best biography book of prophet muhammad

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10 best books on the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

( The Companion recommends ten important books on the life of prophet Muhammad that you can read yourself and can give to others. This list is not exhaustive. The Companion does not necessarily agree with the views of the authors.)

1). The Messenger: The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad by Tariq Ramadan  

The life of the Prophet Muhammad, to whom the Angel Gabriel revealed the verses of the Quran, has inspired Muslims for hundreds of years.

Interspersed with spiritual and philosophical meditations, this profound and stimulating biography shows how Muhammad’s message can be used to address some of today’s most controversial issues – from the treatment of the poor and the role of women to the interpretation of jihad and relations with other religions. It offers Muslims a new understanding of Muhammad’s life and introduces non-Muslims to the story of the Prophet and to the riches of Islam.

Perhaps this book is unmatchable to any other biography of the Prophet written so far. Atypical in its presentation. A spiritual reading of the Prophet’s life will give its reader a completely new taste and approach. The learned author aptly summed up the whole thing with this one sentence: “He who cannot love cannot understand.”

2). Meeting Muhammad by Omar Suleiman

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be in the presence of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, as his companions were? What would it be like to see him, to host him in your home, pray behind him, and have him as a teacher and friend? Through 30 beautifully detailed chapters with narrations from companions, take a journey from only knowing about him to knowing him and loving him and feel what it was like to be a companion of his in this life and strive to be companions of his in the next.

3). Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings  

Martin Lings’ biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies recount numerous events in the prophet’s life. The book has been published in 12 languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgement as the best biography of the prophet in English at the National Seerate Conference in Islamabad.

This is probably the best lucid biography of the Prophet Muhammad in the English language so far. The reverted author Martin Lings beautifully presents the life and times of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

4). Muhammad: His Character and Conduct by Adil Salahi

Muslims all over the world see Muhammad as God’s last messenger to mankind, and, for every community that wants to live under God’s guidance, the Prophet Muhammad’s character and conduct are the light showing the way to God’s pleasure. At a time when the Prophet is much maligned by writers, cartoonists and various other detractors, this book aims to show Muhammad’s true character in detail, both in its most every day and most extraordinary moments. 

This book is a successful attempt to clarify some of the most controversial and misunderstood (at the same time) issues such as war, marriage, treatment with other faiths etc. The author of this book approaches the life of the Prophet from the modern understanding of history and presents a very beautiful and logical interpretation of the Prophet’s life.

5). The Leadership of Muhammad by John Adair

The Leadership of Muhammad is a very personal study of the life-story and leadership skills of the Prophet. John Adair served with a Bedouin regiment in the Arab Legion and this story is full of fascinating detail of desert life and Bedouin beliefs. A business book that crosses boundaries it highlights the key leadership skills displayed by Muhammad and allows you to share in his wisdom. John Adair weaves the story of Muhammad’s life together with aspects of Bedouin culture and ancient proverbs to provide key points for leaders and aspiring leaders. He discusses tribal leadership and essential attributes such as integrity, moral authority and humility.

Learning and leadership go hand in hand. You are not born a leader, but you can become one and it is never too late to learn. John Adair’s study or Muhammad and the tribal tradition of leadership is an essential addition to the leadership debate.

6). Muhammad, Man of God by Seyyed Hossein Nasr

This modern biography contains the teachings of the Messenger and their practical effects on human life in addition to his biography. Recommended for 12th graders.

7). The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum) Biography of the Prophet by Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri

A complete authoritative book on the life of Prophet Muhammad (S) by Sheikh Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarkpuri . It was honored by the World Muslim League as the first prize winner book. Whoever wants to know the whole lifestyle of the Prophet in detail must read this book.

8). Muhammad: A very short introduction by Jonathan A.C. Brown  

Muhammad is one of the most influential figures in history. The furor surrounding the Satanic Verses and the Danish cartoon crisis reminded the world of the tremendous importance of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Learning about his life and understanding its importance, however, has always proven difficult. Our knowledge of Muhammad comes from the biography of him written by his followers, but Western historians have questioned the reliability of this story in their quest to uncover the ‘historical Muhammad’. As modern controversies have shown, whatever the truth about Muhammad’s life, his persona has taken on numerous shapes and played a crucial role in Muslim life and civilization. 

This Very Short Introduction provides an introduction to the major aspects of Muhammad’s life and its importance, providing both the Muslim and Western historical perspectives. It also explains the prominent roles that Muhammad’s persona has played in the Islamic world, from the medieval to the modern period.

