The Spirit of Islam is one of the most notable literary contributions of Ameer Ali Syed (1849-1928), one of the most prominent 'liberal' thinkers of modern Muslims. He was the first to clearly visualize that Muslims should organize themselves politically if they were to have an honored place in public life. "Probably the best achievement in the way of an apology for Mohammad that is ever likely to be to be composed in a European language" - D.S. Margoliouth in Mohammed and the Rise of Islam (available from Gorgias Press)