Prophethood, Politics, and Narrative Voice: Genette’s Theory and the Western Perception of Muhammad (ﷺ) as Statesman
Abstract
This paper studies how Western writers describe Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) as a statesman. It uses Gérard Genette’s theory of narration to guide the study. The focus is on the biographies written by W. Montgomery Watt, Lesley Hazleton, and Barnaby Rogerson. The paper examines how the choice of voice, focus, and time order in these works changes the way Muhammad (ﷺ)’s leadership is shown.
Watt presents Muhammad (ﷺ) as a practical leader who made decisions based on reason and need. Hazleton presents him as a leader with empathy and strong moral vision. Rogerson presents him with a balanced tone and highlights both his human qualities and his political role. The study shows how these writers use different storytelling tools to build these images. It explains how “who speaks,” “who sees,” and “how events are arranged” guide the reader’s view of Muhammad (ﷺ).
The paper argues that even though the writers disagree in their opinions, they all face the same problem: how to connect Muhammad (ﷺ)’s spiritual role with his political role. Watt brings the reader close to a pragmatic leader. Hazleton brings the reader close to a visionary reformer. Rogerson presents him as a human leader whose faith and politics work together.
The study concludes that narrative style shapes history as much as facts do. It says we must look not only at what these biographies claim but also at how they tell the story. This approach helps us rethink how modern writers represent religious and political leaders.
Keywords: Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), statesmanship, Western biographies, Gérard Genette, narration, history
Cite this paper
Choose a citation style and copy the formatted reference.
Shinde, A. S. M. D. N. K. (2026). Prophethood, Politics, and Narrative Voice: Genette’s Theory and the Western Perception of Muhammad (ﷺ) as Statesman. RESONET 1(1), 1-9. https://resonetjournal.org/research-paper/prophethood-politics-and-narrative-voice-genettes-theory-and-the-western-perception-of-muhammad-%ef%b7%ba-as-statesman/
Shinde, Aftab S Mulla, Dr Narayan K.. "Prophethood, Politics, and Narrative Voice: Genette’s Theory and the Western Perception of Muhammad (ﷺ) as Statesman" RESONET, vol. 1, no. 1, 2026, pp. 1-9. https://resonetjournal.org/research-paper/prophethood-politics-and-narrative-voice-genettes-theory-and-the-western-perception-of-muhammad-%ef%b7%ba-as-statesman/.
Shinde, Aftab S Mulla, Dr Narayan K.. 2026. "Prophethood, Politics, and Narrative Voice: Genette’s Theory and the Western Perception of Muhammad (ﷺ) as Statesman". RESONET 1(1), 1-9. https://resonetjournal.org/research-paper/prophethood-politics-and-narrative-voice-genettes-theory-and-the-western-perception-of-muhammad-%ef%b7%ba-as-statesman/.
Shinde, A. S. M. D. N. K. (2026) "Prophethood, Politics, and Narrative Voice: Genette’s Theory and the Western Perception of Muhammad (ﷺ) as Statesman", RESONET 1(1), 1-9. Available at: https://resonetjournal.org/research-paper/prophethood-politics-and-narrative-voice-genettes-theory-and-the-western-perception-of-muhammad-%ef%b7%ba-as-statesman/.
Aftab S Mulla, Dr Narayan K. Shinde. Prophethood, Politics, and Narrative Voice: Genette’s Theory and the Western Perception of Muhammad (ﷺ) as Statesman. RESONET. 2026;1(1):1-9. doi: https://resonetjournal.org/research-paper/prophethood-politics-and-narrative-voice-genettes-theory-and-the-western-perception-of-muhammad-%ef%b7%ba-as-statesman/
Please verify author names, publication year, volume, issue, pages and DOI before submitting your reference.