9). The Life and Work of the Prophet of Islam by Dr Muhammad Hamidullah

Dr Muhammad Hamidullah, one of the most widely read and known scholars of Islam in the modern Muslim world, has introduced a host of new avenues in the study of Life of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) and has produced fairly a sizeable volume of literature on the subject, characterized by the novelty of its approach, extensive nature of its treatment and the originality of its content.

This important book on the life of prophet Muhammad is written by Dr Muhammad Hamidullah and translated by Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi in English.

10) . Muhammad: A Prophet for All Humanity by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

 In the book entitled Muhammad: A Prophet for All Humanity, the author Maulana Wahiduddin Khan explains that in making Prophet Muhammad the greatest figure, and consequently one of the most resplendent landmarks in human history, God has bestowed his greatest favor on mankind. Whoever seeks guidance cannot fail to see him, for he stands out like a tower, a mountain on the horizon, radiating light like a beacon, beckoning all to the true path. It is inevitable that the seekers of truth will be drawn up to the magnificent pinnacle on which he stands.

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• Discovering Islam
• About Muhammad

6 Best Biographies of the Prophet Muhammad

I have personally read each of the following biographies of Prophet Muhammad. Some are certainly better than others.

One should also be aware that there are many more books of seerah (biography of the Prophet) that I have not yet read. If you have read another and would like to share what you thought of it, please drop a comment to this entry so others can read your recommendation.

1- Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by the late Dr. Martin Lings

This is arguably one of the very best and most approachable biographies on the Prophet. This book reads more like a novel; it’s fast moving and always interesting.

At the same time, Dr. Lings attempted to make an accurate telling based on the earliest sources. One may also be interested to know that it was during the research for this book that Dr. Lings accepted Islam .

2- Muhammad the Prophet by Maulana Muhammad Ali

This book is one of my personal favorites. Written by an esteemed Muslim from Lahore, Pakistan, this small book is packed with information.

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It is interesting to note that while the author attempts to give an accurate portrayal, you will not find much mention of supposedly miraculous accounts beyond the miracle of the Quran itself.

This is a very straightforward version. Though I was surprised—being used to reading accounts that include such as miracles of the Prophet Muhammad.

Maulana Muhammad Ali is also an interesting writer from whom you will find interesting comments within this book.

“Truth does not depend upon force for its maintenance”.

This is a particularly good choice for non-Muslims.

Those that may be more likely to be skeptical and consider discussion of miracles to be embellishment will appreciate and be moved by this telling.

3- The Life and Work of Muhammad   by Yahiya Emerick

A present day Muslim convert in the U.S., Yahiya Emerick is an excellent writer. He serves as a vice principal at an Islamic school and as President of the Islamic Foundation of North America. This highly readable account covers a wealth of information, based on traditional sources of information.

Mr. Emerick also utilizes a lot of geographical, historical and cultural information that you may not find in other biographies to give a clear picture of the setting and relate the significance of certain choices and situations the Prophet dealt with. You will also learn more about the history of Arabia in an accessible way.

4- When the Moon Split: A Biography of Prophet Muhammad   by Shaikh Safier Rahman Mubarakpuri

Shaikh Mubarakpuri makes it clear in the beginning of his book that he is not an apologist and will not attempt to make the story palatable to those who may be confused or offended by aspects of Muhammad’s story.

This book is definitely best read by Muslims who are already relatively familiar with the life and mission of the Prophet.

The book covers the miraculous events in detail including certain events that would be questionable by modern standards.

Unfortunately, no corresponding explanation is given to help one understand why the choices were correct for the time and place, so non-Muslims, skeptics and others who do not have sufficient background knowledge should steer clear of this book.

That said, it is based on authenticate early sources. It strives for accuracy, and presents the differing versions of several accounts. To Muslims, this book is one of the best books of seerah , next to The Sealed Nectar .

5- Muhammad by Michael Cook

This tiny book is not a critical analysis. And it doesn’t include any consideration of the validity or effect of the message of the Prophet. Instead it is a simple and straightforward account of what the monotheist message was and how Muhammad brought it to Arabia.

6- Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet by Karen Armstrong

This book is written by a British scholar of Islam who is not a Muslim. Of particular interest is her assertion that she is no longer a practicing Christian either, but has not chosen to follow Islam; she seems to still be searching. She is, however, sympathetic to Islam and highly knowledgeable of history.

Ms. Armstrong gives a wonderful accounting of historical background and puts choices, situations, and issues into a clear perspective of surrounding norms and expectations.

In this way, even skeptics and those who continue to find Islamic injunctions not meeting modern day conceptions can see how much of an improvement the Islamic injunctions were in their own time.

Ms. Armstrong also makes an effort to show how these injunctions are in fact more natural and not as at odds with modern thinking as some seem to feel they are, and explains how if they seem to not meet modern needs it may be because modern needs are wrong. She also displays a clear knowledge of the difference between Islamic law and cultural practice.

