The Prophetic Seerah (peace and blessings be upon its noble subject) was the first school in which the author of this book received his education. He entered this school at an unusually early age, an age at which children ordinarily do not enter such a field of study. The credit for this goes to the atmosphere that prevailed in his home and family, where the Seerah formed an essential part of the education and culture imparted to the children of the household. It was also due to the small collection of books, in both poetry and prose, that passed from hand to hand within the family, and, later, to the upbringing and wise guidance of his elder brother, Dr. Sayyid ‘Abd al-‘Ali al-Hasani.
When he began to acquire proficiency in Arabic, he devoted himself to the books written on the Seerah, foremost among them As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Hisham and Zad al-Ma‘ad fi Hady Khayr al-‘Ibad by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. He did not study these works merely as an academic exercise; rather, he lived with them for a long period of time, tasting through them the sweetness of faith and nourishing his feelings of love and affection with the accounts and narratives they contained.
It is well established that, after the Qur’an, the Seerah is among the most powerful means of education and spiritual development, and among those that exert the greatest influence upon the heart and mind.
He then went on to read whatever books on the Seerah he could obtain, whether written in earlier or modern times, including works in foreign languages.
The Seerah became the primary source upon which he drew in his writings and lectures. From it he derived strength and eloquence in expression, the ability to influence minds and hearts, powerful evidence, and compelling examples with which to establish the points he wished to make. It was, and continues to be, the source that stimulates his thought and kindles his abilities. There is scarcely any significant work among his writings that does not bear something of the beauty of the Seerah and reflect the benefit of studying and contemplating it.
The author collected what he had written on various aspects of the Seerah and on the greatness of the mission of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, together with a number of his lectures and talks, in a book that he entitled The Road to Madinah (At-Tariq ila al-Madinah).
Despite his lifelong engagement with the Seerah and having authored dozens of books over this long period, the author had never seriously considered writing a separate and comprehensive book devoted specifically to the Prophetic Seerah. This was despite his keen awareness of the pressing need for a work written in a contemporary and scholarly style, one that would benefit from the finest works of both the classical and modern periods, while being firmly based upon the earliest and original sources of the Seerah and fully consistent with what is established in the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah.
Such a book, he felt, should not follow the encyclopedic method of accumulating information without criticism or careful examination, a method adopted by many later and intermediate authors, and even by a few early writers. Such an approach has given rise to numerous questions and difficulties from which Allah has kept the noble Seerah free and with which Muslims need not burden themselves.
Rather, such a work should benefit from careful revision, verification, and critical examination without merely imitating contemporary intellectual trends or submitting to the writings of Orientalists and the assertions of skeptics. It should remain faithful to the established principles of religion in whose light the revealed scriptures, the lives of the Prophets, miracles, and reports concerning the unseen are properly understood.
It should be founded upon the principle that this is the biography of a Prophet of Allah, one sent by Him and supported by Him, not merely the biography of a great man among great men or a leader among leaders.
It should be a book that could be presented to every fair-minded and educated reader, Muslim or non-Muslim, without hesitation, reservation, exception, or the need for strained interpretation.
In such a work, the author should rely primarily upon the events, facts, and authentic material of the Seerah itself, allowing them to speak in their own language and to make their own way into hearts and minds, rather than depending excessively upon his own philosophical interpretation of events, explanations of reports, or lengthy and elaborate introductory discussions.
Reason and emotion should also appear side by side, for both are essential to appreciating the Seerah, benefiting from it, and properly understanding its issues, teachings, and events. Scholarly investigation and analytical criticism should not come at the expense of emotion, love, and faith. A book stripped of emotion, love, and faith would be something artificial and wooden, devoid of life.
Nor can an author writing about the Seerah disregard the environment in which its events took place or the age in which its light first appeared and dawned upon the world. It is therefore necessary to describe the worldwide state of Jahiliyyah, the Age of Ignorance, which had spread its influence across the earth during the sixth century of the Christian era.
I ask Allah to make this book beneficial, to accept it with His gracious acceptance, and to make it a treasure for the Hereafter and a means of studying this pure Seerah more deeply, drawing increasingly from its guidance, and benefiting from it.
It would be sufficient reward for the author, and sufficient testimony to the value of this book, if it awakens the dormant love and faith within the heart of a believer, or creates within the heart of even one non-Muslim an attraction toward this pure and fragrant Seerah, an attraction that leads that person to study Islam and seek to understand it.
Abul Hasan Ali al-Hasani Nadwi
(رحمه الله)