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Martin Lings
Zahra
06/21/01 at 11:25:31
slm I was just reading another thread and apparently, some of you enjoyed the biography of our noble prophet, sallahoo alayhe wa salam, by Martin Lings.  I always was under the impression Martin Lings is an orientalist.  Is there any truth to that?  Also, I would like to know about the book (reviews?).  It this book better than Raheeq al Makhtum?

Re: Martin Lings
humble_muslim
06/21/01 at 14:54:29
AA Many years ago, some scholar wrote an open letter to Martin Lings complaining about a couple of things in his book : 1. He overdid the part about the marriage between Muhammed (SAW) and Zeenab (RA), making it sound like something out of Hollywood. 2. He claimed that Muhammed (SAW) did NOT destroy the picture of Ibrahim (AS) in the Kabbah after the victory at Makkah out of brotherly love for him. Raheeq Al Makhtoum is VERY good, highly recommend it.
NS

Re: Martin Lings
AbdulBasir
06/22/01 at 01:24:10
[slm] Martin Lings was an expert in both Arabic and English language and converted to Islam. He based the biography pretty much on Ibn Hisham's biography. He does make mistakes in his book, particularly in situations where he tries to correlate an aspect of Islam and the Prophet[saw] to Christian concepts that his intended audience (Western Christians) can understand. But overall it has been acclaimed by many Muslims. Hamza Yusuf's well known audio series "The Life of the Prophet Muhammad [saw]" is a class that goes through all of Lings' book. He points out some of Lings mistakes in the book throughout the course but otherwise has many good things to say about it. Now other biographies in English such as the translation of Raheeq al-Makthum are available these days. In my own uneducated opinion, I like both books, they each contribute to the body of Seerah in their own unique way. Lings' book was the first real English biography of the Prophet[saw] available, and while the newer books like Raheeq al-Makhtum may or may not be better, I think Lings' effort should be appreciated by all of us. May Allah reward him. [slm]

Re: Martin Lings
Arsalan
06/21/01 at 19:57:05
[slm] Martin Lings is a Muslim.  His new name is Abu Bakr Siraajuddin.  Alot of his book is simply a paraphrase of Ibn Hisham's (not Ibn Ishaaq) "Mukhtasar" in English.  His writing style is unique and keeps the reader interested in what he's reading.  He also paints a very admirable picture of the Prophet (pbuh) and the Companions.  It's quite inspirational. As humble muslim said, Lings' book has a few problems, but they can all be counted on one hand.   On the other hand, Raheeq-al-Makhtum is a more factual, more detailed and more authentic book of Seerah.  It is also more dry and (relatively) more difficult to read.   I would read both :)  Read Lings first.  And then read Raheeq al-Makhtum.