Read: Authenticity of the Prophet’s Biography

The one downside is the tone that Ms. Armstrong uses that implies she may not really believe that Muhammad was in fact divinely inspired.

She refers to him as a great man, a reformer and statesman. But she seems to feel that he was a self-made man who accomplished amazing things and made choices based on the best decision of the moment, rather than by being inspired by divine intervention and instruction.

This may be difficult for Muslims to read, but if one can see past it and recognize that she is not a Muslim, one can still enjoy the book. That said, Ms. Armstrong is remarkably respectful of the message of Islam and its validity.

She is obviously in great awe of the Prophet and desires to make him understandable to the non-Muslim public. This is a great book for the historical background and contextual explanations alone.

(From Reading Islam archive.)

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6 books to read on the prophet muhammad ﷺ.

by Selina Bakkar in Culture & Lifestyle on 8th March, 2022

We’ve taken to social media to once again ask for recommendation on books and resources specifically about the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. For those of us who want to get to know the Prophets life and perhaps it’s the first time you are making the intention to look at his footsteps we’d actually recommend children’s books, they allow you to digest the chronological order of events and simple details so when you dive into heavier literature you are able to navigate it with a bit more ease.

The Simple Seerah

The Simple Seerah was authored by Ustadh Asim Khan and is produced by Toyris Miah who shares on the site

“The idea for The Simple Seerah came about when Toyris discovered his 11-year-old nephew Zakaria had a passion for reading history books. He tried to find some Islamic history books for Zakaria but struggled to find anything which catered to his age group, this sparked a desire to produce a book on the Seerah that appealed to a younger demographic.”

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When The Moon Split: A biography of Prophet Muhammad

The book was published many years ago but recently was revised and has a new front cover, it also has full color pictures and Lessons & Morals at end of each section. It’s another good one for Children, families looking at the seerah together or for someone that wants to grasp the timeline and character of the Prophet Muhammad.

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The First Muslim: The story of the prophet Muhammad

The book was researched and written by Lesley Hazleton who is a British-American author whose work focuses on the intersection and interactions between politics and religion.

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The Sealed Nectar

One of the older books in the list, the book is still highly recommended. This book was awarded first prize by the Muslim World League in worldwide competition on the biography of the Prophet held at Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 1399H/1979.

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Muhammad by Martin Ling

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Karen Armstrong: Muhammad

Muhammad the Prophet by Maulana Muhammad Ali

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tariq Ahmad Khan (@pakistanibookreader)

Selina Bakkar

I'm a simply striving to be better and improve in different areas of my life through more self awareness, experiences and learning more about the deen. You'll find me talking about community, connection, planting & growing, seeking the truth in an age of propaganda and misinformation. This year I want to document more to do with food heritage and history so watch this space or reach out. Have a listen to the Amaliah Voices podcast where I talk passionately about Islam, nature, motherhooding and back home. Link in bio peeps. To join the Amaliah Writer Community email me at [email protected] IG: SelinaBakkar

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Muhammad The Best of Creation (ﷺ) A Glimpse of His Blessed Life

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Translator: Amjad Mahmood Revised 2019 Edition  Hardback 122 Pages ISBN: 9780993475658 Publisher:  Heritage Press , UK

English Translation of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Alawi al-Maliki's Ta'rikh al-Hawadith wa al-Ahwal al-Nabawiyyah

About The Book

This short yet comprehensive work on the prophetic biography is essentially a summary of some of the most authoritative works on The Seerah of the Prophet of Islam penned by someone who spent well over two decades  of his life teaching the Prophetic biography, among other Islamice sciences, in the sacred city of Mecca.

The original Arabic title is Tarikh al-Hawadith wa al-nabawiyyah (The history of the prophetic events and states). 

The first part deals with various aspects of the Prophet's life, 

• His early years before receiving revelation
• Members of his family,
• His servants
• Signs of his prophethood
• The weapons he used in battle
• The beasts he rode
• The clothes he wore
• The text of some of the letters he sent out 
• And so forth.

The second part is a chronological summary of the most important events to have taken place in his life.

Perfect as an introductory Seerah and Ideal as a  revision and reference work. for more advanced stidents

About The Author

Shaykh al-Sharif Al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Alawi ibn Abbas ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Maliki al-Hasani al-'Idrisi al-Makki  (1944–2004) was a prominent Sunni Islamic scholar from Saudi Arabia.

He was one of the foremost traditional Islamic scholars of contemporary times, and without doubt, the most highly respected and loved scholar of the holy city of Mecca and the entire Hijaz region.

