Reddit reviews The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

We are currently reading In the Footsteps of the Prophet over at /r/iqraa. It's a shorter read, an easy style, and I think it's a great introduction into Islam, the basics and teachings, and how it all started.

Another recommended read would be The First Muslim.

It's hard to find such a biography of Muhammad, but I hope this one can be of help: Leslie Hazleton's The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

Edit: If you really wanna dig deeper, I'd suggest the Alfred Guillaume translation of Ibn Ishaq's The Life of Muhammad. This translation puts back some of the "cuts" made by the later editors of the biography (this being the quasi-official Sira). Caveat lector: this is difficult reading.

I don't know how much time you have, but I would recommend The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad by Lesley Hazleton. I read it last year and it goes into quite a bit of detail regarding the Prophet's social, political, and military roles. Depending on the amount of time you have, it is also quite succinct at about 400 pages. A word of warning, it is unafraid to criticize the Prophet's policies or actions, notably the treatment of the Jewish tribes of Medina.

I would also highly recommend reading the Constitution of Medina, which details the social and political contract established between the Prophet and the peoples of Medina. In essence, it is the founding document of the world's first Islamic state.

Obviously, this is a huge topic and these are just the first resources that leapt to my mind. Hope this helps!

You are correct. Of course Sunnis follow Abu Bakr because they believe Prophet chose him to be the successor. What I am suggesting above, is a distinction between the type of needs the earliest Muslims had in their expectations of the leadership.

I have shared a reference to a scholarly book which sheds complete insight into this matter. For a quick and easier read, Donner[1] and Hazleton[2] have also written on the same subject. Madelung's[3] is concise and indepth.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Believers-At-Origins-Islam/dp/0674064143

[2] http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594632308

[3] http://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/2cbzui/are_there_any_real_differences_between_shias_and/cje7wg7

Edit: If you are not a Muslim yourself (or you may be a convert) then you are better off reading external scholarly sources instead of reading from Muslims themselves.

oh btw, some important text (by non-muslims ;) .. just to keep it fair )

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by David Levering Lewis

God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Crucible-Making-Europe-570-1215/dp/0393333566

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by Lesley Hazleton

The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

https://www.amazon.com/First-Muslim-Story-Muhammad/dp/1594632308/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542462869&sr=1-1&keywords=lesley+hazleton

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by Carla Power

If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran

https://www.amazon.com/If-Oceans-Were-Ink-Friendship/dp/0805098194/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542462955&sr=1-1&keywords=if+the+oceans+were+ink

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