The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page xvii
Foreword Books on the life and character of countless people have been written and will be written. There are some amongst them who are renowned for being great warriors or exceptionally valiant or prominent philanthropists or well-wishers of the nation or they served humanity magnanimously. There are many who became notorious for their scandalous evil character and had their biographies composed. There are, of course, some who made a name in religion and spirituality and the profiles of their lives were collected and published. Likewise, several books have been written on the life and character of the founder of Isl ā m, Ḥaḍrat Muḥammad Muṣṭaf ā , peace and blessings of All ā h be upon him. Unfortunately, there are some such publications as well in which fallacious statements have been made under the influence of biblical legends. The book in view, ‘The Life and Character of The Seal of Prophets, May peace and blessings of All ā h be upon him,’ is the writing of Ḥaḍrat Ṣ ā ḥibz ā dah Mirz ā Bashīr Aḥmad Ṣāḥib ra. It not only highlights the various aspects of the life and character of the Holy Prophet sa founded on the Holy Qur’ ā n and the Aḥ ā dīth (Sayings of the Holy Prophet sa ) with references particularly from the six authentic Editions of Aḥ ā dīth and history; Moreover, it presents the prominent events and episodes in the history of Isl ā m with solid historical testimonies. Some prejudiced orientalists and historians have misrepresented various incidents from the history of Isl ā m in an attempt to tarnish the character of the Holy Prophet sa. Ḥaḍrat Mirz ā Bashīr Aḥmad ra has refuted those allegations vehemently in this book. Moreover, in addition to a formidable rebuttal of the objections of the orientalists, the book covers a detailed review of the scholarly dilemmas, as for example, the assemblage and the layout of the Holy Qur’ ā n, Divine revelation, reality of miracles, polygamy, Isl ā m and slavery, striving with sword, capitation tax, the holy wives, toleration of non Muslims, the Isl ā mic laws regarding marriage and divorce, the electoral system for ‘Khil ā fat’ (succession) and the just and democratic form of Isl ā mic government, etcetera. However, Ḥaḍrat Mī ā ń Ṣāḥib ra was only able to complete this treatise up to the sixth year of migration but his lucid, persuasive and convincing style is so alluring that a person is immensely bound to accept the glory and elegance of Isl ā m and the Holy Prophet sa. For those residing in the West and especially the youngsters of this hemisphere it was imperative that this book be translated into English, published and circulated abundantly. With the permission of Ḥaḍrat Khalīfatul- Masīḥ V aba , Ayy ā z Maḥmood Khan, a student of Jāmi ‘ ah Aḥmadiyya Canada