He is a grandson of the Prophet , a leader of the Ahlul Bayt, the Imam of Hadith in ourage, an authority of the four Madhhabs, a spiritual leader of the highest caliber, caller to Allah, and unparalleled in his standing in the world of traditional Islamic scholarship. A visit to him was considered imperative for the `Ulema who would visit Mecca.

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Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources Paperback – 1 October 2006

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Scrupulous and exhaustive in its fidelity to its sources, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is presented in a narrative style that is easily comprehensible, yet authentic and inspiring in its use of language, reflecting both the simplicity and grandeur of the story it tells. This revised edition includes new sections detailing the prophet's expanding influence and his spreading of the message of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states. It represents the final updates made to the text before the author's death in 2005. The book has been published in 12 languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgment as best biography of the prophet in English at the National Seerate Conference in Islamabad.

• Print length 384 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Inner Traditions International
• Publication date 1 October 2006
• Dimensions 15.24 x 2.79 x 22.86 cm
• ISBN-10 9781594771538
• ISBN-13 978-1594771538
• Lexile measure 1220L
• See all details

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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1594771537
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Inner Traditions International; 5th Edition, Revised, Revised ed. (1 October 2006)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781594771538
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594771538
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 2.79 x 22.86 cm
• 2 in Hadith
• 2 in Mecca in Islam
• 4 in History of Saudi Arabia

About the author

Martin lings.

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Full Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (Seerah)

The biography of the Prophet Muhammad is a timeless and profound story that has influenced millions. In these chapters, we'll journey through his life, from humble beginnings to his pivotal role in Islam's development. His legacy continues to inspire and guide people worldwide.

Biography Chapters of the Prophet Muhammad

Arab Lands Before Islam

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 5, 2023

Mecca, the Kaaba, and the Quraysh

Muhammad From His Birth to His Marriage

From Marriage to the Prophetic Mission

From the Resurrection to the Islam of Omar

The Story of the Cranes

Quraish and Attempts to Limit the Spread of Islam

From Refutation of the Scroll to Isra and Mi'raj

The Pledge of Al-Aqabah

The Migration of the Prophet

The Beginning of the Covenant in Yathrib

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 7, 2023

The Raids and Early Skirmishes

Muslims Victory in the Battle of Badr

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 8, 2023

Between Badr and Uhud

Why Were the Muslims Defeated at Uhud?

The Consequences of the Battle of Uhud

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 10, 2023

The Lives of the Prophet's Wives

The Battle of the Trench and the Tribe of Qurayza Story

From the Two Campaigns to Al-Hudaybiyyah

Negotiations at Hudaybiyyah and the Call to Hajj

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 11, 2023

Khaybar and the Messengers to the Kings

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 14, 2023

Umrah of Obligation

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 19, 2023

The Period After Hudaybiyyah Leading t Mu'ta

The Violation of the Treaty & Conquest of Mecca

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 26, 2023

Hunayn and Al-Taif

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 28, 2023

Ibrahim and the Prophet's Women

By Who Muhammad Is. on September 30, 2023

Tabuk and the Death of Ibrahim

The Year of Delegations and the Hajj of Abu Bakr with the People

By Who Muhammad Is. on October 1, 2023

The Farewell Pilgrimage

The Prophet's Illness and His Death

By Who Muhammad Is. on October 3, 2023

Burial of the Prophet

Exclusive insights into the life of the Prophet, Inspirational stories and reflections, and much more.

Muhammad was a prophet and founder of Islam.

Quick Facts

The life of muhammad, the prophet muhammad, the death of muhammad, who was muhammad.

Muhammad was the prophet and founder of Islam. Most of his early life was spent as a merchant. At age 40, he began to have revelations from Allah that became the basis for the Koran and the foundation of Islam. By 630 he had unified most of Arabia under a single religion. As of 2015, there are over 1.8 billion Muslims in the world who profess, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”

FULL NAME: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim BORN: c. 570 BIRTHPLACE: Makkah, Saudi Arabia DEATH: June 8, 623

Muhammad was born around 570, AD in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia). His father died before he was born and he was raised first by his grandfather and then his uncle. He belonged to a poor but respectable family of the Quraysh tribe. The family was active in Meccan politics and trade.

Many of the tribes living in the Arabian Peninsula at the time were nomadic, trading goods as they crisscrossed the desert. Most tribes were polytheistic, worshipping their own set of gods. The town of Mecca was an important trading and religious center, home to many temples and worship sites where the devoted prayed to the idols of these gods. The most famous site was the Kaaba (meaning cube in Arabic). It is believed to have been built by Abraham (Ibrahim to Muslims) and his son Ismail. Gradually the people of Mecca turned to polytheism and idolatry. Of all the gods worshipped, it is believed that Allah was considered the greatest and the only one without an idol.

