From the Author

The biography of the Prophet is a very noble and exalted subject. It teaches Muslims about the rise of Islam, and how the Prophet Muhammad was chosen by Allah to receive divine revelation. Muslims also learn of the hardships the Prophet and his Companions faced, and how they eventually succeeded with Allah’s help. Muslims who study the Prophet’s life, learn much more from it than the story of one man’s life.

They discover how Allah prepared the Prophet for his mission; how Allah revealed the Qur’an to the Prophet ; how the teachings of Islam fortified the hearts of early Muslims; how a small band of faithful Muslims defeated Arabia’s fiercest warriors; and how the truth of Islam triumphed over falsehood and its many devotees.

The Prophet’s biography thus helps Muslims better understand their religion. For this reason, scholars from the time of the Prophet to the present have been very careful about determining the authenticity of sources of the Prophet’s biography. However, not all biographers have made use of the available research. Many have written them regardless of its accuracy or authenticity. Consequently, there are many written accounts of the Prophet’s life that contain information contrary to the teachings of Islam.

In the light of these problems, many people asked me to compile an authentic biography of the Prophet based on authentic sources. I accepted this challenging task and began piecing together this biography from the following sources: the Qur’an, authoritative explications of the Qur’an, authentic sayings of the Prophet and authoritative biographies. I pray to Allah that Muslims will benefit from this work, and that it will be a source of blessings in both worlds. Safir Rahman Mubarakpuri - Shawwal 12, 1415 A.H.