Muhammad in Makka
- Author died
- 1427 AH
- Editions
- General Egyptian Book Organization
Muhammad at Mecca (Arabic: محمد في مكة) is an academic study of the early prophetic career of Muhammad ﷺ by the Scottish Orientalist and historian William Montgomery Watt (d. 1427 AH / 2006 CE), published in Oxford in 1953 CE (1372 AH) . The book analyzes the socio-economic, political, and religious environment of pre-Islamic Arabia and traces the Prophet's life and mission in Mecca up to the Hijrah to Medina .
Background and Structure
The work was published by Clarendon Press in Oxford as the first part of Watt's biographical study of the Prophet, followed by its companion volume, Muhammad at Medina (1956 CE) . Watt later condensed and adapted material from both volumes in Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman (1961 CE) and revisited the Meccan milieu in Muhammad's Mecca (1988 CE) .
The text is organized into six chapters followed by eight appendices :
- Chapter 1: The Arabian Background (الخلفية العربية): Covers the economic foundations of Mecca, Meccan politics and tribal factions among Quraysh, social and moral conditions (tribal solidarity versus emerging individualism), and the religious and intellectual environment, including the decline of traditional polytheism and the emergence of monotheistic tendencies .
- Chapter 2: Muhammad's Early Life and the Call to Prophethood (بواكير حياة محمد ودعوة النبوة): Examines the Prophet's lineage, early years, and the initial experiences of revelation .
- Chapter 3: The Primary Message: Explores the theological and ethical contents of the earliest Quranic revelations .
- Chapter 4: The Earliest Converts (المسلمون الأوائل): Surveys the early community and examines the socio-economic backgrounds and motivations of those who accepted Islam .
- Chapter 5: The Mounting Opposition (تزايد المعارضة): Discusses the resistance of the Quraysh leaders, the narrative of the so-called "Satanic verses" (the Gharaniq report), the emigration to Abyssinia, and attempts at compromise and persecution .
- Chapter 6: Expanding Horizons (آفاق ممتدة): Details the deterioration of the Prophet's situation in Mecca, the journey to al-Ta'if, outreach to nomadic Arab tribes, negotiations with the inhabitants of Medina culminating in the two Pledges of al-Aqabah, and the Hijrah .
The eight appendices examine specific historical and textual questions, including the Ahabish, monotheism among the pre-Islamic Arabs and Judeo-Christian influences, the Hunafa', a linguistic study of the term tazakka, traditions transmitted from Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, lists of early figures, and the return of emigrants from Abyssinia .
Method and Sources
Watt drew on traditional Islamic sources, principally the Quran, canonical hadith collections, classical sirah works, and the historical chronicle of al-Tabari . He applied modern historical-critical and socio-economic methods, arguing that the transition of Meccan society from a nomadic pastoralist structure to a commercial mercantile center had strained traditional tribal values of solidarity and generosity, producing economic disparities that formed the social backdrop to the religious message of Islam .
In his preface, Watt stated that his study was primarily addressed to historians and that he sought to maintain neutrality without compelling Muslims to reject essential tenets of their faith . He also stated that his work intended to provide Christian readers with historical material relevant for formulating their own theological assessments of Muhammad ﷺ .
Reception and Critique
Watt's biographical works marked a departure from earlier Western polemical conventions; he explicitly affirmed the Prophet's personal sincerity and rejected the medieval European portrayal of him as an impostor .
However, Muslim scholars and historians subjected the book's methodology and conclusions to extensive critique. Authors such as Imad al-Din Khalil and Muhammad Mohar Ali noted that despite his comparative rigor, Watt operated under secular, materialist frameworks that reduced divine revelation and prophethood to environmental, psychological, and socio-economic determinants . Critics specifically took issue with his claims that early Islamic monotheism developed gradually from a vague concept, his attribution of Islamic concepts to Christian and Jewish influences via figures such as Waraqah ibn Nawfal, his downplaying of the physical persecution suffered by the early Muslims, and his uncritical reliance on isolated and disputed historical narratives such as the Gharaniq episode .
Arabic Translation
The book was translated into Arabic by Abd al-Rahman Abd Allah al-Shaykh, with parts of the early chapters translated with Husayn Isa, and was reviewed and annotated by Ahmad Shalabi . It was published in one volume in Cairo by the General Egyptian Book Authority (al-Hay'ah al-Misriyyah al-Ammah li-l-Kitab) in 1415 AH / 1995 CE as part of its "Second Thousand Books" series .
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