In his early teens, Muhammad worked in a camel caravan, following in the footsteps of many people his age, born of meager wealth. Working for his uncle, he gained experience in commercial trade traveling to Syria and eventually from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. In time, Muhammad earned a reputation as honest and sincere, acquiring the nickname “al-Amin” meaning faithful or trustworthy.

In his early 20s, Muhammad began working for a wealthy merchant woman named Khadijah, 15 years his senior. She soon became attracted to this young, accomplished man and proposed marriage. He accepted and over the years the happy union brought several children. Not all lived to adulthood, but one, Fatima, would marry Muhammad’s cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib, whom Shi’ite Muslims regard as Muhammad’s successor.

Muhammad was also very religious, occasionally taking journeys of devotion to sacred sites near Mecca. On one of his pilgrimages in 610, he was meditating in a cave on Mount Jabal aI-Nour. The Angel Gabriel appeared and relayed the word of God: “Recite in the name of your Lord who creates, creates man from a clot! Recite for your lord is most generous….” These words became the opening verses of sūrah (chapter) 96 of the Qur'an. Most Islamic historians believe Muhammad was initially disturbed by the revelations and that he didn’t reveal them publicly for several years. However, Shi’a tradition states he welcomed the message from the Angel Gabriel and was deeply inspired to share his experience with other potential believers.

Islamic tradition holds that the first persons to believe were his wife, Khadija and his close friend Abu Bakr (regarded as the successor to Muhammad by Sunni Muslims). Soon, Muhammad began to gather a small following, initially encountering no opposition. Most people in Mecca either ignored him or mocked him as just another prophet. However, when his message condemned idol worship and polytheism, many of Mecca’s tribal leaders began to see Muhammad and his message as a threat. Besides going against long standing beliefs, the condemnation of idol worship had economic consequences for merchants who catered to the thousands of pilgrims who came to Mecca every year. This was especially true for members of Muhammad’s own tribe, the Quraysh, who were the guardians of the Kaaba. Sensing a threat, Mecca’s merchants and leaders offered Muhammad incentives to abandon his preaching, but he refused.

Increasingly, the resistance to Muhammed and his followers grew and they were eventually forced to emigrate from Mecca to Medina, a city 260 miles to the north in 622. This event marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. There Muhammad was instrumental in bringing an end to a civil war raging amongst several of the city’s tribes. Muhammad settled in Medina, building his Muslim community and gradually gathering acceptance and more followers.

Between 624 and 628, the Muslims were involved in a series of battles for their survival. In the final major confrontation, The Battle of the Trench and Siege of Medina, Muhammad and his followers prevailed and a treaty was signed. The treaty was broken by the Meccan allies a year later. By now, Muhammad had plenty of forces and the balance of power had shifted away from the Meccan leaders to him. In 630, the Muslim army marched into Mecca, taking the city with minimum casualties. Muhammad gave amnesty to many of the Meccan leaders who had opposed him and pardoned many others. Most of the Meccan population converted to Islam. Muhammad and his followers then proceeded to destroy all of the statues of pagan gods in and around the Kaaba.

After the conflict with Mecca was finally settled, Muhammad took his first true Islamic pilgrimage to that city and in March, 632, he delivered his last sermon at Mount Arafat. Upon his return to Medina to his wife’s home, he fell ill for several days. He died on June 8, 632, at the age of 62, and was buried at al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet) one of the first mosques built by Muhammad in Medina.

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Answering violence with art: Salman Rushdie’s response to the knife attack that almost killed him

S alman Rushdie called it his “unfunny Valentine”. On 14 February 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini , Iran’s supreme leader, issued a fatwa calling on Muslims around the world to kill the author and placing a multimillion-dollar bounty on his head. What had prompted this death sentence? The previous year, Rushdie released his fourth novel,  The Satanic Verses , a book that some Muslims considered to be blasphemous because of its fictionalised, sometimes satirical portrayal of the prophet Muhammad. The Ayatollah’s decree  turned Rushdie’s life upside down instantly, forcing the celebrated writer into hiding for a decade. It has cast a long shadow ever since.

There are few books over which so much blood has been spilt as  The Satanic Verses . In 1991, the book’s Japanese translator, Hitoshi Igarashi, was murdered; the Norwegian publisher and Italian translator were later viciously attacked. And in 2022, at a point when Rushdie was finally living what he called “a relatively normal” life, the writer was stabbed in a horrific attack on stage at a literary event in upstate New York. The incident  left Rushdie blind in one eye and unable to use one of his hands. These injuries, though, haven’t held back the indomitable author from his work. This month sees the release of  Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder , a memoir exploring the aftermath of the attack , which Rushdie has described as “a way to take charge of what happened, and to answer violence with art”.

