The Leadership of Muhammad: A Historical Reconstruction

Review Awarded the prize of Best International Non-Fiction Book at the 2021 Sharjah International Book Awards Kirkus Reviews said that Hayward, who is "undeniably one of academia's most visible Islamic thinkers," had produced "a learned history of Islam and Muhammad that succeeds in its goal of providing contemporary and future managers with valuable insights from his life on successful leadership strategies". Kirkus praised the book's "full command of Islamic theology and the Arabic language as well as its rich endnotes," and concluded that it "eschews academic and religious jargon for an accessible narrative geared toward the general public, both Muslim and non-Muslim." The Leadership of Muhammad is "insightful and intellectual". Looking "not only at the theological texts, Hayward references early Arabic sources to examine the ways that Muhammad excelled during his twenty-three years as a leader." The book is "authoritative and informative" and the writing is "clear and accessible throughout, making it easy to comprehend for non-academic purposes ... Whether you're looking for a book of History, Islamic studies, or an interesting look into great leadership, The Leadership of Muhammad: A Historical Reconstruction has plenty to offer."— "Indie Books We Love", LoveReading, 12 October 2021 The San Francisco Book Review noted that Hayward is a "celebrated historian and strategic studies scholar" and called The Leadership of Muhammad a "ground breaking book". Reviewer Foluso Falaye described the book as "a great source of knowledge about Muhammad and the beginning of Islam." He wrote that its "critical approach will appeal to academic minds, although the language is simple and direct enough to carry all readers along." He added that, "in addition to being historically informative, it offers valuable lessons about leadership that could help world leaders, decision makers, teachers, and people from all walks of life to communicate and lead better." OnlineBookClub.org: "In The Leadership of Muhammad, Joel Hayward debunks the usual arguments regarding the reasons Muhammad was a successful leader, pointing out the logical fallacy embedded in these arguments. As a scholar of history, Hayward explains the actual reasons for the success of Muhammad as a leader. ... leaving room for rational engagement. ... Perhaps the most interesting part of this book for me is the concept of having an objective discussion about such a grand figure based on historical facts, rather than positive bias or negative distortion. Regardless of whether everyone agrees or disagrees, the author is bold and brilliant enough to approach things from a different angle, unafraid to be challenging. ... There was nothing I disliked about this book. It was informative, intellectually stimulating, and fun. The Leadership of Muhammad earns four out of four stars." — OnlineBookClub.orgFor Reading Addicts: "Hayward approaches the life of Muhammad with remarkable scholarly detachment and objectivity. He had previously published books on non-Islamic leaders, including Horatio Lord Nelson, and his approach to all of them is the same. Avoiding hagiography, he creates a psychologically believable portrait of Muhammad by critically interrogating the earliest sources and by explaining Muhammad's ideas, actions and patterns of behavior in terms of the historical, geographical and cultural context in which he lived. ... Hayward's book is compactly written and argued. In only 179 tightly written pages he creates a thorough and detailed explanation of what Muhammad thought and did as a leader. He studiously avoids psychobabble and recourse to the types of modern leadership concepts and jargon that ruin so many historical accounts by making anachronistic assertions that couldn't possibly be true. ... I strongly recommend The Leadership of Muhammad. It is a ground-breaking, meticulously researched, objective account of the leadership of one of history's most influential humans. Hay