ALL PRAISE is God’s alone. We praise Him, seeking His help, forgiveness, and protection; and we pray also that His peace and blessings descend upon Muhammad (ﷺ), His slave and Messenger, the seal of the Prophets, the chosen one, and our leader and master, and upon his family, his Companions, and those who follow them in goodness.
The biography of the Messenger of God (ﷺ) is the great didactic story of Islam, containing within it all the significant narratives of life, religion and society. Termed ‘sirah’, this is a historical genre of literature from which successive generations have drawn lessons that they applied to their particular environment. In the 20th century, our author, Shaykh Abul-Hasan Ali an-Nadwi, ranks among the foremost of scholars who applied the lessons of the sirah to the political, social, and religious environment he saw around him in his time. He was born in the Indian town of Rai Bareily in 1914 into a pious and scholarly family where he formed a lifelong attachment to the sirah of the Prophet (ﷺ). His childhood was immersed in the sacred sciences of religion, studying the Qur’an, hadith, Islamic jurisprudence, and the history of Islam, in particular, the accounts of the life of the Messenger of God (ﷺ), which he heard, imbued him with a love that was to become the impetus for his lifelong devotion to religion. He grew to become a major figure in the Islamic world, and his influence spread far beyond the boundaries of the Indian subcontinent, becoming a scholar of renown in the Arab world and even in the West.
This biography is written in contemporary style, drawing from classical works and original source materials, but it also includes details and incidental material that reveal the author's academic curiosity and fascination with history, and which provide a vivid account for the reader. Of particular interest is his thorough investigation of the social, economic, and moral conditions present in Makkah and Madinah before the advent of Islam, along with descriptions of the geography and political conditions of the lands that were to become the cradle of the Islamic faith. I hope that this publication will be of critical importance and act as a landmark as we navigate through the complex social, religious, and political questions that we face today.
In bringing this book to print, I am immensely grateful to Dr Akram Nadwi, who brought this valuable work to my attention. Gratitude is extended to Brother Yusuf Zanella and Brother Muhammad Ansa for the great work they have put in as language editors. Credit is due to our dedicated editors, Ustadha Rashida Esakjee, wife of my dear friend Mufti Abdur Rahman Mangera, and Kolsuma Begum, wife of my dear friend Dr Ashik Rahman. Finally, I would like to thank Moulana Shoaib Shah for translating the maps from Arabic to English and also for being one of the editors. Recognition has to be given to Sister Lina Qaisy for the meticulous work she has done as a cartographer.
My gratitude would not be complete if I did not thank my late father, Maulana Muhammad ibn Ahmed Batha, may Allāh have Mercy on him and fill his Kabar with noor, who inculcated in me the importance of the history of the Messenger of God (ﷺ).
YAHYA BATHA
London, 2012.
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