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Book Review: Jesus & The Last Messenger

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If you’re over the age of 20, then chances are that you already have a healthy cynicism for the attention span of people younger than you. You’ve seen the progression from epic movies to youtube videos and now to 6 seconds on Vine. You’ve watched as conversations on the phone have been replaced by emails, then text SMS messages and now the 140 character limit of Twitter.

The trouble is that no amount of eye rolling and nostalgia will undo this collective shortening of the average persons ability to focus and concentrate. This becomes especially worrying when you consider it in the context of things that we need to know. One of the foremost things on the need to know list is the life of the greatest man who ever lived – the seerah or biography of the Prophet Muhammad ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)

The book “Jesus and the the Last Messenger” by Adam Rahman seems to be a Seerah written for this age. It is short, readable and makes use of lots of white space. In fact, I read the entire book in one sitting. Having read most Seerah books in English – I’m pretty sure this is the only Seerah book you can say those things about.

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Of course the brevity comes at a cost. Large personalities and events are glossed over such as the reversion of Umar raḥimahullāh (may Allāh have mercy upon him) and the battle of Hunain. However, this is more than made up for by the readability of the book and the way the author avoids turning the Seerah into simply a rehash of the different battles involved. I found the chapters on how the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) and Khadijah raḥimahā Allāh (may Allāh have mercy upon her) first met and then married to be particularly well written and poignant.

The life of the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) is one that is rich in meaning and substance. Every anecdote is worthy of a volume in itself, every sentence could have a book written about it… and that is no hyperbole. Adam Rahmans writing style tends to bring this out in subtle ways. I found myself re-reading about well known events with interest rather than a sense of De’ja vu.

It is becoming incredibly difficult to get people to read anything these days that doesn’t involve emo vampires or wizard boarding school kids. “Jesus and the Last Messenger” is a readable and light Seerah that is a perfect fit for this generation that does enough to spark the flame of interest for further study and inspiration.

(If you are interested in buying the book then  it is available on Amazon in both paperback and eBook: http://amzn.com/0615977391 – The author has stated that all proceeds will go to charity.)

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Dr. Muhammad Wajid Akhter - National Council Member, Muslim Council of Britain | mcb.org.uk - Lead, National Muslim Covid Response Group | covid@mcb.org.uk - Council Member, British Islamic Medical Association | britishima.org - Founder, Charity Week for Orphans and children in need | charityweek.com - Co-Founder, Islamic History Channel | islamichistorychannel.org - International Director, FIMA Lifesavers

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Adam Rahman

    August 30, 2014 at 9:52 AM

    ASA WR WB, JazakAllah Khair for this thoughtful book review. This non-fiction work is written in story form and focuses on the inspirational life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Unlike known seerah texts, “Jesus and The Last Messenger” is written with simple, timely language that bridges the story of Jesus (PBUH) with that of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). With 78% of Americans identifying with Christianity, this is a unique approach to perform effective dawah since Jesus (PBUH) did indeed prophesize the Last Messenger. Eddie from “The Deen Show” recently broadcast a television interview with the author which got a lot of good attention. Here is the link to the TV interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW7oYXwpu3s

    • Muhammad Zeeshan shani

      September 9, 2015 at 10:29 AM

      Assalam o Alaikum dear Adam Rahman hope you will be fine with Eiman and health.I am very happy to know about your book ” Jesus And The Last Messenger” from your Ancle shahid who was our former neibhours in Pakistan and you are also my childhood friend remember your friend Shani if you can.

      Facebook: Muhammad Zeeshan [shani446@hotmail.com]
      Cell: +92 321 669 8607

  2. gthomas

    August 30, 2014 at 11:20 AM

    it is utter nonsense to state that the prophet is ‘the greatest man ever lived’… Lets leave it at as Prophet and nothing else..

    • WAJiD

      August 30, 2014 at 11:32 AM

      Hi Thomas

      It isn’t nonsense at all. Subjectively to all Muslims across the world – the Prophet (peace be upon him) IS the greatest man that ever lived. You can’t deny that this is the opinion of a Billion or more people.

      Objectively, by pretty much any metric that you can use, no other man has had a greater impact on the world. There is no other man, were his name to be defiled, that the entire world would be convulsed in paroxysms of anguish and rage. There is no other man, when someone is about to die they remember his name and not their own family…though they never met him. There is no other man whose life is studied to the nth degree and entire universities are founded to learn about him. There is no other man who, the mere mention of him, brings forth tears to the eyes of his followers more than 14 centuries after his death.

      I could go on and on, but instead I suggest you read this book or any other biography about him. Then make up your own mind.

  3. marie clark

    August 25, 2015 at 5:51 PM

    This is one of my all-time favorite books. It is extremely well-written and I advise those of all ages to read it! Once you start this book, you have to finish it; it was gripping till the very last word. I enjoyed the attention to detail that the writer has in this book. Overall, it really did deserve the five-star rating I gave.

    • Adam Rahman

      August 28, 2015 at 1:19 PM

      Marie, what a balanced and kind assessment on the book, “Jesus and The Last Messenger.” Glad you liked it!

      Adam Rahman just launched a bold new Kickstarter.com campaign for his upcoming book, The Greatest Man of All Time: A Mercy to The World. This non-fiction story follows the life of an unparalleled leader who inspired the rise of a nation state that changed the world forever.

      There is a growing movement that inspires people globally to embrace a balanced message of peace. The campaign’s eye-opening trailer to Mr. Rahman’s new book can be found on YouTube and Kickstarter.com, under the banner of “Awake iRevival.”

      The true story of “The Greatest Man of All Time” is dramatically and positively transforming the lives of people across diverse faiths in every country around the world.

      Over a billion people love his true story. Do you?

      The book is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/0692480986
      For more information on the KickStarter campaign, visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/915342561/the-greatest-man-of-all-time

      Background:
      Adam Rahman is CEO of Awake iRevival, a non-profit organization based in San Mateo, California. Mr. Rahman’s first book, “Jesus and The Last Messenger,” reached Amazon’s top 1% book selling list, with numerous book reviews awarded 5 out of 5 stars. He has spoken at Facebook corporate headquarters and on television broadcast internationally. Mr. Rahman has been recognized by several world leaders, receiving thank you letters from the offices of the President of France, the President of Brazil, and the Prime Minister of Canada. Awake iRevival, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in association with Filanthros Films co-produced the video appearing on the Kickstarter.com campaign called, “The Greatest Man of All Time.”

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