In the name of Allāh, the Most Benevolent, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allāh, Lord of the Worlds and Blessings, and peace be on the one, exalted amongst the Prophets and the Seal of the Apostles, Muhammad, and his progeny and Companions, and on those who sincerely follow him till the Day of Judgment.
The seminary in which the writer of these lines had his first lesson was the nursery which impressed upon the author’s mind the mould of the Prophet (ﷺ). The age at which I was enrolled in this blessed institution was much earlier than the normal school-going age of children: this was the seminary of one’s own home, permeated with an air steeped in a culture whose primal ingredient was the stamp of the Prophetic character. Every child of this household was expected to pattern his behavior in conformity with this family tradition, wherein the small collection of juvenile literature, consisting both of prose and poetry, always in circulation among the children of the family, played a significant role. Later on, the wise grooming of my elder brother, Dr. Syed ‘Abd al-‘Ali, was to help me in going through two of the best books in Urdu on the life of the Prophet at a comparatively young age [1]. Urdu has, thanks to the labors of the writers in the recent past, a treasure of literature on the subject second only to Arabic.
When the writer was able to grasp Arabic and appreciate its literature, I drank in two of the earliest works on the Prophet’s life with rapt attention. One of these was As-Sirat an-Nabawiyyah of Ibn Hisham, and the other was Zad al-Ma’ad, written by Ibn al-Qayyim. I did not simply go through them, but having almost lost myself in the study of these books, found my heart and mind enthralled by certitude and an unshakable conviction. I felt captivated by a tender feeling of affection for the Prophet (ﷺ), whose life is so full of and so packed with thrilling and soul-stirring events that next to the Qur’an, it is the most potent means for shaping one’s behavior and creating a fervor of spirit. Besides these two books, I also read avidly all those Urdu and English works on the subject that fell into his hands. The result of this intensive study has been that all of my writings so far have invariably reflected a touch of the Prophet’s life-story (ﷺ). Whatever warmth and whatever lucidity of style in the expression of my ideas I have ever had has emanated from the fascinating charm of that paradigm of perfection, that inexhaustible source of inspiration which fires one’s imagination to regions heavenly and sublime. In truth, I have never penned anything that does not in some way or another reflect the elegance of that prophetic mould or my own thoughtful reflection on its profound wisdom.
My articles delineating different aspects of the Prophet’s noble character (ﷺ) and his marvelous accomplishments have been brought out in the collection entitled Karawan-e-Madinah. [2]
The author has penned a large number of books, but the opportunity to produce a treatise on the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) never arose, although I have ever felt the need of a biography written in a style intelligible to modern minds, utilizing both the modern and ancient sources. Deviating not from the Qur’an and the hadith, such a biographical sketch has to be based on the original sources, yet it need not be merely an encyclopedic collection amassing all the relevant as well as far-fetched reports on the subject without any critical examination. Biographies of this type have been in vogue in the past, but they unnecessarily give rise to misgivings and doubts which are, in truth, completely unfounded, nor need the Muslims trouble their minds about them. Several savants and scholars (unaffected by the skeptical disposition of the modernists and orientalists) have already pried into these questions satisfactorily. A work of this nature should also be compatible with the spiritual truths and realities which are indispensable for comprehending the true nature of revelations, prophetic guidance, miracles and the recondite facts of mute reality, and should be written by one who can put his trust in the Prophet not as a national leader or statesman but as the Apostle of God sent for the guidance of all mankind. Only a biography of the Prophet so written can be placed before every unbiased educated person (whether a Muslim or a non -Muslim) without any reservation or specious reasoning. Accordingly, the writer has placed more reliance on the original sources in describing the events and character of the Prophet (ﷺ) and narrated them in a way that everything speaks for itself and allows the reader to arrive at his own conclusion. The life of the Prophet is a living portrait, conveying the feeling of the good and the sublime, for which the writer does not need to resort to philosophies or to draw any inferences. In its charm and grace, harmony and excellence, effectiveness and appeal, the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) does not, in truth and reality, need the polish or refinement of any writer or the exposition of an erudite scholar. All that one needs to attempt is the narration of facts selected and arranged harmoniously, in a simple and unaffected style.