By the late Eighties, Rushdie was one of the biggest names in contemporary literature. He was born to a wealthy, liberal Muslim family in Mumbai, then known as Bombay, in 1947, the year of the partition of India. At the age of 13, he was sent to England to attend Rugby School in Warwickshire, then later won a scholarship to King’s College, Cambridge (which he had to be persuaded to take up by his father, fearing the university “would be a continuation of the same racist treatment” he’d experienced at Rugby). He began writing while working for the London ad agency Ogilvy & Mather, coining slogans like “that’ll do nicely” for American Express and “irresistibubble” for Aero chocolate bars. His debut novel  Grimus  came out in 1975, but it was his sprawling, often surreal second book,  Midnight’s Children , a fantastical allegory of partition and its legacy, which made his reputation. It won the Booker Prize in 1981 (and has twice been declared the best ever Booker winner since then) and would go on to sell more than one million copies in the UK alone. Rushdie later  admitted  that pirate copies “probably sold 10 times as much as the legal edition” in India; the bootleggers would send the author birthday cards to thank him for making them rich.

The then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi took Rushdie to court over a single sentence in the book, one that seemed to imply she was responsible for the death of her husband (the case was settled when the writer agreed to remove the line). But this controversy would pale in comparison to the furore provoked by  The Satanic Verses  when it was published in September 1988. The book tells the story of two actors, both from Indian Muslim backgrounds, who are miraculously saved when a hijacked plane explodes over the English Channel. In the dream sequence which follows, Rushdie re-imagines Muhammad as a loosely fictionalised character named Mahound (used to refer to a false prophet since the time of the Crusades). He also invokes a contested episode in the prophet’s life, in which Satan inspires him to allow the worship of three pagan goddesses in Mecca; these “satanic verses” don’t appear in the standard version of the Quran, and the portrayal of a potentially fallible Muhammad was considered by some as deeply blasphemous.

Rushdie knew that his work would likely cause a stir. But he had no idea of the scale and speed of the backlash. “I expected a few mullahs would be offended, call me names, and then I could defend myself in public,” he said in 1992. India and Pakistan banned the book in late 1988; the following year, six protesters died in an attack on the American Cultural Centre in Islamabad. Copies of the book were burned in Bradford, England.

And then came the fatwa from Ayatollah Khomeini, broadcast on Iranian radio, condemning Rushdie, “along with all the editors and publishers aware of its contents” to death (Khomeini’s son would later admit that his father had never read  The Satanic Verses ). That 14 February was also the funeral of the author Bruce Chatwin, a close friend of Rushdie. After the ceremony, fellow novelist Paul Theroux darkly joked that “next week, we’ll be back here for you”. The UK government immediately provided Rushdie with a round-the-clock security detail.

In the five months immediately following the fatwa, Rushdie and his then-wife Marianne Wiggins moved 56 times, with the writer using the fake name “Joseph Anton” (a nod to Conrad and Chekhov). Their first stop was the Lygon Arms, a hotel in the Cotswolds. The protection team had asked Rushdie where he wanted to spend the weekend; thinking the media storm would soon abate, he simply chose a venue that he had always fancied visiting. “The general view then was that this was such an absurdity that it would not be allowed to persist,” he later told  GQ . “And that if I just lay low for a few days, the politicians would sort it out.” A married tabloid journalist was staying in the room next door with his girlfriend, with no idea that the potential scoop of his life was on the other side of his bedroom wall. Rushdie then headed to Wales, where his former agent Deborah Rogers owned a farm. It was a very literary double bluff: Rogers’s bolthole seemed an improbable spot for the writer to take shelter, as his recent departure from her company had been well-discussed in the press.

From there, the couple kept on moving. Fractures started to occur in their marriage. Rushdie and Wiggins announced their break-up in July that year, a split that the author put down to “the tension of being at the centre of an international controversy, and the irritations of spending all hours of the day together in seclusion”. Living in a string of safe houses and constantly accompanied by his Secret Service minders, Rushdie watched  Dynasty  re-runs and became, by his own admission, “a master of  Super Mario [Bros] I  and II” . He continued to write too: Blake Morrison, then the literary editor of  The Observer , said that Rushdie still managed to meet the deadline for a review of the latest Philip Roth novel, days after he had been spirited away by the security services. In 1990, he released  In Good Faith , a defence of  The Satanic Verses  and an exploration of his life after the fatwa, and a children’s book,  Haroun and the Sea of Stories , written for his son Zafar; another novel,  The Moor’s Last Sigh , followed in 1995.

