Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General John P. Dunn Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General. By Richard A. Gabriel. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8061-3860-2. Maps. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. xxxi, 252. $24.95. A WorldCat search for “Muhammad, Prophet, d. 632,” produces 12,000 plus books; nearly 400 published since 1999. These range from scholarly tomes, to religious hagiography or anti-Islamic screeds. Joining this list is a new work by the prolific Richard A. Gabriel, who on the first page of his introduction tells us, “This book is about the military life of Muhammad, the founder of the great world religion of Islam.” Gabriel is taking on a very difficult job. He looks at Muhammad as a historical character and military innovator. Most Muslims view him as “the Messenger,” the last in a long series of prophets sent by God to inspire mankind and set humans “on the straight [End Page 929] path.” For that reason alone, a pious Muslim might find fault with Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General. Historians will more likely focus on Gabriel’s interesting thesis that the Messenger “…was not a conventional general…” but rather “…a new type of warrior, one never before seen in antiquity.” He casts Muhammad as the first successful insurgent leader, noting Mao Tse-tung, Fidel Castro, “…and perhaps, George Washington” would see his “…strategy and methods in their own revolutionary struggles.” He also stresses the role of Islam as a morale builder, concluding “…Muhammad’s greatest military legacy was the doctrine of jihad, or holy war.” These are interesting ideas, but will not connect with all historians. What about the Israelite leader David and his early struggles against the Philistines as an example of a religion-based insurgency campaign? As for faith as a motivator, where does one place the Byzantine-Sassanid wars that were nearly contemporary with the time of the Messenger? Without dismissing Gabriel’s well-written account of Islam’s earliest warriors, and their very astute leader, this reviewer would argue more along the line of John Jandora, whose March from Medina sees the Messenger’s military heritage as based more on the establishment of a strong infantry-based army that fought in a conventional manner by Arab standards. Another issue is his selection of sources. Gabriel has produced 40 books, on a wide array of topics that range from antiquity to modern times, with a sweep from Mongolia to Switzerland. Such a pace seems to have required a sparse reading list for Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General. Gabriel’s footnotes often direct us to his own publications, sometimes on topics at best peripheral to the story of Muhammad as a general. He also makes no mention of employing some very good works, like Fred M. Donner’s The Early Islamic Conquests (1981), John W. Jandora’s March from Medina (1990), and although not focused on military affairs, Harald Motzki, The Biography of Muhammad: the Issue of Sources (2000). Thus, the reviewer provides a qualified endorsement of Muhammad: Islam’s First Great General. It is a good read, supported by a useful chronology, and very well done maps. In a market too often focused on $100 plus hardback editions, it is competitively priced, and has a novel thesis. John P. Dunn Valdosta State University Valdosta, Georgia Copyright © 2008 The Society for Military History