The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page xv
Foreword We are pleased to publish the English translation of the second volume of Sīrat Khātamun-Nabiyyīn, [The Life and Character of the Seal of Prophets] may peace and blessings of All ā h be upon him, written by Ḥaḍrat Ṣ ā ḥibz ā dah Mirz ā Bashīr Aḥmad Ṣāḥib ra. This magnificent work not only highlights the various aspects of the life and character of the Holy Prophet sa founded on the Holy Qur’ ā n, Sunnat [Practice of the Holy Prophet sa ] and the Aḥ ā dīth [Sayings of the Holy Prophet sa ] with references particularly from the six authentic books of Aḥ ā dīth and history; rather, 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 with convincing argumentation in this book. Moreover, in addition to a formidable rebuttal of the objections of orientalists, the current volume covers a detailed review of scholarly discussions such as the arrangement and the layout of the Holy Qur’ ā n, Divine revelation, reality of miracles, polygamy, Isl ā m and slavery, Jihād with sword, capitation tax, the wives of the Holy Prophet sa , 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, etc. 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 , Ayyaz Mahmood Khan translated the first volume of this book and it was published in 2011; now, he has completed the English translation of volume two. Under the directive of Ḥaḍrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalīfatul-Masīḥ V (may Allah be his helper) this volume was initially serialised in the Review of Religions starting from the May 2012 Edition onwards. For this reason, the initial review of the English translation was done by Munawara Ghauri, Farhana