A collection of essays by some of the most accomplished scholars in the field exploring the life and legacy of the Prophet.

Introduction Jonathan E. Brockopp; Part I. Muhammad in His World: 1. The Arabian context of Muhammad's life Walid Saleh; 2. Muhammad's message in Mecca: warnings, signs, and miracles Uri Rubin; 3. Glimpses of Muhammad's Medinan decade Michael Lecker; Part II. Muhammad in History: 4. The Prophet as law-giver and legal authority Joseph Lowry; 5. Personal piety Robert Gleave; 6. Muhammad as pole of existence Carl Ernst; 7. The Prophet Muhammad in ritual Marion Katz; 8. Muslim philosophers' rationalist explanation of Muhammad's prophecy Frank Griffel; 9. Where earth and heaven meet: remembering Muhammad as head of state Asma Afsaruddin; Part III. Muhammad in Memory: 10. Muhammad in sufi eyes: prophetic legitimacy in medieval Iran and Central Asia Shahzad Bashir; 11. European accounts of Muhammad's life John V. Tolan; 12. Religious biography of the Prophet Muhammad in twenty-first-century Indonesia Anna M. Gade; 13. Images of Muhammad in literature, art and music Amir Hussain; 14. Epilogue: Muhammad in the future Abdulkader Tayob.