If Muhammad were alive today, what would he do? That’s the question that Islamic expert Mark A. Gabriel answers in his novel, Coffee with the Prophet. Through a fascinating fictional story set in the Middle East, you will meet Mustafa, a young scholar who is a rising star at the most prestigious Muslim university in the world. Mustafa leads a double life—devout on the outside but dangerously doubting Islam on the inside. When Mustafa meets a larger-than-life character named Sheikh Ahmed at a coffee shop, he hopes that this outspoken Bedouin will restore his dying faith. Based firmly in Islamic history and culture, Coffee with the Prophet delivers more fact than fiction while telling a story that is completely original a (more…)
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:02 am
I’ve just finished reading an advanced copy of “Coffee with the Prophet” and I must say that this book will be an eye-opener for many people. Though told as a fictional story of a chance meeting with a Bedouin tribesman who is intimate with the details of Muhammad’s life, every idea contained in this book is traceable to early Islamic sources. The ideas placed in the mouth of the Prophet are well documented to an earnest student. None the less, there will be controversy when this book is released to the general public, especially as it portrays Muhammad as he was, both the good and the bad.
For a little background, I took a class under Dr. Gabriel this year, so I know that his knowledge of Islam and Islamic sources is without question. As he wrote in this, and his other books, he had memorized the Qur’an by the time he was twelve. In class if anyone asked a question he would first recite the verse from memory in Arabic, then give us a simple English translation. I write this because some will accuse Dr. Gabriel of lying about his background.
It also needs to be said that Dr. Gabriel does not hate Muslims. His love for his family and friends from Egypt, and all of those who feel trapped in Islam is clear to anyone who meets him, and should be clear in his books. Those who say otherwise are simply wrong.
Buy this book, read it, and then do your own research, using some of the sources listed by Dr. Gabriel, or find new ones. One final word of warning, before you accept a “westernized, homogenized” portrayal of the life of the Prophet of Islam, check the sources!
For the best, original sources, the History of Prophets and Kings by Al Tabari is excellent, as well as the Life of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq, translated by Guliiame.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:09 am
Dr. Gabriel’s books have been a true insight into Islam; they clearly explain its tenets and reasonings from a well-educated point of view. Coffee with the Prophet, though, picks up where they leave off: What is it like to be a Muslim who, like Dr. Gabriel did, has questions about his faith?
Coffee with the Prophet is the story of a journey. It comes from an author who knows his material–who lived his material! The story of Mustafa is poignant and real; it is an excellent context for modern-day conversations with Muhammad. After reading the book, I feel that I not only better understand Muhammad and his world, I better understand Dr. Gabriel’s own inner struggle for truth. The book has made me think–a very good thing.