We praise You, O Who clarified for us the path of true guidance, Who removed from our vision the veil of transgression. We send peace and salutations upon the one whom You sent as a witness, a giver of glad-tidings, an alerter, a caller to You with Your permission and an illuminating beacon. May salutations be upon his companions who migrated from their homes seeking the bounty and pleasure of Allah Almighty. May salutations also be upon their helpers, the Ansār, who sheltered and assisted them, and who invested all what they had saved and accumulated, to strengthen Islam.

I, Moḥammad al-Khudarī son of the late Shaykh ‘Afīf al-Bājūrī, would from an early age find a great deal of solace in reading the biographies of the pious predecessors and the tales of the golden past. For the human mind such stories are the best method of refinement and most sincere in educating. I appreciated in the biography of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, his incredible patience when faced with the cruelty of his people after he had called them to the truth. As a result he eventually migrated from his ancestral home, leaving it all behind. This is a biography which is the best nurturer of the minds of Muslims for it guides them to what ought to be done and what should be avoided. It will assist them in governing matters of the world like those who governed before them. In particular, the concerns of leaders in attracting estranged minds whilst nurturing compassion between divergent hearts. It is a biography for the military leader to enhance the engagement of soldiers and the preparation of weaponry in order to overcome an enemy. It is a biography for the general public to unify their hearts and for them to become a helping hand to the other.

So I would find a great deal of comfort in reading it but I would also feel extremely pitiful for the Muslims who had forsaken it! Rarely would I find someone occupied with it. However, I would fabricate an excuse for them in that the books written on this topic had developed and advanced to a high academic standard. When I came to the city of Mansoura I was introduced to Maḥmūd Bek Sālim through the recreational clubs of the city. He was a judge at the Greater Mansoura courts. I found that he was a scholar of the religion to an extent that master practitioners would listen to what he had to say and the crème de la crème of society could not excel him. Seldom would a query be put forth and he did not have the superior opinion or the most eloquent of solutions for it. As for knowledge of the life of the blessed Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, he had an evident proficiency. I would often hear him long for a work on the biography of the blessed Messenger that was free of complications and excessiveness; a piece of work that would benefit the common man. I said to myself: O Allah! This brilliant man has uttered exactly what I feel. However, in my determination and hope to complete such a task I found myself lacking for this privilege although certainly grand, it comes with its difficulties. But there was no escape from the matter from what I was hearing from the elders of Mansoura, for they all hoped to work on such a greatly helpful and immensely beneficial book.

I intensified my resolve by trusting Allah Almighty hoping that He would allow me to fulfil what pleases Him and I steadily and very quietly began this journey until I accomplished what I desired. All praise to Allah that I obtained it with ease. It is a pleasant outcome that is beneficial to the general public and a reference point for the individual.

In the preparation of this book my primary resources have been the blessed Qurān and the authentic narrations of both Imām Bukhārī and Imām Muslim. I didn’t explore beyond these sources except when extremely necessary for continuous prose. In this matter I sought the help of ash-Shifa of Qādī ‘Ayaḍ, Sīrah al-Ḥalabīya, Muwahib ul-Ladunya, al-Qasṭalānī and Imām Ghazāli’s Iḥya ‘Ulūm ed-Dīn.

I have written this and I beseech Allah Almighty to grant His grace to our leaders and those in places of influence, that they follow the footsteps of our leader, our master, the Messenger Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and for them to revive the sciences of his religion until they are aided with divine spirit.

In the next chapter I will begin, seeking the divine help of Allah Most-Powerful.