thoughts of the people included here. Rather, I hope, this book will encourage and inspire the readers to pursue their own study and research into Islamic thought, history, culture and civilisation.
Due to geographical, cultural, intellectual and historical overlaps, it was not possible to avoid some repetition. Hopefully, the readers will understand and appreciate why this was unavoidable as they go through the book. I went to great lengths to avoid using unnecessary jargon and technical language, but in some places this was unavoidable (for instance, when discussing aspects of theology, philosophy or mysticism). In addition, all the chapters begin with an introductory statement which seeks to place the personality concerned within their socio-political or cultural context and I have ensured that all the entries are of roughly equal length. In order to simplify things, only the Gregorian dates have been provided within the main text of the book, but I have included their hijri (Islamic) equivalent in the chronology at the end of the book. Since the hijri year consists of twelve lunar months of 29 or 30 days each, the Islamic calendar is about 11 days shorter than its Gregorian equivalent; thus the converted dates – as they appear in the chronology – are approximate. Again, for the sake of simplicity, I have not used any diacritics except for such common words and names like the Qur’an, Mu’tazilah, al-Ash’ari and al-Ma’mun. Likewise, I have completely avoided footnotes because this book is aimed primarily at students and lay readers, but most of the books and articles I read and consulted are listed in the select bibliography. Nearly all the Arabic words and titles of books cited within the text have been translated into English for the benefit of the readers. Moreover, according to Islamic custom, when the name of the Prophet Muhammad is mentioned, the words sallallahu alaihi wasallam (peace and blessing of God be upon him) should be added. When the name of any other Prophet is mentioned, the words alaihis salam (peace be upon him) should be added. When the name of a male companion of the Prophet is mentioned, the words radiAllahu anhu (God be pleased with him) should be added. And, finally, when the name of a female companion of the Prophet is mentioned, the words radiAllahu anha (God be pleased with her) should be added. All Muslim readers are reminded to observe this Islamic custom, as I have not included these customary salutations within the main text of the book for the sake of brevity and simplicity.
My studies concerning Islamic thought, history, culture and civilisation have occupied me for nearly twenty years now, since I was about thirteen, and unquestionably this book could not have been written without the sources listed in the select bibliography. I am extremely grateful to the authors, editors, translators and publishers of these and other books and articles I have read, and should anything I say in this book appear in any way similar to their ideas and thoughts, it is because I have drawn my information from them. The first draft of this book was completed in November 2005, exactly a month before my thirty-second birthday, but due to a heavy workload it was not possible to thoroughly check and revise the manuscript at the time. However, during 2006 I revised the manuscript several times, and the final revision was completed in August 2007. And, given the nature and size of this book, it is possible that some errors have escaped my attention and scrutiny. Thus should anyone spot any factual inaccuracies or errors, I would be grateful if they could write to the publisher so that the errors can be rectified in any future edition of this book.
Finally, I need to thank a number of people. Firstly, I am grateful to Professor Dr. Muhammad Abdul Jabbar Beg, FRAS, who is a distinguished Islamic historian and a prolific writer, for thoroughly reading a draft version of this book and making numerous corrections and suggestions for improvement. I am indebted to Mawlana Mohammed Mushfiqur Rahman (who specialised in hadith literature at al-Azhar University) and Hafiz Abdullah Muhammad (a writer and Islamic researcher) for reading a draft version of this book and providing valuable feedback. Likewise, I am grateful to Ahmed J.Versi, the editor of The Muslim News (a leading British Muslim newspaper), for not only reading this book and making some useful and interesting comments, but also for encouraging me to write regularly for his esteemed newspaper. Rod Bushell agreed to thoroughly check the whole manuscript and, in the process, he raised numerous queries and questions which enabled me to clarify many issues and further improve and enhance the book.
My wife has been a source of blessing since our marriage nearly nine years ago. Without her support, encouragement and tolerance, this book could not have been written. At times I studied for more than twelve hours a day, but she accepted and tolerated my excesses and absent-mindedness; may the Almighty reward her most abundantly. As for my two young sons, Muhtadi aged six and Mustafa aged four, they kept-on asking when the book would be completed. To them, I say, it is now complete. Likewise, my sister Sabia helped produce the chronology, and Motin and Shelina assisted in so many other ways. My mother was keen for me to finish the book so I could take some rest. I am also grateful to Yahya Birt, Commissioning Editor, and all his colleagues at Kube Publishing for their constructive criticism, suggestions and contributions.
Ultimately, however, my success in my task can only come from Him; the One and Only (al-Ahad). Blessed is His Name and salutation (salawat) upon His most beloved, the light by whom others are guided to the Light (al-Nur), and to Him is our final return.
HE WAS BORN an orphan and was brought up in the Arabian village of Ta’if. He was subsequently raised in the town of Makkah by his extended family. He worked as a shepherd and a merchant, and never set a foot inside a school or college and was known to have been ummi, or an unlettered man. He came to be known to his fellow countrymen for his absolute honesty, impeccable character and strong sense of justice and fair play – so much so that they fondly called him al-amin (the trustworthy) and al-sadiq (the truthful). He led a hitherto uneventful life without in any way showing the signs of the great man that he was to be. Arabia was not necessarily known for rearing men of universal appeal and renown. His birth put an end to that drought and, for the first time in their history, the Arab descendants of the great patriarch, Abraham (Ibrahim), had something they could truly celebrate: the birth of the most influential man ever to walk on the earth. His name means the ‘praiseworthy one’.
To some Arabs, history actually began in 570, the year in which their greatest son was born into the noble Makkan tribe of Quraysh (in present-day Saudi Arabia). A direct descendant of Ishmael (Ismail), the father of the Semitic Arab race, he single-handedly dragged the Arab people from being a footnote of human history to be the founders of one of history’s greatest civilisations. More importantly, he accomplished such an unprecedented feat without any wherewithal. Caesar had the pomp and power of Rome; Alexander had a mighty army; Heraclius had immense wealth and resources, while Napoleon was trained at a military academy; but he had none of these things. He started with nothing, but ended up with the whole world. That was the greatness of the man called Muhammad, history’s most incomparable religious-cum-political genius.
Living in seventh century Arabia, Muhammad became increasingly detached from the superstitious beliefs and practices of his people. He began to explore, and take a closer interest in, spiritual matters by secluding himself on the Mount of Light (jabal al-nur), situated on the outskirts of the Arabian town of Makkah, for meditation and spiritual renewal. As political corruption, social inequality, economic disparity between the poor and rich, and religious superstition and tribal conflict increasingly became the order of the day in Makkah and across Arabia, Muhammad began to search for serious answers to his society’s maladies. As he approached his fortieth birthday, his meditation and retreat on the Mount of Light intensified and reached its climax during one night in the month of Ramadan, which resulted in a direct visitation from archangel Gabriel (jibrail), conveying to him the first of a series of Divine revelations, which he continued to receive until his death in 632. The angel confirmed that he, Muhammad, was God’s last and final Prophet (nabi) to humanity and the Qur’an, consisting of one hundred and fourteen chapters (suwar) of variable length, was God’s last and final revelation (wahy) to mankind. This Divine intervention in history marked the beginning of Muhammad’s Prophetic mission. The result was that Islam – meaning
