This book consists of several short vignettes written from the standpoints of various people. Stitched together they form a very rough picture of the history of Muhammad. But the point, I think, is not so much to recount history but to give a picture of the sheer power and inspiration the man wielded. When I first read this book, I knew little about Islam, so I don't suppose that I recognized that most of these people stand firmly in established tradion. Reading it now armed with the knowledge that I have now, I found it to be a much better book.