Comparative Analysis of Gulzar Ahmed and Richard Gabriel on the Military History of the Prophet (peace be on him)

Abstract

The scholarship on Prophet Mu╒ammad (peace be on him) in the West and the Muslim world has developed in a completely different framework over the centuries. The present study is an attempt to compare and examine the mind-set of both kinds of scholarship through a critical analysis of two books of modern times written on the battles of the Prophet, one by a non-Muslim Western author and another by a Muslim. Interestingly both of them were ex-military officers and their works depict a particular mentality which influences their own social and cultural settings. Gulzar Ahmed, being a Muslim Pakistani ex-military officer declared the military campaigns of the Prophet  as completely defensive and emphasises on the strict observance of the moral principles throughout the battles. On the other hand, Richard Gabriel, a non-Muslim US ex-military officer not only portrayed Prophet’s battles as offensive but declared them as an insurgency and interpreted the war strategies of the Prophet as immoral and inappropriate. Through historiographical analysis of the two military men writing on the battles of the Prophet, the present study will particularly highlight the different outlook and approaches adopted by them.