Re: Martin Lings
zanfaz
06/21/01 at 23:46:16
[slm] Here's an article by A. Idris Palmer. Criticism Regarding Martin Lings' Biography of the Prophet [sas] [url]http://www.islaam.com/sunnah/martin.htm[/url] Mr. Lings' biography of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa salam) draws heavily on sources which, although ancient, are not fully trustworthy; eg. Al-Waaqidi's "Maghaazi," and Al-Azragi's "Akhbaar Makkah." The former isreplete with forged and weak traditions, and its author, Al-Waaqidi, has been unanimously assessed by the eminent specialists of hadeeth literature to be rejected as a narrator of traditions. For example, the great hadeeth critic Ibn Hajar relates that Al-Imam Ash-Shaafi`ee has said of Al-Waaqidi's books: "They are all lies." An-Nisaai states that "Al-Waaqidi was well known for his fabrications of prophetic traditions." Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Ahmad call him "a liar whose narrations are to be rejected." Abu Dawood emphatically says of him: "I'd never record or relate his Hadeeths; I have no doubt at all that he used to forge traditions." Other eminent Hadeeth scholars have variously described him as a liar, forger, counterfeiter, rejected, etc. (For details, see Ibn Hajar's Tad-dheeb At-tah-dheeb, Vol.9, pp.363-368) This heavy dependence of Mr. Lings upon spurious sources for his narrative renders his biography unreliable as an exposition of the impeccable life and times of the Prophet of Islam. There are in fact quite a number of examples in the book which clearly indicate certain gross errors as well as distorted views of the author; however, lack of space permits me to mention only a few, in brief. At the beginning of his treatise (p. 1-2), Lings chooses to quote from the distorted texts of the Bible's Book of Genesis (ch. 15, v. 5), rather than rely on authentic narrations of the Prophet Muhammad regarding the story of Abraham and how he settled his wife Hagar and son Ishmael at Makkah. The Biblical account put Ishmael's age at 13, whereas the traditions of Al-Bukhari indicate that he was a suckling babe at the time of their arrival in Makkah. It could be said, with justification, that the age difference is of minor significance, and this can be readily conceded, however, there is a vital issue at stake here; viz., Mr. Lings' view of what is to be regarded as dependable source material for his writing. When he was justifiably criticised for his quoting from the Bible instead of Islamic sources in an article entitled "Unscrupulous writing about the Prophet" in a Jeddah newspaper, Mr. Lings later replied: "I myself am more prepared to accept what Divine Revelation tells us than what was handed down in Arabia by word of mouth from generation to generation." He further labels the authentically established Islamic version of the story as "traditions of the Arabs." Thus he considers the interpolated and distorted text of the Bible 'Divine Revelation', whereas the authentic narrations of the Prophet related to us on the authority of Al-Bukhari are mere 'traditions of the Arabs', and therefore 'it is assumed' unreliable. The Prophet has said: "Verily I have been given the Quran and that which is like unto it, along with it," i.e., the Prophetic Sunnah which we are obliged to accept as another aspect of the final Divine Revelation; if it has been verified to be transmitted to us in a dependable manner. The second example is Mr. Lings' rendering of the relationship between the Prophet and Zaynab, for this creates the impression of a passionate romantic love affair between them. He paints a picture of Zaynab at her house who "being lightly clad" upon hearing of the Prophet's arrival at her door, was so eager to greet him that "she leapt to her feet and ran to the door, to invite him to stay until her husband Zayd returned" (p. 213). That is, she was improperly dressed, and the Prophet was overcome with passion, amazed at her beauty. Mr. Lings borrowed his "story" from certain forged narrations of Al-Waaqidi et. al., and these were aptly described by some critics as "proper material for a Hollywood film". Obviously, such material is absolutely unacceptable for such a sacred subject as the life of the Prophet Muhammad, his virtuous wives and righteous companions. The final example I will mention, and perhaps the most detrimental, which clearly points to gross misconceptions and distortions of the Prophet's Seerah by Mr. Lings, is the incident of the Prophet's entry into Makkah on the Day of Victory. It is well known that he was commissioned by Almighty Allah to purify the Ka`bah of all signs of polytheism, by ridding it of all the idols surrounding it. Furthermore, the Prophet ordered his companions to destroy and efface everything which remained inside the Ka`bah by way of painting or sculpture, and to remove such before he entered inside to pray. This has been authentically related in the compilation of Al-Bukhari, et. al. Lings on the contrary, relates another "story" (see p. 300) gleaned from the forged narratives contained in his so-called "dependable ancient sources" (i.e., Al-Waaqidi, Al-Azragi et. al.). This "story" totally contradicts what has been authentically related regarding this incident and contradicts the essential principle of towheed (unicity of Godhood) for Lings writes the following: "Apart from the icon of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus and a painting of an old man said to be Abraham, the walls inside (the Ka`bah) had been covered with pictures of pagan deities. Placing his hand protectively over the icon, the Prophet told `Uthman to see that all other paintings, except that of Abraham, were effaced." I ask: Can it be believed that the Prophet (pbuh) would protect such icons of Mary, Jesus and Abraham in this manner, and that he would allow these idols to be left intact inside the sacred Ka`bah, the very symbol of pure unadulterated towheed?! The answer should be quite obvious to anyone possessing firm faith and good sense, for if such a story were true, and it certainly isn't, then it follows that the Prophet affirmed the very symbols of polytheism and by implication, it indicates that he approved of the distorted existing versions of the previously revealed religions of Christianity and Judaism, symbolised by his protection of their two respective icons. And that is precisely the aim of Lings' mentioning this forged tale, since it is consistent with the false doctrine and philosophy to which he adheres and which he avidly propounds in his other writings, namely, The Perennial Philosophy. The principal theme of Perennialism is that all religions are in reality one, and mutually supportive and acceptable; it is merely their "outer" manisfestations which appear to differ! (See Lings' book, The Eleventh Hour, p. 71, 74, 77, 80). He furthermore believes in reincarnation (p. 26-29) and the pagan theory of pantheistic monism, i.e., the union of man and God (p. 104, 106). Needless to say, such aberrant doctrines and tenets are totally contrary to the pure and unadulterated teachings of Islam as contained and preserved in the Gracious Quran and the authentic Prophetic Sunnah; the sole criteria for distinguishing truth from error and falsehood. On a final note, the late Abu Bilal Mustafa Al-Kanadi, wrote a detailed series of letters in Jeddah in 1989 exposing Lings and other Perrenialists. It was from these letters that I obtained much of the above information. Insha Allah, I hope to publish them in the near future, complete with Lings' reply (which is also refuted). [wlm]

Re: Martin Lings
zanfaz
06/21/01 at 23:49:14
[slm] AR-RaheeQ Al-Makhtum (THE SEALED NECTAR)- Memoirs of the Noble Prophet [sas] is available on-line. Here's the address, [url]http://www.al-sunnah.com/nektar/[/url] [wlm]

Re: Martin Lings
Spring
06/22/01 at 06:23:58
slm Personally, I prefer Martin Lings. We were told that this is the best Seerah in English by some knowledgable brothers. Allah hu 'alam.

