just try to get along. The more I read about Islam the more I realize how dangerous that view really is. Yes, we should be tolerant, and yes we should be careful not to dismiss Islam with unfair historical labels. But having read the Quran recently in three different translations (lest my non-Arabic background be a stumbling block) I am totally mystified by Armstrong's "creative" interpretations of the remarkably pedestrian and uninspired text of that book. Knowing what the Quran REALLY says, and having lately learned quite a bit about the history of Islam, I kept thinking that Muslims must be terribly offended by this Western former Catholic woman applying such a blatantly Western gloss to their uniquely Middle Eastern religion. But not so. Her sugar-coating of Islam won her an award from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, which in itself speaks volumes about the book. Unfortunately (and tragically for the future of humanity), the Quran is far from the humanist masterpiece of peace and brotherhood that Armstrong seeks to portray. If you do read this book, be sure to read something else, too, such as Rodinson's classic work with the same title. And especially read the Quran.
Rating: 
Summary: "Easy to understand, but author tries too hard"
Review: Karen Armstrong is a former nun, who states at this book's beginning, she is not a believer or follower of any of the world's major religions.
However, at the same time, she tries too hard to be fair and objective in her biography and frequent analysis of Muhammed and the Islam he founded.
I must admit she has a real gift of expressing a very complex subject in a thorough, concise, and easy to understand manner.
I did not give her five stars, because she overdoes her defense of Islam and its Prophet.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent !!!
Review: Being a Muslim, I find that there are some inaccuracies to the Islamic message in this book, but it it very thorough in the other 99% . This book is excellent for Muslims and non-Muslims alike in that Karen Armstrong's approach does not praise the prophet or even assume he was, but rather explains him in a very objective manner and brings to life his human side. For Americans and westerners in general, this book has a lot of comparitive religion insight. It lets the person ddecide for himself without any pro-Islamic doctrine or propaganda. Another excellent aspect of this book is that it is ordered chronologically, which for me was very important because I can now get a better picture of the context of Quranic Chapters. This is a must read. Hats off to Karen Armstrong.
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Summary: Very accessible
Review: This book is a good first introduction to Islam. The author makes a very strong point that the West has demonized Islam, and her treatment of Muhammed is meant to restore the balance. I do agree with some reviewers who say she sometimes goes too far--she tries to explain less than admirable behavior on the part of the Prophet with reference to the times--even so Muhammad does some things, notably with respect to the Jews--that are hard to explain away for a man of God. But she also challenges assumptions that those of us in the Judeo-Christian West take for granted--the separation of Church and State, for example. She makes the point that Islam does not focus on doctrinal debates about the nature of God which are so central to Christian religions--Jesus as God, God becoming man through his Son, the Trinity, etc., but rather the way of life of an individual. "Orthopraxy" rather than "Orthodoxy" is how she explains it--a sensible approach when one considers how much time has been wasted and even blood spilled over things that are essentially onknowable. (For the record, "orthopraxy" does not appear in my Webster's unabridged with anything like the meaning she ascribes to it.) I am sure religious scholars would find much to quarrel with in this book, but for the layman trying to understand the foundation of Islam I would recommend this book.
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Summary: symphatetic biography
Review: Armstrong's book has a definite direction.It provides insight into much of the 'humaness' of the prophet of islam and the realities of the socio political climate of the time. Her sympathetic biography is particularly useful in potraying a constructive and positive profile to those less familiar with the prophet and Islam. On a personal level, for me as a muslim, I loved the sense of identification and inspiration that the book provides - it often allowed for the message of the prophet to be understood in real terms not estranged from our own times, as overzealous reverence for the prophet often makes one miss this.The book is however specific in its potrayal as is the value derived thereof and is by no means intended to be authoritive.
Rating: 
Summary: A hagiography
Review: There is no balance in this book. The overriding message here is that the west, Christians, Jews and non-Muslims in general have all misunderstood Muhammad owing to their prejudices and misperception. Throughout the book the author heaps criticism on Muhammad's critics, specifically those who are Christians, even the ones who have studied Muhammad not from the point of view of Christianity but of modern, enlightened, rational, scientific inquiry. One gets the impression that the book, which is evidently targeted primarily at a Christian reading audience (I am not a Christian myself), tries to stop Christians from raising valid questoins about Muhammad and Islam by trying to make them feel guilty about themselves. To paraphrase: Judge not lest ye be judged yourselves. Indeed the book begins with the author drawing a parallel between the present-day assassination threats agains Salman Rushdie for offending Muslim sensibilities in his book 'The Satanic Verses' with a thirteenth century Talmud-burning campaign by King Louise of France. On the other hand, as far as Muhammad is concerned, the author tries to justify everything including the earliest known genocide of Jews in Arabia. Here is an example from page 208 of the book: "The massacre of [the large Jewish tribe] of Qurayzah is a reminder of the desperate conditions of Arabia during Muhammad's lifetime. Of couse we are right to condemn it without reservre, but it was not as great a crimes as it would be today."
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Summary: A Different Perspective
Review: As a Muslim, the history of Muhammad that I learnt portrayed him as infallible, larger-than-life, and with a reverance that bordered on worshipful. When reading the Qur'an, however, I came across several admonitions re certain actions that he took, as well as a verse reminding us that he was a man, albeit a great one! This naturally forced me to re-evaluate what I had learnt about him, thus it was with great interest that I picked up Karen Armstrong's book. I found the novel to be unbiased, insightful, and more educating than the stories learnt at vernacular school. (I haven't yet read Martin Ling's biography). It was also interesting to learn about the attitude of the West towards Muhammad. Bearing in mind that KA had lost her faith, she nevertheless portrays Muhammad fairly. However, if you are reluctant to read anything that ascribes human motives towards any of his actions, then this book is not for you.
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