The literary world, for the most part, rallied around Rushdie; some of his fellow writers organised readings of  The Satanic Verses  and even, like Rogers, housed him for short stints. But there were a few outliers. John le Carré famously refused to back Rushdie, as he believed “that there is no law in life or nature that says great religions may be insulted with impunity”. And although the British government had provided him with security, politicians weren’t necessarily on his side: Tory MP Norman Tebbit branded Rushdie an “outstanding villain” in the pages of  The Independent , describing his life as “a record of despicable acts of betrayal of his upbringing, religion, adopted home and nationality”.

The controversy only seemed to strengthen Rushdie’s commitment to free speech. “What is freedom of expression?” he asked in  In Good Faith.  “Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” In an address at Columbia University the following year, he described free speech as “life itself” – and the attack in the summer of 2022 certainly proved it could be a matter of life or death. In 1998, Iran seemed to backtrack slightly on the fatwa, claiming it would “neither support nor hinder” Rushdie’s killing. Two years later, he moved to New York, where he lived comparatively freely. In 2022, he told the German magazine  Stern  that his security precautions had relaxed over the years, and that the fatwa felt like “long ago”. On 12 August, he had been due to give a lecture on artistic freedom at the Chautauqua Institution, but as he arrived on stage, a man rushed towards him, stabbing him around a dozen times and injuring interviewer Henry Reese. The attack left Rushdie on a ventilator and unable to speak; he would spend around six weeks in hospital. Hadi Matar, 24 at the time of the attack, was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree attempted murder and another of second-degree assault; he has pleaded not guilty, and the trial is set to take place later this year .

Typing remains a challenge for Rushdie, as he still lacks feeling in some fingertips. The creative process has been fraught too . “I sit down to write, and nothing happens,” he told  The New Yorker last year. “I write, but it’s a combination of blankness and junk, stuff that I write and that I delete the next day.” But even if the attack has made writing itself difficult, it seems that Rushdie remains undaunted – and that this life-changing episode will not diminish the scope of his imagination. “I could write frightened or revenge books, and both would make me a creature of the event,” he has said. “So I thought: be the writer that you want to be.”

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She Was Kidnapped a Decade Ago With 275 Girls. Finally, She Escaped.

Their capture set off a global campaign to “Bring Back Our Girls.” But many are still missing, and kidnappings in Nigeria have proliferated.

Saratu Dauda shares what happened after the terrorist group Boko Haram abducted her and her classmates. Credit... Taiwo Aina for The New York Times

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By Ismail Alfa and Ruth Maclean

Ismail Alfa reported from Maiduguri, Nigeria, and Ruth Maclean from Dakar, Senegal.

• April 14, 2024

Saratu Dauda had been kidnapped. It was 2014, she was 16, and she was in a truck packed with her classmates heading into the bush in northeastern Nigeria, a member of the terrorist group Boko Haram at the wheel. The girls’ boarding school in Chibok, miles behind them, had been set on fire.

Then she noticed that some girls were jumping off the back of the truck, she said, some alone, others in pairs, holding hands. They ran and hid in the scrub as the truck trundled on.

But before Ms. Dauda could jump, she said, one girl raised the alarm, shouting that others were “dropping and running.” Their abductors stopped, secured the truck and continued toward what, for Ms. Dauda, would prove a life-changing nine years in captivity.

“If she hadn’t shouted that, we would have all escaped,” Ms. Dauda said in a series of interviews this past week in the city of Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram’s violent insurgency.

Kidnapped from their dormitory exactly 10 years ago, the 276 captives known as the Chibok Girls were catapulted to fame by Michelle Obama , by churches that took up the mostly Christian students’ cause and by campaigners using the slogan “Bring Back Our Girls.”

“The only crime of these girls was to go to school,” said Allen Manasseh, a youth leader from Chibok who has spent years pushing for their release.

Their lives have taken wildly different turns since the abduction. Some escaped almost immediately; 103 were released a few years later after negotiations. A dozen or so now live abroad, including in the United States. As many as 82 are still missing, perhaps killed or still held hostage.

Chibok was the first mass kidnapping from a school in Nigeria — but far from the last. Today, kidnapping — including of large groups of children — has become a business across the West African country, with ransom payments the main motivation.

“The tragedy of Chibok plays over and over every week,” said Pat Griffiths, a spokesman with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Maiduguri.

The Chibok Girls are only the most prominent victims of a 15-year conflict with Islamist militants which, despite the hundreds of thousands of people killed and millions uprooted, has largely been forgotten amid other wars.

More than 23,000 people in northeastern Nigeria are registered as missing with the Red Cross — globally, its second biggest caseload after Iraq . But that is a vast underestimate, Mr. Griffiths said.