Also, the recital of the Prophet’s life-story (ﷺ) requires a conjugation of intellect and emotion, both poised on an even keel. A scholarly treatment of the subject, accompanied by frigid analysis and cold logical reasoning, is more likely to take away the warmth of its delicate charm, the glow of whose heavenly beauty is indispensable for a correct understanding of the facts and events closely related to the sentiments of credence and belief. If the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) rehearsed by anybody tries to gloss over the tender susceptibilities, the attempt would undoubtedly be assiduous but wooden; it would be a tale, striking and impressive, but would fail to convey the essence and substance of prophethood. Likewise, it is equally essential that the naivete of credulity should not be allowed to becloud the soundness of intellectual judgment, which is held as the test of validity today. Nor should it be against the accepted principles of logical reasoning or a eulogy, steeped in blind faith, acceptable only to the credulous Muslims and traditional scholars of faith living in a world of their own creations, unconnected to and without any rapport with the outer, modern world of today. An unhesitating faith with the flame of ardent love is a divine blessing, no doubt; yet, one should never forget that this is the life of the Apostle of God (ﷺ) who was sent as mercy for the whole universe and all the peoples of the world. His blessing can in no case be denied to any segment of humanity that has not had the opportunity of being brought up in an Islamic environment. Haply, it may turn out, by the mercy of the Lord, that such persons partake the blessing of Islam by catching a glimpse of the radiance emitted by the Prophet’s life (ﷺ). The non-Muslims have as much claim to the life of the holy Prophet (ﷺ) as those born in a Muslim home; or, rather, they deserve it more, for they stand in need of it.
The times and circumstances in which the Prophet (ﷺ) made his advent cannot be overlooked in recounting his story. The conditions prevailing all over the world, in the pre-Islamic time, have, therefore, to be vividly portrayed. It is necessary to describe the universal confusion, moral degradation, and spiritual restlessness and disconsolateness to which man had fallen during the sixth century, as well as the social, economic, and political causes that had combined to produce that gloomy atmosphere. The authors of that global degradation, tyrannical governments, bungled religions, fallacious and extremist schools of thought, ruinous movements, and deceptive calls and summons-all had joined hands in bringing the then world to almost complete destruction. The present writer still remembers the difficulties encountered in presenting a clear picture of the widespread depravity of the pre-Islamic age of pagan past in the opening section of my book Madha Khasira ‘I- Alam, bi inhitat al-Muslimin [3]. I had to wade through almost the entire body of Western historical literature pertaining to the period and recreate the story by collecting bits and pieces scattered throughout numerous books.
This prelude to the life of the Prophet (ﷺ), now described somewhat at a greater length, would help the reader to appreciate in the light of the then putrid world all around, the grand accomplishment of prophetic guidance, its greatness, the vastness of its scope, the way it sharpened the wits, solved intractable problems and harmonised seemingly irreconcilable motives and elements. What was, after all, the greatest achievement of Muhammad’s Prophethood (ﷺ)? It was to give hope to the despairing heart of man, to take him back to the path of righteousness, to cleanse his mind and heart of the contaminating impurity, and to raise him to the sublime heights of spirituality. What a gigantic task it was!
This is correctly understood only when the reader has before him a clear picture of the perplexing and arduous nature of the task faced by the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions. Often, one is unable to comprehend the turn of events and the decisions taken by the Prophet (ﷺ) unless he is fully aware of the social, economic and political situation then obtaining in Madinah, its physical condition and geographical situation, the surrounding tribes and the relationship existing between them, the balance of power struck by past settlements and treaties of peace, conditions immediately preceding the hijrah, [4] the tribal customs and conventions and their national code of ethics and laws. Anybody trying to study the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) unmindful of these basic facts would be traveling in a dark tunnel wherein he can neither see to his right nor left nor know where he is destined to emerge at the end of his journey.
