It is an irony that despite having a plethora of biographical and historical works on the life of the Prophet of Islam, it is difficult to understand his true historical personality. He never claimed to possess any superhuman qualities, and the Quran also reiterated that he was only a human being. Over the course of centuries, however, the hagiographical writings of Islamic historians almost amounted to his deification. And in modern times, when Western historians started sketching his historical biography, the pendulum swung to the other extreme. In complete disregard of his religious...

It is an irony that despite having a plethora of biographical and historical works on the life of the Prophet of Islam, it is difficult to understand his true historical personality. He never claimed to possess any superhuman qualities, and the Quran also reiterated that he was only a human being. Over the course of centuries, however, the hagiographical writings of Islamic historians almost amounted to his deification. And in modern times, when Western historians started sketching his historical biography, the pendulum swung to the other extreme. In complete disregard of his religious...