Islam is by nature and history related to Judaism and Christianity. Muhammad grappled with conflicting attitudes toward both religions for a long period before opting for his own way. Ultimately, he acknowledged Judaism and Christianity as independent but less legitimate religions than Islam.

This book illustrates with examples and citations the many ways in which Muhammad used biblical narratives to illustrate faith and actions in the spirit of the Koran, and how the prophet familiarized himself with a significant corpus of Old Testament texts through Christian transmission.