The Makkan Crucible

The author: Zakaria Bashier

Dr. Zakaria bashier was born in the Sudan and educated at the Universities of Khartoum, Durham (UK) and Pittsburgh (USA). He was appointed a lecturer at Khartoum University in 1973. He served at King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah as Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and the Islamic Foundation as senior Research Fellow. In 1982 he was elected to the parliament of Sudan and subsequently appointed as a State Minister, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Higher Education and Scientific Research. At present he is teaching at the University of Al-Ain, UAE. His publications include: The Islamic Path to Social Change (Arabic), Jeddah 1977; The Hijra, Story and Significance, Leicester, 1983; Philosophical Aspects of Ibn Khaldun's Prolegomena (Arabic), Khartoum 1985; Al-Ghazali on the Qur'anic Philosophy (Arabic), Al-Ain (UAE) 1989; The Methodology of Jabir ibn Hayyan (Arabic), Al-Ain (UAE) 1989; Sunshine at Madinah, Leicester, 1990.

The Makkan Crucible based on original Arabic sources and modern writings on the Sirah is a powerful restatement of the Makkan life of the Prophet and a searching analysis of the Jahiliyyah environment in which the blessings of Isam produced a generation of people who not only became the finest embodiment of human conduct but typefied the highest virtues of faith and endurance.

The author has not only breathed a new freshness into the subject but has focused on the Sirah in the context of the Prophet's mission as reflected in the Qur'an. The focus moves beautifully and meaningfully from man to mission, from indivitual to movement, from past to the present and the future, from chronicle of events to ethos of society and history. In paying homage and showing reverence to the Prophet some authors have exceeded proper limits while others have not been able to adequately highlight the multi-dimensional aspects of the Prophetic life. Dr. Zakaria Bashier however has succeeded in striking a balance and presenting in the book a graphic and inspiring picture of the Sirah of the Prophet.

240 pages, paperback