All that has been stated about the environs of Madinah is also true for the then civilized regions around Arabia. One can neither reckon the significance of the call of Islam nor the nature of its brave venture so long as one is unacquainted with the despotic rule as well as the splendour and vastness of the surrounding kingdoms, their culture and civilisation, their military strength and the pretension and pageantry of their rulers who were invited by the Prophet (ﷺ) through his epistles, to accept Islam. Recent research has unearthed new information about the events, life, and culture of the countries surrounding Arabia, which were previously unknown or about which historians had only a hazy understanding. A biographer of the Prophet (ﷺ) should now take full advantage of all these new discoveries in the fields of archaeology and history and present the facts in conformity with the latest methods of comparative studies.
The writer of these lines is fully conscious of the difficulties alluded to here, as well as the great fund of literature hitherto accumulated in different languages through the industry of the Prophet’s biographers (ﷺ). Still, one considers it an honor to enter this long and luminous list of the Prophet’s biographers (ﷺ) by attempting a new presentation of the most lovable and admirable personality of all times and ages.
The meager amount of leisure and the poor eyesight of the writer have, however, been the two impediments that have always prevented the undertaking of this inspiring task. One was well aware of the difficult and delicate nature of biographical writings and also of the fact that to pen the life of the greatest of all prophets was certainly an arduous task. I had, in fact, written a large number of such life-sketches- perhaps, more than most of my contemporaries-for I had the good fortune of penning the achievements of great reformers and revivalists of the faith ever since I learnt to take the pen in my hand. Narrations of these stories, which run into a few thousand pages, were no less exhilarating to me than enjoying the company of those purer souls, but one still felt diffident in driving one’s pen to write the life of the Prophet (ﷺ). I was conscious of the fact that very often a writer is so swayed by his own predispositions that he begins to paint the picture of his paragon of virtue in the color of his resemblance. The portrait thus painted is more of the writer himself, for, instead of delineating the story of his ideal objectively and impartially, he unconsciously begins to view him in the light of his own experiences and inclinations.
Those who are conversant with the science of the mind and have also gained an insight into the ethical conduct of the people through personal experience and the study of the behaviour and deportment of their mates and colleagues over a length of time, will easily realise the inadequacy of diction and modes of expression in the faithful portrayal of a human character, its inner reaches as well as its spirits soaring high above the skies-it is a task so delicate and likely to inflame the passions that it is not rare for it to come in upon the writer himself. Only he can hope to succeed in this precarious job who has the capacity to touch the chords of another man’s sentiments, enter into his spirit of emotions, share the tenderness as well as fervor of his passions, and echo his joys and sufferings. Such a man has to have a soft spot in his heart that can perceive how others spend their lonely nights after a bustling day, how they behave within their homes and with their friends outside, how they acquit themselves in war and peace, how they carry themselves in excitement and calm, in want and plenty, in strength and in weakness. Indeed, there are numerous heartstrings, sentiments, and susceptibilities of man, still mysterious and undisclosed, for which one would not find an appropriate word in the greatest lexicon of any language. Now, in its charm and elegance, in its catholicity and comprehensiveness, and in its depiction of the most delicate and deepest feelings of human life, the biography of a prophet (ﷺ) presents a task more formidable than any other kind of word painting. In truth, it was only the hadith [5] of the holy Prophet (ﷺ), the like of which is to be found nowhere in the memoirs of other prophets or the greatest men whose life-story has been preserved by history, which has made it possible to penetrate into the inmost reaches of the human psyche. In the compilations containing the Prophet’s acts (ﷺ) and sayings as well as in his earliest biographies, one finds such entrancing exaltations of God and moving supplications, such impassioned entreaties and absorbing orisons, expressing such heartfelt concern for the weal of all mankind, that one’s heart begins to breathe and burn with their penetrating fervency [6].
