BOOKSHELF

Fr. J.L. Menezes knew Islam up close. As a priest in India, he devoted his priestly life to introducing that nation's tens of millions of Muslims to Christianity. With this life of Mohammed, he left us the record of his appeals: a frank, honest, and exhaustively researched exploration of the life of the "prophet" of Islam, the development and contents of the Koran, and an introduction to various Muslim sects.

Working from the earliest Islamic sources, Fr. Menezes provides a complete account of Mohammed's life, from his days as a simple merchant to his triumphs as a leader of armies and revered prophet. Menezes delved so deeply into his subject that he was even able to describe Mohammed's physical appearance. He explains why Mohammed couldn't possibly be a true prophet, and reveals the true sources of his "revelations."

Fr. Menezes could be writing about today's Muslim terrorists when he explains that "Mohammed posed as the apostle of God, the seal of the prophets; as the destroyer of idolatry; as preacher of one true God, and the reformer of morals: while his life is marked by innumerable marriages, warfare and conquests, all the time invoking God's holy name, ordering prayers and alms deeds and at the same time propagating Islam everywhere by fire and sword."

Turning to the Koran, Fr. Menezes delineates the distinctive teachings of Islam, explaining the elements of the Muslim holy book that make it so difficult for Muslims to convert to Christianity -- and showing how the Koran, when read honestly and without Islamic preconceptions, nonetheless depends upon and leads to Christianity.

Fr. Menezes concludes with an "appeal to candor and common sense," inviting Muslims to think critically about their religion, and to embrace Christ instead. With Islam on the march everywhere and Muslims streaming into the U.S. in record numbers, the candor, common sense, and solid Christian faith of this book are needed more than ever.

The bizarre circumstances of Mohammed's "revelations";
How worldly ambition gradually blinded Mohammed's mind and overwhelmed his early searches for the true God;
How Mohammed borrowed many of his ideas of Paradise from contemporary Jews and Christians -- and mixed them with base imaginings;
Why Mohammed grew so bitter against both Jews and Christians, after initially courting their favour, and ordered all churches and synagogues in his domains be demolished;
Why Mohammed adopted -- and later discarded -- many Jewish customs and ritual observances;
Mohammed let Jews and Christians live in his domains -- if they paid tribute and accepted second-class status;
The crisis caused in Islam by the death of Mohammed's only son -- which continues to this day: Sunnis, Shiites, Sufis, Motazalites and more: the differences between the various Muslim sects.