The result is a biography that reads like a novel, as we see the prophet’s life, family and decisions unfold. Muhammad’s Jewish ancestry is revealed and given its prominence.

According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad was a righteous man born around A.D. 570, whom God designated as his final prophet. He learned God’s message by heart and recited it.

“The Prophet Muhammad at the Gates of Hell,” a painting in a manuscript copy of al-Sara’i’s “Nahj al-Faradis” (”Paths of Paradise”) circa 1465, is on loan from The David Collection ...