Similarly, the utterances and speeches of the Prophet (ﷺ) handed down by his companions and friends excel the most refined and eloquent pieces of literature. [7] With all this material at hand, one should have no difficulty nor need to be ingenious in recounting the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) as one is wont to do in writing the lives of other great personalities. His life is the most perfect and winsome, based on unimpeachable evidence of the Divine Writ and unquestionable records of history, furnishing a vivid and detailed account of his looks and lineament, character and deportment, moral behaviour and method of Prayer, his living awareness of God and anxiety for his fellow beings, the grace and elegance of his discourses, and the miraculous march of events in his momentous life. These accounts, recorded with the greatest care and restraint, present, notwithstanding the great labor undertaken by early biographers, only a glimpse of that radiant soul. God recompense them all with a goodly return, for they have left for us an undiminishing treasure in the form of the biography of the Prophet, from which every individual, group, and race can partake till the end of time.
Verily in the messenger of Allāh you have a good example for him who looks unto Allāh and the Last Day, and remembers Allāh much. [8]
For these reasons, perhaps, I never ventured to attempt writing a new biography of the Prophet (ﷺ); actually, one always considered it to be beyond one’s capacity. But, some of my respected friends [9] repeatedly pressed me to write a biography of the Prophet (ﷺ) in Arabic, which should keep in view the intellectual needs and understanding of the modern generation, as well as the prevalent methods of scientific study of history and interpretation, and the critical attitude discernible today. Every generation writes history afresh in a language intelligible to it, for it is necessary to do so, just as the continuous diagnosis of diseases and research in medical treatment evolve with the times. Yet, essential though it may be to keep these dispositions in mind, it should never be necessary to put up one’s own interpretation of the past events coloured with one’s own ideologies, predilections and prejudices, which differ from man to man and change with the dawn of every day; nor need the biography of the Prophet (ﷺ) be tainted with any ill-will or ignorance; nor yet should it be made a means to reflect the invariables of any particular social or political movement or ideology.
At last, God set the heart of the writer to the task, and I devoted myself to it with rapt attention. I went through the hadith literature and the biographical accounts of the Prophet (ﷺ), old and new, in order to derive maximum benefit from all the material I could lay my hands on. Then, relying on the most authentic works on the subject, I began writing the present account. The works to which I am indebted most in this task are the books of Sihah, [10] Sirah Ibn Hisham, Zad al-Ma’aad of Ibn al-Qayyim, and the Sirah Ibn Kathir (which originally formed part of his larger work entitled Al-Bidayah wa’n-Nihayah, but later on took the form of the biography of the Prophet (ﷺ) in four volumes [11]). I also attempted to utilize the best of modern works and sources available in European languages, some of which elucidate certain events in the Prophet’s life or shed new light on the societies and kingdoms of the countries surrounding Arabia during the early Islamic period. It has been his endeavor to present an integrated account of the intellectual, educative, and missionary aspects of the Prophet’s life (ﷺ) rather than allow any of these to overshadow the others. I have also attempted to make the presentation as vivid, easy, and familiar as possible, which, by itself, may win over the reader to follow the example of the great Prophet (ﷺ) whose life and mission are without parallel- unique as a biography of the greatest man of any nation and unmatched by the summons of any religion or movement. With full confidence in the magnetism of the Prophet’s life (ﷺ), the writer considers it prudent to place a true, clear, and undiluted account of the Prophet’s biography (ﷺ) before the readers. The language of truth is always simple and unadorned.
From Shawwal, 1395 (October, 1975) to Shawwal 1396 (October, 1976) the writer of these lines remained completely engrossed in the task save for small spells when ill or travelling abroad, and was able to submit the manuscript of the Arabic version to the press by the end of Shawwal, 1396.
