This biography of the Prophet Muhammad (570-632), founder of Islam, takes the reader back to the dramatic origins of a faith that would reshape the world. From the son of a merchant to the unifier of a people divided into tribes, clans, and families, Muhammad forged a new community and laid the foundations of a vast empire grounded in religious law.In a narrative both richly detailed and vividly told, the writer Essad Bey offers a nuanced portrait of Islam and its formative beginnings. His account illuminates not only the life of its founder, but also the enduring impact of this tradition on the course of world history.