A nicely balanced book about Mohammed, neither hagiography nor hatchet job. I don't agree with his claim that Mohammed waged an aggressive war against Mecca (this is not a problem for Watt, because being British, he thinks it is fully appropriate for a country to create an empire to spread its superior culture). However, Tariq Ramadan and other sources argue that mohammed's raids against Meccan caravans were restitution against Meccans who had stolen Muslim property when the Muslims were chased out of Mecca. We'll never know for sure, but that seems the most plausible motive to me. This book portrays Mohammed not as the " perfect man" but as the subtitle says a "prophet and statesman". An important and thoughtful perspective on one of history's greatest and most controversial figures.