Twenty Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad

If any body like to know all about the prophet of Islam, this is the book to read.Written by a Muslim scholar without pretension, exaggeration, or animosity. The book is truthful to the suthentic history of Islam, and the author analytical approach is stripped from any prejudice. The language is of the highest quality and the story is systimaticaly displayed. This is abook needs to be read more than once, and to be kept as a reference permanently on the library shelf.

Its great read with fair and intelligent analysis of Prophetic career of Mohammad with thoughtful considerations, as ex-muslim we have never had the opportunity to critically analyse the religion we were brought up with let alone studying cultural, social and economic aspect of pre-islamic era of pagan arabs. Its pity how conditioning of belief system never lets an individual to reflect on subject matter which greatly influence their life. Anyone interested in study of Islam must read it.

Ali Dashti was a gentleman and a scholar. Born in a Shi'ite area of Iraq, he returned to his native Persia after completing a traditional religious education. He had an active political career (serving in the Mossadeq cabinet, for example) and also published many scholarly works on Persian poetry.This book is his attempt to deal with the phenomenon of Muhammad, and the Islamic religion he created. Most Westerners are not really aware that Persians are NOT Arabs. Persians speak an Indo-European language (Farsi) while Arabs speak a Semitic language (closely related to Hebrew). As a result, many educated Persians/Iranians view the Arabs as barbarian invaders, comparable perhaps to the Mongols, while it is widely known that Persia is one of the most ancient civilizations on the planet.On the whole, I think Dashti deals with Muhammad fairly. Of course, this was an extremely dangerous book to write, and he didn't really get away with it, in the end. The 83-year-old Ali Dashti was dragged to Khomeini's dungeons and beaten or tortured, giving up the ghost two years later. It is a remarkable thing: beating an 83-year-old man because you disagree with his thinking.My own historical researches make me ask: is there any more reason to believe in Muhammad than in Joseph Smith? (Joseph Smith is the "prophet" who founded the Mormon religion.) Or were these two men basically living the same old story, separated by 1300 years of history?Highest recommendation!!

The late Foreign Minister of Iran 'Ali Dashti was a leading politician and classical scholar in that country. His book 'Twenty Three Years' is one of the all time classic religious biographies. It probably ranks with Fawn Brodie's 'No Man Knows My History' as one of the two best of the 20th century. After the events of September 11, 2001, Americans have suddenly awakened to the reality of Islam. Many prefer the path of political correctness, and for them 'Ali Dashti will be of no interest whatever. But for those who value candor and scholarship, who really want to know what the prophet Mohammad taught and practiced regarding the use of violence, the answer is carefully documented in this book. Admittedly the author gets quickly lost when he wanders from his chosen subject. Christian people will certainly wonder why he holds to the discredited theories of Ernest Renan regarding the origins of our Faith. But otherwise 'Ali Dashti is "A Plus". Unfortunately there was a price to be paid for candor about the prophet Mohammad, and 'Ali Dashti died after being tortured in the Evin Prison in December 1981.

