بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، و الصلاة على سيد المرسلين، محمد و آله وصحبه أجمعين، أَمَّا بَعْدُ:
(Praise be to Allah, Sustainer of the worlds, and His blessings be on Prophet Muhammad, the Leader of the Messengers, his progeny and Companions.)
I do not have words to express gratitude to Allah Who blessed me with an opportunity to present to the Muslim audience this book which was written about fifty years ago by Sayyid Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi, the Islamic scholar internationally renowned for his piety and knowledge. It was read in the gatherings of the Tablighi Jama’at for a long time, but was not printed.
About ten years back when our religious and spiritual mentor Hazrat Maulana Sayyid Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi was checking his family documents and important papers, this manuscript came up. Hazrat Maulana told me that when he used to reside in the mosque which was the center of Da’wat and Tabligh at Lucknow, he had felt the need of a biography of the Prophet (pbuh) which could be read regularly in the gatherings of the Jama’at.
For this purpose he had selected such details from Seeratun Nabi2 of Allama Shibli and Rahmatullil Alameen of Qazi Sulaiman Mansoorpuri that could guide those who were engaged in the work of Da’wah and also strengthen Muslims’ commitment to Islam in general. At that time I wished to submit to the Maulana that this book should be published, but I could not dare to say so:
{وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا} [الأحزاب: 38]
“And the Command of Allah is a decree determined”[Al-Ahzaab, 33: 38].
Since long Hazrat Maulana spends the month of Ramadan at Daera Shah Alamullah Takiya Kalan, his home village, where a good number of his associates gather to spend the holy month with him in order to perform devotional deeds in a congenial environment. As is the tradition there, different religious books are read to the guests at scheduled times for their moral reform and discipline.3 Two years back Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Rabey Nadwi once mentioned that a biography of the Prophet (pbuh) should be included among the books which are read in Ramadan there.
I then recalled this book which was still in the manuscript form. Maulana ‘Abdullah Hasani Nadwi, my elder brother, took a look at the manuscript and on his recommendation the book was read in Ramadan at Takiya that year. The audience liked the book very much and requested that it should be published for the benefit of the general audience. When Hazrat Maulana was consulted, he gave his permission and entrusted me with the responsibility of doing the editing.
While organizing the manuscript, I found that some pages were missing. Especially, the event of the Prophet’s death was not covered in it. Depending on Allah, I took up the work of editing, in which I tried to provide the references from Sahah Sitta (the Six Books of Ahadeeth considered authentic in Islamic literature). Other missing details were included from Seeratun Nabi of Allama Shibli and Nabie Rahmat of Maulana Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi, the author of this book.
The subheadings were also provided for which help was taken from Nabie Rahmat. Now, by the grace of Allah, the book is ready for the readers. May Allah accept it and make it a source of benefit and deliverance for us.
I wish to mention here that the present book is a short and effective biography of the Prophet (pbuh) and can be very profitably read to the general audience in the mosques and other public gatherings. For the researchers and those who wish to study the biography of the Prophet (pbuh) in detail, Hazrat Maulana Nadwi has written a comprehensive and detailed book in Arabic entitled as As- Seeratun Nabawiyah, which brings up some such aspects of the Prophet’s life and mission which common writers have missed.
The ignorance which was wide spread at the global level before the advent of the Prophet (pbuh) has been presented and analyzed in that book on the authority of Western sources. My father Maulana Sayyid Muhammadul Hasani has translated that book in Urdu which is available now by the title Nabie Rahmat and has appeared in several editions. This book has also been translated in some other languages, including English.
It is a matter of gratitude that the English translation of the Seerat Rasool-e-Akram has been done by Dr. Shah Ebadur Rahman Neshat. He had been the professor of English at Ummul Qura University in Makkah Mukarramah. His various books have been published in which he has demostrated good command on the language. Also, he has had good relations with the author of this book, Maulana Sayyid Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi.
Maulana used to have his trust in him and always became happy whenever he visited him. He has translated some of his books, which have been very popular, especially Islam – An Introduction whose several editions have been published and received popularity. I hope from Allah that this translation will enlighten the readers profitably.
I appreciate the contributions of Muhammad Nafees Khan Nadwi and Muhammad Makky Hasani Nadwi who had worked hard to bring this book to this form. May Allah make this book more and more useful and bestow His blessings on those who have striven for it. Ameen!
وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ، و له الحمد والمنه، وصلى الله تعالى على خير خلقه محمد و آله وصحبه أجمعين
(Guidance comes only from Allah. On Him I depend and to him I turn in repentance. He alone deserves all praise and He alone is worthy of our submission. May He shower His mercy and peace on Prophet Muhammad, the best of His creation, and on his progeny and Companions!)
Bilal ‘Abdul Hai Hasani Nadwi
Dare Arafat, Daera Shah Alamullah
Rae Bareli