Before she was abducted, Ms. Dauda said, she was a happy teenager in a large, close-knit Christian family. She loved playing with dolls and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. She was her father’s pet and adored her mother.

For months after being captured, Ms. Dauda said, the girls slept outside in the Sambisa forest, Boko Haram’s hide-out, listened to a steady stream of Islamic preachers and fought over limited water supplies. When two girls tried to escape, she said, they were whipped in front of the others.

Then, she said, they were given a choice: Get married or become a slave who could be summoned for housework or sex.

Ms. Dauda chose marriage, converted to Islam and changed her first name to Aisha. She was presented with a man in his late 20s whose job was to shoot video of Boko Haram’s battles. Hours after they met, they were married.

He was not cruel to her, she said, but after a few months, he came home one day and found her playing with a doll she had fashioned out of clay and made a dress for.

“You’re playing with idols? You want to cause me problems?” she remembered him saying. She got angry and left their home, staying with another girl from Chibok. When he realized she was not returning, she said, he divorced her.

She soon married another Boko Haram fighter, Mohamed Musa, a welder who made weapons, and over time they had three children. Although she was still a hostage of Boko Haram’s murderous leader , Abubakar Shekau, and his henchmen, she said that they were given everything they needed, surrounded by people “who cared about each other like a family,” and that she was happy.

The Chibok Girls were treated far better than other kidnap victims, other escapees have said.

Her husband said in an interview last week that Ms. Dauda refused to join the cohort of Chibok Girls freed in 2017 after government negotiations.

“There were many of them that refused to be taken home simply because they feared that their family would force them out of Islam,” said Mr. Musa, or that “they might be stigmatized.”

But as the years went by, Ms. Dauda kept track of the friends from Chibok who died. Sixteen in air raids and bomb attacks. Two in childbirth. One as a suicide bomber, coerced by Boko Haram . One of sickness, and one of snakebite. She noticed that it was mostly women and children dying in the air raids and wondered when it would be her turn.

And life became harder. When Boko Haram’s leader died and its powerful offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, took over in the Sambisa forest, Ms. Dauda and her husband found themselves on the wrong side, she said, and under suspicion. They worried they would be made slaves. Late at night, in whispers, they talked about escape. But Ms. Dauda wanted to act faster than her husband and decided to go ahead. He refused to let her take the children, saying he would follow with them later.

One night at 3 a.m. she made a little bundle of food, looked at the faces of her sleeping daughters and said a short prayer for their protection. She ducked out of their home. She waited under a tree, checking that nobody had seen her. Then she walked for days through the bush, going from village to village, telling people she was on her way to visit friends and always leaving during morning prayer, when the men would be in the mosque and not see her going.

She met up with other fleeing women on the way, and last May, they handed themselves over to the military together. She had heard on the radio that the Chibok Girls had become a cause célèbre, and finally she experienced it.

“Is this a Chibok Girl?” she remembered a soldier marveling, when he learned her identity. “We are thanking God.”

It had been six years since the last negotiated release, and many families had given up hope. Mr. Manasseh said he despaired over the years as three governments failed to bring all the girls home and mostly stopped talking to the families.

“Silence,” he said. “It’s a giant government failure.”

Since Chibok, Nigerian schools have become a hunting ground for kidnappers of all stripes. In just one of many such instances, last month dozens — or possibly hundreds — of children were kidnapped in Kaduna State , hundreds of miles from territory controlled by Boko Haram and its Islamic State offshoot. A few days earlier, hundreds of women and children were kidnapped in the northeast while foraging for firewood.

After surrendering, Ms. Dauda was taken to Maiduguri and enrolled in the government rehabilitation program, for counseling and deradicalization. A few months later, she got word that her husband had escaped with their three daughters, and they were all reunited.

She said she had dreamed of seeing her parents again, holding them, feeling their warmth. One day, she was allowed out of the government facility with her children, to visit them in their village, Mbalala.

She hugged her father and her mother.

“She was crying, and I was crying,” Ms. Dauda said.

Her father offered her and her husband a place to stay if they became Christians, she said. But she refused, saying she had become a Muslim freely and wanted to stay one, even if many people thought that she and other escapees were victims of Boko Haram’s indoctrination.

“I was not brainwashed,” she said. “I was convinced by what was explained to me.”

Two of her daughters are named for her friends from Chibok. Zannira, 7, was named for a girl who escaped. Five-year-old Sa’adatu is named for one still in captivity.

Recently, she said, her husband gave their girls a doll.

Ruth Maclean is the West Africa bureau chief for The Times, covering 25 countries including Nigeria, Congo, the countries in the Sahel region as well as Central Africa. More about Ruth Maclean

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