I have been reading the Koran to try and understand what it says about Islam and what Muslims believe. I wanted to find out if it is a "religion of peace" that is somehow misinterpreted by radical elements, or not.I found a book called "23 Years" by Ali Dashti. ("23 Years" indicates the duration of Muhammad's Islamic ministry from 610 to 632 AD.) Dashti was a Persian Muslim from Iran and Islamic scholar. He devoted many years to researching the life of Mohammad, whom he admired greatly. Dashti's goal in writing "23 Years" was to honor Mohammad as a great man, prophet, and political leader. Dashti lamented that there was, to his knowledge, no "objective and rationally acceptable book presenting a portrait of him [Mohammad] unclouded by preconceptions, suppositions, and fanaticisms..."While reading Dashti's book, I was dumbfounded by his sincere attempts to paint Muhammad in the most positive light while explaining what Muhammad did and said and what the Islamic Law Muhammad gave means. Here is an example: "In Islamic law, male heirs get more than female heirs, and men's evidence is more reliable than women's; to be exact, a man's inheritance share is twice a woman's share, and his evidence carries twice the weight of hers in the courts. The religious duties of holy war and of congregational prayer on Fridays are not incumbent on women. The right to divorce belongs to husbands but not to wives. Many functions, including the utterance of the call to prayer, leadership of the congregational prayer, delivery of the Friday sermon, horse-riding, archery, and the giving of evidence in penal cases, are specifically reserved for men." Dashti goes on to explain, "Readers will have observed the logical weakness of the arguments for male dominance. Nearly always the effect is misread for the cause."Dashti understands the obvious inequalities between men and women codified in Islamic Law as difficult to defend but, in an effort to credit Muhammad with as much compassion for women as possible, justifies it this way, "Among the ancient Arabs, the treatment of women as second class humans had some more than ordinary barbaric aspects...the Prophet Mohammad blunted the edge of this savagery and endowed the women with a number of legal rights." In other words, women were treated barbarically by ancient Arabs before Muhammad and his "revelations" improved the treatment of women. Therefore, Islam is good for women. Dashti used this kind of "logic" throughout his book to justify all sorts of barbaric laws and behavior implemented under the religion of Islam. Each time he argued that Islamic culture was much better than the pagan Arab culture that preceded it; therefore, Muhammad was a great prophet and political leader. This is just one of many such examples in Dashti's book.Dashti goes on to verify that Muhammad dictated the Koran to others. (Islamic tradition says Muhammad was illiterate and did not write any of the Koran.) He also verifies that Muhammad first preached Islam in Mecca for 13 years. During this time, Muhammad was not financially or politically strong. He had few converts to Islam. The verses he preached were focused on worshiping one god (Allah) and doing good to others. This is the "peaceful" part of the Koran. Muhammad uttered the verse, "there is no compulsion in religion" in Mecca. Muhammad suffered much scorn in Mecca for his trouble.Muhammad then immigrated to Medina where his followers grew in number, mostly with the poor. This increased Muhammad's political and military strength. It was in Medina that Muhammad's prophecies turned more militaristic and confrontational. Muhammad uttered the verse, "kill the infidel where he stands" in Medina.Dashti confirms that Muhammad's later prophetic utterings supersede the earlier ones, to avoid contradictions. So, those Islamic verses that preach peace are nullified by the ones that preach war, jihad, and violence against all who oppose Islam.In Medina, Muhammad preached it was acceptable to Allah for Muslims to raid non-Muslim caravans as a means to increase their wealth. This had the effect of attracting more converts to Islam. When Muhammad's political, financial, and military power became sufficient to prevail over the Meccans, he invaded and took the city. Muhammad exacted severe revenge on those who had earlier scorned him.Dashti's book gave me a context from which I could better understand the Koran, Islam, Muhammad, and Muslims. Unfortunately, my better understanding is not a more favorable one. I now understand that it is the moderate Muslims who are not maintaining the teachings of Islam and how it is so easy to radicalize Muslims using the fundamental teachings of the Koran. Anyone who thinks Christianity and Judaism are fundamentally the same as Islam is fundamentally wrong. Read for yourself.It is interesting to note that Ali Dashti was imprisoned and tortured (apparently to death) by the Islamic revolutionary Iranian government for writing his book, "23 Years." Apparently, they did not appreciate Dashti's efforts to make Muhammad look more like a man and less like a god.I highly recommend reading Ali Dashti's book, "23 Years." You will gain a much better understanding of Islam and Muslims. You will also better understand why you should fear both.

A Persian friend recommended this book to read. Dashti takes a more liberal view of Islam, interpreting the Qur'an with a touch of a science, logic and amateur psychology. There are some interesting observations and insights about Muhammad based on his reading of the Qur'an and Hadith; also on the development of Islam. Be prepared for unconventional transliterations of familiar names, such as Qor'an for Qur'an and Mohammad for Muhammad.There's an ERRATA sheet at the back but in addition I would add: Page 66: "Malek b. Anas" should read "Anas b. Malek" Page 74: "moves one" should read "moves on"

In order to understand a book i beleve it is important to have knowledge of the author and this particular tome endeavours to go behind the veil of mystery and obfuscation surrounding Muhammed and to give him back his 'humanity',he puts forward the view that originally it was about spreading the message but that changed after the sword proved a more capable instrument of change.Ali Dashti using original sources unlocks the code and reveals the man and his emotions underlying the message he proffered,with clarity and no measure of courage and conviction he questions the validity of the Quran in respect to claims of the 'devine' and argues that ,as in other cases,"man created God" not that "God created man".Dashti writes with respect about the prophet but castigates those who have created a body of lore and myth around him,he was no different to men of his time subject to fear,rage,uncertainty and compassion but with an absolute notion of his mission.Dashti's crime for writing this and his 'support' of the Shah,amongst others,was to disappear,presumed dead,in Khomeini's prisons.

very good

Fantastic read !

great book