The writer expresses his pleasure in acknowledging my debt of gratitude to two friends of his who have been of great assistance to him in the writing of this book. One of them, Mawlana Burhan ad-Din Sambhali, a lecturer in hadith in the Nadwat al-‘Ulama’, rendered me invaluable help by seeking out the relevant hadiths and verification of certain matters mentioned by the early biographers. Mohiuddin Ahmad is another colleague who has helped the writer in going through the Western sources, encyclopedias, and historical literature. Mohiuddin Ahmad has also rendered this work into the English Language. May Allāh recompense them both for their sincere and arduous assistance to the author.
For quite some time, the author has been used to dictating one’s writings owing to my weak eyesight, and hence I had to enlist the help of some students of the Dar al-‘Ulama in this case also. Of these, two students, Muhammad Mu’adh of Indore and ‘All Ahmad Gujrati, have been especially helpful to me, as well as Nur “Alam Amini Nadwi, a young teacher at the Nadwat al-‘Ulama. As for the maps included in this book [12], care was taken to get them prepared as accurately as possible, for they are essential for understanding the politico-geographical situations described in this work. While Muhammad Hasan Ansari, M.A. (Geog), and Professor Muhammad Shafi’, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Aligarh (Aligarh is a town in India), as well as the colleagues of the latter have taken suggestions provided by Muhammad Rabi’ Nadwi who is Head of the Department of Arabic Literature in the Dar al-‘Ulum, Nadwat al-‘Ulama’ and is also the author of a textbook on the geography of Arabia. My thanks are also due to Mahmud Akhtar of the Allāhabad University for recasting these maps afresh for the Urdu and English editions. Lastly, a mention may be made of his nephew, Syed Muhammad al-Hasanl, who has rendered this book into Urdu with the same enthusiasm as he had translated some of the earlier Arabic works of the present writer. May Allāh bless all of them for their labors.
In the end, the author seeks the mercy of God for his own self and beseeches the Lord to make this work beneficial to all those who go through it. If this work succeeds in stirring the embers of love of the Prophet (ﷺ) in the heart of any Muslim or creates a longing in any non-Muslim to know more about the blessed Prophet (ﷺ) and his teachings, the writer would deem his labor to have been amply rewarded. Yet, its true reward, as one might wish and earnestly ask for, would be its acceptance by the Lord as a means for one’s salvation in the hereafter.
ABUL HASAN ‘ALIRai Bareli
Friday, 15 December 1978
***
[1] I told this story in At-Tariq ila ‘l-Madinah, where I expressed my appreciation of Rahmah li ‘l-‘Alamin, a popular biography of the Prophet by Qazi M. Sulayman Mansurpuri.
[2] The Arabic version known as At-Tariq Ha ‘l-Madinah has been printed thrice in Madinah, Lucknow, and Damascus, while the Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Lucknow, has brought out its Urdu version.
[3] English version since printed as Islam and the World, by the Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Lucknow.
[4] Lit., ’emigration’, the word often transcribed as ‘hegira’ is applied to the emigration of the Prophet from Makkah to Madinah. It marks the starting point of the Muslim era. The Prophet spent thirteen years of his prophethood in Madinah.
[5] Lit., “a saying”; stands for the “prophetic tradition,” a short account of some act or word of the Prophet passed on by a chain of trustworthy narrators.
[6] One may read the author’s article “Life of Muhammad as reflected by his Prayers,” which has since been printed as a booklet, which explains what a deep insight into the innermost feelings of the human mind and heart are reflected in the Prophet’s prayers, and how effective they are in shaping one’s conduct and morals.
[7] See the chapter on “The Finality of Prophethood” in the author’s other work, Islamic Concept of Prophethood.
[8] Qur’ān 33:21
[9] One who was most insistent was Shaykh Muhammad Sawwaf, founder and member of the Rabitah al-‘Alam al-Islami in Makkah, and adviser to the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia.
[10] Sihah or Sihah Sittah comprises the six trustworthy collections of traditions compiled by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah.
[11] Published by ‘Isa al-Babi al-Halabi, Ltd. (1384/1964); (ed.) Mustafa ‘Abdul Wahid.
[12] For this English edition, the maps have been updated to reflect the modern-day territories.
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