Re: Martin Lings
eleanor
06/22/01 at 12:33:35
slm "Muhammad, his life based on the earlies sources" Martin Lings This was the first and only biography of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that I have read so far. I found it to be a gripping book! I literally couldn't put it down! It got me really a lot more interested than I already was and also filled in all the things I didn't know. I mean major things here about the life of Muhammad, about the battles, spread of Islam, who he had married etc. I didn't notice anything degrading or insulting to the Prophet. I found the style it was written in  easy to read and well-formulated. The short chapters make for easy reference. I can only say that I have benefited at least 100% by reading this book. Now that I have the basic background I can go on and read other books. wasalaam eleanor

Re: Martin Lings
Fatoosh
06/22/01 at 13:14:10
Assalaamu Alaikum What do people think of [i]Life of Muhammad[/i] (pbuh) by Haykal? I was told by someone not to read that either because of his position on mircles of the prophet. I'd like a second opinion. Jazkallah Fatoosh

Re: Martin Lings
BrKhalid
06/22/01 at 14:36:29
Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]"Muhammad, his life based on the earlies sources" Martin Lings[/quote] Read an extract [url=http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl/YaBB.pl?board=masjid&action=display&num=1329]here[/url]

Re: Martin Lings
Kashif
06/22/01 at 19:10:27
[quote]Assalaamu Alaikum What do people think of Life of Muhammad (pbuh) by Haykal? I was told by someone not to read that either because of his position on mircles of the prophet. I'd like a second opinion.[quote] wa alaikum us-salaam I was given this one to read by my cousin Fatoosh, and while it was nicely written, i too picked up on the point that he seems to gloss over the miracles of the Prophet(s), or in fact, change the description of a miraculous event slightly to remove its "miraculousness." The one example that vaguely comes to mind is when he describes the occasion when Ibrahim left his wife in the desert. He mentions nothing about the fact that Jibril came and struck the ground from where the Zamzam water started to flow - he describes it as something that Hajira did herself. Kashif Wa Salaam
NS

Re: Martin Lings
UmmZaid
06/23/01 at 23:11:27
Salaam 'Alaikum If you are a new Muslim, a non Muslim, or need to dip your toes in the water in the area of Seerah (ie, you know very little about the life of the Prophet, aleyhi salatu wa salaam) I would recommend Ling's book over "ar Raheeq al Maqtum" 7 days a week and twice on Friday.  Raheeq is, as someone said, very dry.  I found it, quite frankly, to be boring.  It didn't "bring the Prophet (aleyhi salatu wa salaam) to life" for me.  It didn't make me feel like I was there in Makkah or in Madinah, watching events unfold.  Rather, it made me feel like "there will be questions at the end of the period."   Yes, there are some problems w/ Lings' book, and some things that I found questionable or strange. (and all books except for the Qur'an al Karim have problems in them) But for me, the benefits of this book far outweigh the problems.

Re: Martin Lings
se7en
06/24/01 at 18:32:33
as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatAllah, I started reading Haykal's Life of Muhammad a couple years back and I still haven't finished it.  From what I remember, wAllahu 'alam, Haykal dismisses all ahadeeth that mention any miracles of Rasulullah [saw] other than the miracle of the Quran.  Obviously by doing this his seerah has some fundamental differences than others.  From what I remember the book has a kind of defensive, overly-rational, apologetic appeal to western academia feel to it as well.  I would definitely not recommend this book to beginners, nor to anyone who is not well-versed in other works of seerah. Something that might be good for beginners and for non-Muslims about Rasulullah [saw] is Yusuf Islam's [url=http://www.mountainoflight.co.uk/newpages/lifepages1/lifemain.html]Life of the Last Prophet[/url].  It gives a broad overview of the prophet [saw]'s life as well as some basic beliefs in Islam. I feel bad, I don't mean to completely trash the book or the author.. may Allah reward him for his efforts and his desire to teach others about the life of Muhammad [saw].   wAllahu 'alam. wasalaamu alaykum.

Re: Martin Lings
AbdulBasir
06/24/01 at 19:13:44
[slm] Haykal's book was the first biography of the Prophet[saw] I ever read, about 13 years ago. I remember it pretty well because it was the very first book in our library. I liked it, so now I might be biased because it arises a feeling of nostalgia from within. :) I would agree with Kashif's and se7en's comments about the book. And yes, it probably isn't the best book for beginners. It can come off as defensive, but I don't necessarily see this as a complete deficiency because he seeks to address, and respond, to some of the claims of Orientalists about the Prophet[saw]. I have seen many biographies which don't even mention things such as the fantastic account of the marriage of Zaynab or the Satanic verses, which are stories that Orientalists found in some weak Seerah literature and then went off on and used them to attack Islam. Given that these stories are still used by Orientalists, one needs to have some idea about them so he or she can respond and debunk these myths. Haykal's effort may not be the best in this regard, but nevertheless he at least tries to respond to them. Yes, probably not the best book for beginners. And probably not one of the highest ranking biographies on my list. But again, every one of these biographies contributes in its own way to the body of Seerah. May Allah reward him for his effort. And Allah knows best. [slm]
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