Heralded as the greatest living Arab poet, Syrian-born Adonis is also a
staunch critic of violence and despotism in the Islamic world. In this
book, he explores the nature of political power in Islam by focusing on
the figure of the prophet Mohammed as both a political and a mythical
leader. In conversation with Houria Abdelouahed, Adonis examines the
Qur'anic intervention in establishing the prophet's power, especially
when the text is read based on faith and not reason. The authors discuss
the historical developments before and after the prophet's death, which
established the power of the Caliph or the leader as absolute.
The second part of the book examines the consequences of these
developments in the Arab and Islamic world today, where this
'tyrannical' understanding of power continues to hold sway. The authors
conclude with a call for secularism in the Arab world and a passionate
plea for the separation of religion from the political, legal and social
spheres.