Rebecca R. Williams is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of South Alabama. Her research interests include: Islamic historiography, the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, and Qur'ān exegesis.

• Part I: Sex 1 The Light of Prophesy: Christian, Jewish and Pagan Attempts 2 “God Knows very well where to place His message” 3 Muhammad’s Conception and the Supernatural Part II: Politics 4 Muhammad’s Public Announcement and the Absence of the Supernatural 5 “Who will aid me in this matter?” 6 Abu Lahab: The Villain Part III: Betrayal 7 Questions of Character: Hatib’s Letter to the Meccans 8 Hatib’s Story in the Tafsir 9 The Necessity of the Supernatural Part IV: Wrath 10 Amir b. Al-Tufayl and Arbad b. Qays: Control and Chaos in the Sira 11 “And God Sent Upon Him a Thunderbolt” 12 Authorial Control and the Supernatural

"Williams is to be congratulated for drawing attention to the so far neglected Ibn Kathīr, and her book nicely complements the recent work of Younus Mirza (2013 and 2014). One interesting point Williams highlights is Ibn Kathīr’s failure to comply with the Taymiyyan exegetical method he sets out to embrace."Caterina Bori, Università di Bologna, Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations