. Deep Love of the Ansar for the Messenger ~ ..................... , ............ 227

First Governor of Makkah .................................................................. 229 The Ninth Year of Migration ................................................................... 230 Expedition to Tabuk ............................................................................ 230 Islamic Army's Departure ............................................................ 232 At Tabuk .......................................................................................... 233 Dirar Mosque burnt down ................................................................. 234 The People of Ta'if accept Islam ........................................................ 235 First Deputy of the Prbphet of Allah ................................................ 236

Table of Contents The Tenth Year of Migration ................................................................... 237 Musailimah Kadhdhab ....................................................................... 238 Mubahalah .............................................................................................. 238 The Farewell Pilgrimage ..................................................................... 239 The Farewell Address ......................................................................... 240 The Consolation of Ali ,t0 ................................................................... 241 The Eleventh Year of Migration .............................................................. 241 The Sickness of the Prophet ~ ........................................................... 241 Jihad in the way of Allah from the Sick-bed ............................... 242 Illness increases .............................................................................. 243 Asking Abu Bakr ,t0 to lead the Prayers ..................................... 243 A little before Death ............................................................................ 244 Death ...................................... , .............................................................. 244 The Condition of Umar ~ ................................................................. 245 Firmness of Abu Bakr ,t0 .................................................................... 245 HaJI of Banu Sa'idah ........................................................................... 246 The Funeral Prayer and Burial .......................................................... 246 Noble Features ..................................................................................... 247 Children ................................................................................................ 247 Character and Features ....................................................................... 248 Various States and Conditions of the Prophet ti ...................... 248 Cheerful and Perfect Manners ..................................................... 249 Informality ...................................................................................... 253 Moderation ..................................................................................... 254 Cheerful Disposition ..................................................................... 254 Laudable Traits of Character ........................................................ 254 Chapter - 3 The Rightly-Guided Caliphate ................................................................ 257 Caliph and Caliphate .......................................................................... 257 Clai1n to Caliphate ............................................................................... 258 Islamic Caliphate ................................................................................. 260 Objection to the Procedure of electing a Caliph .............................. 261 Difference between Caliphate and Temporal Rule .............................. 262 Relation of Caliphate with a Nation, Tribe or Family .......................... 262 The Caliphate and Spiritual Guidance as a Profession .................. 264 Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ .................................................................................. 265 His Name and Genealogy .................................................................. 265 The History of Islam Age of Ignorance .................................................................................. 267 Islamic Era ............................................................................................ 268 Valor ..................................................................................................... 268 Generosity ............................................................................................. 269 Knowledge and Excellences ............................................................... 270 Beautiful Living ................................................................................... 271 Important Events of the Siddiqi Caliphate ............................................ 272 Hall of Banu Sa'idah and the Pledge of Caliphate .......................... 272 Bai'ah (Pledge) ...................................................................................... 273 Address of Abu Bakr ~ ..................................................................... 276 Usamah's Army marches on .............................................................. 277 Exhortations to Usamah ~ .......................................................... 278 Success achieved by Usamah ~ .................................................. 279 Trial of Apostasy ................................................................................. 280 Edict of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ ......................................................... 282 Uprooting the Apostates ............................................................... 283 The Manifesto of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ ......................................... 284 Tulaihah Asadi ..................................................................................... 285 Sajah and Malik bin Nuwairah .......................................................... 286 Marriage of the Liar prophetess .................................................. 287 Assassination of Malik bin Nuwairah ........................................ 287 Musailimah the Liar ............................................................................ 289 Deviation to Nationality ............................................................... 290 Furious Fight .................................................................................. 290 Hatm bin Dubai'ah .............................................................................. 292 Laqit bin Malik ..................................................................................... 293 Apostasy in Mahrah ............................................................................ 294 Apostasy in Yemen .............................................................................. 294 Complete Eradication of Apostasy ................................................... 296 Rome and Persia .................................................................................. 297 Policy of the Muslims .......................................................................... 300 The Battle of Dhat-us-Salasil ............................................................... 301 The Battle of Qarin .............................................................................. 302 The Battle of Walajah .......................................................................... 302 The Battle of Ullais .............................................................................. 303 Conquest of Hirah ............................................................................... 303 Message of Khalid ~ .......................................................................... 303

Table of Contents Conquest of An bar : ............................................................................. 304 Conquest of Ain-ut-Tamr ................................................................... 304 Upper Iraq ............................................................................................ 305 Conquest of Dumat-ul-Jandal ............................................................ 305 The Battle of Husaid ............................................................................ 306 The Battle of Mudaiyah ...................................................................... 306 The Battle of Firad ............................................................................... 307 Khalid bin Walid ~ in Syria .............................................................. 308 The Battle of Yarmuk .......................................................................... 310 Death of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ ................................................................... 312 Last Address of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ ................................................ 313 Impressions of Ali ~ .......................................................................... 315 Governors of the Siddiq Caliphate .................................................... 317 Wives and Children ............................................................................ 317 Umar bin Al-Khattab ~ ............................. · ............................................. 318 Birth and Pedigree ............................................................................... 318 Some Specific Excellences ................................................................... 318. Physical Features of Umar ~ ............................................................ 321 Important Events of the Farugi Caliphate ............................................. 321 Khalid bin Walid ~ deposed ............................................................ 323 Banishment of the Najran Christians ................................................ 325 Conquest of Damascus ....................................................................... 326 The Battle of Fihl .................................................................................. 328 Conquest of Baisan .............................................................................. 329 Conquest of Saida, Irqah and Beirut ...................................... , .......... 329 Campaigns in Iraq ............................................................................... 329 First Deed of Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ .......................................... 329 Conquest of Kaskar ............................................................................. 330 The Battle of Baqshia ........................................................................... 331 The Last Deed of Abu Ubaid bin Mas'ud ~ .......................... , ........ 331 The Battle of Buwaib ........................................................................... 333 After the Defeat of Buwaib ............................................ , .................... 334 Umar Fa.rug's Readiness to face the Persians .................................. 335 Sa'd bin Waqqas in Iraq ...................................................................... 337 Rustam's Departure from Mada'in ............................................. 338 Islamic diplomatic Mission ........................................................... 339 Speech of Qais bin Zurarah .......................................................... 339 The History of Islam The Battle of Qadisiyah ................................................................. 343 Conquest of Babylon and Kutha .................................................. 347 The Fall of Bahurasir ..................................................................... 348 Horses across the River ................................................................. 348 The Conquest of Mada'in ............................................................. 349 The Conquest of Jalula .................................................................. 350 Syrian Engagements ............................................................................ 352 The Fall of Hims ............................................................................. 352 Fall of Qinnasrin ............................................................................. 352 Conquest of Halab and Antakiyah .............................................. 352 Fall of Baghras, Mar'ash and Hadath ......................................... 353 Conquest of Qaisariyah and Ajnadain ........................................ 354 Conquest of Jerusalem .................................................................. 354 Umar Faruq's Journey to Palestine .............................................. 355 A Peace Document for the Christians ......................................... 356 Fall of Takrit and Jazirah .................................................................... 357 Return of Iyyad Tribe .......................................................................... 357 Deposition of Khalid bin Walid ~ ................................................... 358 Basrah and Kufah ................................................................................ 360 Conquest of Ahwaz, and Hurmuzan accepts Islam ............................. 360 Graceful Treatment of Umar ~ ................................................... 361 The Conquest of Egypt ....................................................................... 362 The Battle of Nahawand ..................................................................... 363 General Conquest of Persia ................................................................ 365 Famine and Plague .............................................................................. 367 The Conquests of Umar Faruq ~ ..................................................... 368 Martyrdom of Umar Faruq ~ ........................................................... 368 Wives and Children ............................................................................ 371 Accomplished Firsts by Umar Faruq ~ ........................................... 371 Various Conditions and Special Features ........................................ 372 The Summary of Conquests ............................................................... 375 First Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate ........................................... 377 Chapter4 The Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate .............................. 379 Othman bin Affan ~ ................................................................................ 379 Name and pedigree ............................................................................. 379 Excellences ............................................................................................ 379

Table of Contents Physical Appearance ........................................................................... 381 Selection for Caliphate ........................................................................ 381 First Case in the Court of Uthman ~ ............................................... 384 Governors of the Provinces ................................................................ 385 Important Events of Uthman's Caliphate .............................................. 385 The Conquest of Alexandria .............................................................. 385 The Conquest of Armenia .................................................................. 386 Events and Changes in Egypt ............................................................ 388 The Conquest of Africa ....................................................................... 389 The Conquest of Cyprus and Rhodes ............................................... 391 Administrative Changes in Persia .................................................... 392 Revolts of the Persians and the Islamic Conquests ............................... 393 Hajj of 29 AH ........................................................................................ 394 Events of 30 AH ................................................................................... 395 The Event of Abu Dhar Ghifari ,$, .............................................. 396 The Ring of the Prophet ~ ............................................................ 397 Fall of Tabaristan ........................................................................... 397 Circulation of the Quran .............................................................. 398 Events of 31 AH ................................................................................... 398 Yezdgird killed ............................................................................... 399 Events of 32 AH ....................................................................................... 399 Events of 33 AI-I ................................................................................... 400 Abdullah bin Saba ................................................................ : ........ 401 Events of 34 AH ............... .' .................................................................. .404 Edict of Uthman ~ ........................................................................ 408 Objections ........................................................................................ 409 Events of 35 AH ................................................................................... 410 Conspiracy of Abdullah bin Saba ............................................... .411 Departure of the Caravan of Mischief-Mongers ...................... .411 Ali~ intercedes ............................................................................. 413 Abu Ayub Ansari ~ leads the Prayer ........................................ 414 Martyrdom of Uthman bin Affan ~ ................................................ 415 A Summary of Uthman's Caliphate .................................................. 418 Features and Characteristics of Uthman ~ ..................................... 424 Some Significant Indications .............................................................. 425 Rioter's Rule in Al-Madinah ............................................................. .426 Ali bin Abu Talib ,$, ................................................................................. .427 The History of Islam Name and Pedigree ............................................................................. 427 Distinctive Features ............................................................................. 427 Excellences ............................................................................................ 428 Justice and Words ................................................................................ 429 Wise Sayings ........................................................................................ 431 Important Events of Ali's Caliphate ...................................................... .433 Bai'ah of Caliphate ............................................................................... 433 Second Day of the Caliphate ............................................................. .434 Disobedience of the Rioters ............................................................... .435 Useful Counsel of Mughirah and Ibn Abbas ~ .............................. 435 Deposition and Installation of Governors ....................................... .436 Mu'awiyah's Support to Truth ......................................................... .437 Deviation of the Followers of Ibn Saba ............................................ 438 Preparations for the Invasion on Syria ............................................ .438 Military Action against the Muslims ............................................... .439 Preparations of the Mother of the Believers in Makkah ............... .439 Departure from Makkah to Basrah ................................................... 441 The Governor of Bas rah opposes the Plan ...................................... .441 Battle-Array .......................................................................................... 442 Ali ~ marches from Al-Madinah .................................................... .443 Abdullah bin Saba-the Jew and Hypocrite ................................... 444 The Two Muhammads in Kufah ....................................................... 444 Ashtar and lbn Abbas ~ in Kufah .................................................. .445 Ammar bin Yasir and Hasan bin Ali :$, in Kufah .......................... .445 Endeavor for Mediation .................................................................... .446 Consultations for Mischief-Making ................................................. .448 The Battle of Jamal. .............................................................................. 449 Peacemaking Efforts of Zubair ~ .................................................... .453 Separation of Talhah ~ ...................................................................... 453 One more Mischief of the Saba Sect .................................................. 456 Kufah becomes the Capital ............................................................... .457 Egypt and Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ ....................................... .458 Amr bin Al-As~ was with Mu'awiyah ~ .................................... .461 Preparations for the fighting in Siffin .............................................. .462 First Stage of the Battle of Siffin ........................................................ 465 Another Peace Effort during Muharram ......................................... .466 The Speech of Ali ~ ............................................................................ 467

Table of Contents One Week of the Battle of Siffin ........................................................ 468 The Last Two Days of the Battle of Siffin ........................................ .469 The End of the Battle .......................................................................... .473 Making out the Documentation and the Return ................................... 477 Trouble caused by the Khawarij ....................................................... .478 The Decision of the Arbitrators at Adhruh ..................................... .480 The Verdict ........................................................................................... 482 Disruptive Activities of the Khawarij ............................................... 487 Battle of Naharwan ............................................................................. 488 State of Egypt ....................................................................................... 491 Attempts made to capture Other Provinces ................................... .493 Ali's Caliphate confined to Iraq and Iran ......................................... 494 Abdullah bin Abbas' Departure from Basrah ................................. 494 Ali's Martyrdom .................................................................................. 495 Dangerous Plan of the Khawarij ...................................................... .495 Ali's Grave traceless ............................................................................ 498 Wives and Children ............................................................................ 498 A Glance at Ali's Caliphate ............................................................... .499 Hasan ~ .................................................................................................... 505 Physical Features and Pedigree ......................................................... 505 Praiseworthy Traits ............................................................................. 505 Mentionable Events during the Caliphate of Hasan ~ ........................ 506 Verdict of disbelief against Hasan ~ ............................................... 507 Peace Treaty ......................................................................................... 509 Prophecy of the Prophet :l ................................................................. 511 Concocted Story of Poisoning ............................................................ 512 A Glance at Hasan's Caliphate ................................................................ 512 Few Sentences about the Guided Caliphate .......................................... 513 Saeed bin Zaid ~ ...................................................................................... 516

Foreword There is no God except Allah A glance at world history makes it clear beyond doubt that, in every country of the world and in every age, all the Prophets, reformers, guides and founders of religions had belief in one God, and all of them made all-out efforts to convince their people of the existence of one Elevated Creator. Although Adam, Nfm (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses) ~ \ and Muhammad ~ lived in ages hundreds and thousands of years far from one another, but their teachings had Oneness of the Creator as the common factor. Krishnji, Ramchandraji, Gautama Buddha and Guru Nanak happened to be in India; Kaiqbad and Zoroaster in Iran; Confucius in China, Luqman in Greece; Yusuf (Joseph) ~ I in Egypt; Lut ~ \ in Syria and Palestine - but Oneness of God lies at the base of the teachings of all. Almost all men and children, old and young, male and female, Christians and Jews etc., believe in Allah the Almighty. May be, some people in very small number, refuse to utter the name of God but within their hearts they too feel His Presence. They have to admit that this process of cause and effect goes on created and supervised by some power wise to the extreme. This Wise and Well-Intentioned One is known as Allah the Almighty.

Foreword None but the insane can reject the unanimous belief of the men of intellect and the magnificent creation of Allah the Almighty. Muhammad ti; is the Messenger of Allah The magnificent kingdom of Rome had already been broken into pieces and its semi-brute laws and constitution had become distorted enough to wipe out whatever good points happened to be therein. Persian Empire had become the storehouse of corruption and atrocities; China and Turkistan appeared to be the haven of bloodshed and ferocity; in India, the administrations of Asoka and Kanishka were non-existent: none could even think of the reign of Maharaja Vikarmajeet, nor was there any model of Buddhism nor of Brahmanism. Those paying respects to Buddha would commit amply shameful acts for the sake of power and worldly comforts or out of weakness in belief. Those reading the rosary of Shri Krishn had no hesitation in making men the most honorable among the created things to prostrate before the vegetables and the stones. If Europe was like a forest with its men as bloodthirsty and ferocious as the beasts, the whole of Arabia had been reduced to the state of animality. In short, nowhere in the world human race appeared sticking to its pure quality of humanness and nobility. In a situation when the entire world had turned dark and dismal, it was the duty of the people of India to ponder over the fourth chapter of Gita where Shri Krishn Maharaj says: "O Arjun! Whenever faith falls in jeopardy and faithlessness grows, [ provide safety to the virtuous and establish faith by wiping the evils out." rt was the sheer duty of the Persians to come out in search of a guide as per the dictates of Zoroaster. It was for the Jews to wait for the appearance of the light from the peaks of the Faran range and held themselves back from stopper stone becoming the cornerstone. It was the bounden duty of the Christians to make the prayer of Ibrahim (Abraham) and the glad tidings of Jesus, center of their hope. But the global corruption and disruption and all-round darkness had caused The History of Islam human eyes to become so dark and blind that nobody was conscious enough to take himself to be ailing and go ahead for any medicine. In such an age and in a territory like Arabia, Muhammad :i rose to remove the mischief of polytheism, darkness of idolatry, pollution of corruption and disruption and defilement of vices and shamelessness, and raising the voice of La il!iha illall!ih, he performed his singular and sacred duty of making men out of men-like people, and men to be men of high morals, and such noble people to be men of God to change darkness into light, righteousness, peace, uprightness and virtue; and carve pure Muslims out of the deviated, idolaters and evil persons. Nuh ~ 1 was forced by the circumstances to do them away with the sword of "My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers on the earth!" (71:26) after his relentless efforts of hundreds of years to bring the deviated people of Iraq and Arabia back to the right path. Musa ~I tried hard to show the Egyptians and the arrogant king the right path but at last, Musa (Moses) ~I and Children of Israel saw the sight about which the noble Quran then said: " ... and drowned Pharaoh's people while you were looking (at them, when the sea-water covered them)." (2:50) It is for this that Maharaja Ramchandraji invaded Lanka and fought with the demons, and Shri Krishn Maharaj persuaded Arjun to fight in the battlefield of Krukshetra, and had to destroy the defying Kurus at the hands of the Pandus. In Iran, Zoroaster made the wrestling of Isphandiyar and the Empire of Kiyani the base of his preaching and propagation of his faith. But ancient scriptures and sociological traditions reaching the erudite scholars are unanimous that all the revered founders of religions and honorable guides in the way of righteousness have no example to show that, in a short span of less than 25 years, the worst country and the ignorant and brute people became the teacher and the most civilized and well-mannered people on the earth. In less than a hundred years, i.e., in 80 years only the followers of the Faith brought by Muhammad :i encompassed an area ranging from Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean, i.e., up to the eastern coast of China, and, to say, the whole of the civilized world. This world of ours cannot present any

Foreword other example of this miraculous success. And if the teaching of Islam is superior to all other religious codes and doctrines for its supreme qualities, who can then question the status of Muhammad 1i, being the best of all mankind, the Seal of the Prophets and the Mercy for the world? And who can muster courage to challenge the Divine claim for the Glorious Quran brought by the Prophet~ to be matchless and irrefutable? As the Quran says: "Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (the Quran) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)." (15:9) History stands as the most effective and valuable source of putting nations on the course of progress and prosperity and saving them from the path of disgrace and degradation. Whenever nations have gone up to great heights, they have achieved inspiration from nothing but history. The Noble Quran has also told us that the study of history was quite essential for human grace and success in this world and the Hereafter. The events of the past nations remind us that such and such nations bore the brunt of their evil deeds while some others achieved grand success on account of their good deeds. Events of Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa and others and the plights of Pharaoh, Nimrod, Ad, Thamud etc., have not been mentioned in the Noble Quran for the sake of amusement and entertainment and to bring about sleep, but for producing in us courage to perform good deeds and keep away from misdeeds, and changing our present into bright future. The Prophets who have happened to be the greatest well-wishers and most affectionate of all for mankind, have always reminded them of their past history to save them from destruction. None among the great leaders and reformers of the world appears to have ignored the past conditions and events in bringing about alertness and consciousness among the unconscious and self-denying people of their times. It is because of this, every sermonizer or speaker has recourse to interesting historical events to encourage and activate their audience. Among the past heroes too, we refer those who are closely related to us nationally and religiously, and they exert more influence on our lives. The study of the lives and deeds of Rustam, The History of Islam Isphandiyar and Gustap can arouse sense of religious zeal, justice and equity more for the Iranians and Parsees than the Jains or Indians. Similarly the stories of Bhim, Arjun, Vikarmajeet and Prithivi Raj influence the Hindus far more than the Christians. Today, when they have become aware of the influences and consequences of the histories of nations and the fact has come to light that this is the only way of bringing a nation back to life and keep it alive, we see with our naked eyes that those nations which are bereft of glorious histories, present concocted stories and fabricated fictions in the name of their histories studded with sparkling events and scintillating accounts ~o fill the minds and hearts of the individuals and youths of their nations so that they come to believe them. These shameless efforts of transforming wrong into right go on just for the sake of convincing their people of their past grandeur without which no nation could be aroused to compete with others in the race of achieving excellence in various fields of human life and development. This is the reason why the nation antagonistic and hostile to another one tries to distort its history and render its men ignorant of and careless about their history. Magnificent Deeds of the Muslims Among the nations of the world, Muslims are the only nation which is replete with splendid deeds and marvelous performance. And, above all, it has such tested and trusted knowledge and information about the deeds of its elders and heroes which are irrefutable and beyond all doubts. The Muslims need not be introduced to the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, nor they are in need of Mahabharat and Ramayan, for they, in their real history, have all kinds of more splendid and amazing models than those of Iliad and the Odyssey, and Mahabharat and Ramayan contain. The Muslims have also nothing to do with the Shahnamah of Firdausi and tales of the Spartans; for every page of their history can present many Rustams and the Spartans. The Muslims need not hear the stories of Nushirwan the Just and Hatim Tai; for in their true and authentic history, countless Hatim and Nushirwan appear radiating light and luster. The

Foreword Muslims also require no Aristotle or Bacon, Ptolemy or Newton; for in the assembly of their ancestors, such philosophers and astronomers are present which is a matter of pride for them. How pitiable and amazing it is that, at a time, when there is tough competition among the nations of the world to excel one another, the Muslims, despite having the most glorious history, appear to be detached and careless as regards their history. The class which may be said to be more wakeful and vigilant among the Muslims, als~ quotes in its lectures, speeches, writings, articles, magazines, newspapers and books any eminent person from Europe or Christian world wherever it needs to cite example of high morals or amazing performance, since it is unaware of such personalities among the Muslims. Who can deny this fact that the educated class among the Muslims quote in their speeches and writings names of Hannibal, Shakespeare, Bacon, Newton etc., more frequently than those of Khalid bin Walid, Salahuddin Ayubi, Hassan bin Thabit, Firdausi, Tusi, lbn Rushd (Averroes) and Bu Ali Sina (Avicenna). The sole reason behind this is that the Muslims are unaware of and careless about their history. And they are so, firstly, because they are much less fond of knowledge in comparison to other nations; secondly, they have least opportunity and leisure for acquiring knowledge; thirdly, Government schools and colleges have almost wiped out Islamic educational institutions in India; fourthly, the class which is generally called the educated class among the Muslims and which is considered to be forerunner of the Indian Muslims, comes out totally from the Government schools and colleges where Islamic history does not form part of the syllabus or if it is there, it is something other than what is known as history of Islam. After obtaining diploma from colleges, the age of acquiring further education is almost passed and one cannot have time left at his disposal for studying Islamic Sciences. In all cases, our Muslim educated class has to depend on the Islamic histories written in English in a distorted form by the rivals and opponents of the Muslims. Before Islam, no nation of any country would turn towards the art of writing history or compile any authentic history of its elders and ancestors. In order to know how much progress in· the art of history The History of Islam writing could have been made before Islam, the scriptures of the Bible and Mahabharat and Ramayan are enough to establish and believe it. The caution, determination and courage the Muslims showed in the preservation and narration of Ahadith has no parallel in the inhabited quarter of earth. The principle of Hadith and Asma'-ur-Rijal (braRch of knowledge judging merits or other~ise of the narrators of Hadith) etc., came to be invented as Sciences by the Muslims for the sake of the service and safeguards of the Ahadith of the Prophet ~' against all -odds. The strong, firm and unshakable principles invented by the Muslims for research and minute study are so matchless that the like of which the world never witnessed in its long years. The first memorable work of the Muslims in connection with the art of writing history is the arrangement and compilation of the Science of Hadith. And in this connection and in the same manner, they penned the accounts of their caliphs, nobles, kings, scholars, philosophers etc. This whole treasure should be taken as Islamic history. The art of writing history by the Muslims was a new and novel thing and an unexpected blessings and essential asset for the world. When other nations consider their books like Bible and Mahabharat as an asset and a matter of pride, a man is left wonder-struck that the Muslims take out and keep aside even Khatib's history from the shelves of authentic books of history. European historians, these days, appear to be engaged in hairsplitting and the Muslims seem to be awe-stricken with and all-praise for their perfection in this art and they do it with all the sincerity at their command. But, they are ignorant even of the fact that the Introduction to History written by Muslim historian, lbn Khaldfm belonging to an Arab family of Spain living in North Africa, made the entire Europe and the whole world to understand such unique points about t_he art of writing history that all the efforts of European historians can be safely sacrificed on the historical sense and acumen of Ibn Khaldfm. But the high ambition and height of fondness of the Muslims can be gauged from the fact that even in the assembly of scholars of Islam, the original history written by Ibn Khaldfm fails to attract their sense of importance and glory, except the Introduction to History.

Foreword The praiseworthy endeavors of thousands of Muslim historians from Ibn Hisham, Ibn Al-Athir, Tabari, Mas'udi etc., to Ahmad bin Khawand Shah and Zia Barni and up to Muhammad Qasim Faristha and Mulla Badauni, which are still preserved in fat volumes - each one of them is the portrait of the fascinating magnificence and grandeur of the past Muslim era. And each book on" Islamic history needs deep study, and lessons derived from it may be of great use to the readers. But, how pitiable it is that not a single Muslim among a hundred appears to be aware of his Islamic history and goes through history books written by Muslims historians, although a large number of Muslims have the ability to read and understand books of history written by Mill, Carlyle, Eliot, Gibbon and others. Since all the books of Islamic history have been written in the Arabic and Persian languages and even one among a hundred Muslims in India does not know Arabic or Persian to go through these books, it becomes a bounden duty to write Islamic history in the Urdu language. As now, I am presenting this book, other farsighted persons have an opportunity to write Islamic histories in Urdu in the form better than this humble effort. The Nature of and Facts about Islamic History Islamic history is a science or art of permanent nature which has in its fold thousands of voluminous books written by highly experienced and esteemed writers. The Muslim historians have generally penned separately histories of a dynasty or country or any one nation or any one ruler or a king or an event of tremendous importance and value. Some of them have compiled biographies simply of scholars of Islam or philosophers of Islam or saints of Islam and their number reaches up to thousands. This magnificent treasure and collection may be safely brought under the title of Islamic history or the art of Islamic history. And this treasure is multiplying with the passage of time. The number of Islamic countries and kingdoms is also so large that even a book of history of each one of them, if selected, can not be put in a few shelves but in several rooms of a library. To produce an average book of history in the Urdu language is, in fact, to extract essence of books of Islamic history and to summarize the whole thing. It is easier to The History of Islam take a photograph of a very big scenery on a card or to put the photograph of a palatial building into the hole of a bead of rosary, but it is very difficult to produce a gist of the whole history of Islam in a volume containing merely two thousand pages. Hence, I myself cannot convincingly say that I have achieved success in my attempt. I leave it to my readers to decide what place does this book occupy as a book of Islamic history and how could the Muslim Ummah (nation) be benefited by it. As for the events and occurrences, for each and every event, I have tried my level best to judge its veracity in the authentic histories of the period when the event occurred. I have then tried to put the gist of the events in my own words. Wherever any sharp difference of opinion arose among the different historians and I found it difficult to decide about the authenticity thereof, I have translated the opinion of the historian exactly, and also expressed my personal opinion where the situation demanded it. I have written this book as a service to Islam and as a matter of religious duty and expect my recompense only from Allah the Almighty. I admit my incapability to undertake such a gigantic task and if I, anyhow, come out with success, it is nothing short of wonders. And anyone who takes the course of constructive and sincere criticism exclusively for the sake of reforms, will be welcomed as a benefactor, while the one who does it out of jealousy and malice is to be consigned to Allah. Akbar Shah Khan Najibabad, India Muharram-ul-Haram 1343AH

Introduction History Technically speaking, History is a science which deals with the events and occurrences attached to Prophets, kings, conquerors and eminent personalities and significant events of the ages past. These events give us to know about the way of living, moral values and social learning in the past. Some people have defined History in a manner that humans living together form society and that collection of men gives birth to city, and all the states and conditions undergone by them put together take the shape of historical events, while collecting such events by the latter from the former and leaving them for the posterity as a model for learning lesson and benefiting from, is called History. Some others say that the Arabic word Tarikh (history) has been constructed by reversing the last constituent of the word Takhir, and Takhir means to relate the past with the future; for instance, it is to tell that so-and-so religion or rule or battle occurred at such and such period. Thus, it is the only source of knowing what happened in a certain period. In short, much hairsplitting has been done in defining History. But the sum and substance of all the definitions is the same what has been described above. If the gist of the gist is meant, one can say: "The states and conditions and information which are chronologically arranged make History." The History of Islam Need of History History produces in our heart and mind blessed fervor by acquainting us with the living conditions of our elders and ancestors. Human nature has a particular kind of thirst and desire which activates man to travel through the countries, to stroll in gardens and roaming the mountains and forests. This demand of human nature keeps children restless to hear stories of cock-sparrow and hen-sparrow, and to the young to hear tales of parrots and starlings. And this is what urges to carry out the command of Quran: "So ask of those who know if you know not." (16:43) and turns human mind to go through historical books. And keeping this in view, the Creator of natures has put some taste in heavenly Books. What a great nation was Children of Israel that they had claimed: "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones." (5:18) but the more they were getting unaware of the states and conditions of their elders and ancestors, the more they kept falling into the quagmire of disgrace. Consequently, Allah the Almighty has addressed them repeatedly with the words "O Children of Israel! Remember. .. " and reminded them of the conditions of their elders. Benefits of History Study of history sends ambition high, draws toward virtues and keeps away from vices. It develops wisdom and insight, sets farsightedness to grow and creates sense of caution and vigilance. It fills the heart with utmost joys by warding off sadness and gloom. Its study produces in man power to stabilize the truth and falsify the untruth and enhances power of decision. It creates patience and firmness and keeps heart and mind studded with freshness and growth. In short, .knowledge of history is a preacher of thousand preachers and the best source oflearning lessons. By studying history, a man finds himself constantly in the company of Prophets, kings, conquerors, friends of Allah, wise men, scholars and men of consummate skill and learning, and benefits from the fountain of their

Introduction knowledge, wisdom, excellence and virtues. And he can easily save himself from the mistakes committed by great kings, viziers, military commanders and philosophers. No other study can fill human hearts with so much joys without putting any mental pressure or causing boredom as a study of history can do. Preservation of Martial Characters through History: The nation, fully aware of its historical background and events of the past, can essentially and successfully preserve its national character and distinction, and can restrain its people from getting demoralized in any field of activity; it rather leads them to the lost pinnacle of perfection. An individual, who is uninformed of the background of his fathers, may indulge in embezzlement. But one who knows that so-and-so among his fathers achieved name and fame on such and such occasion, keeps his honesty intact caring least for lacs of rupees. A person who is uninformed of his fathers' past, may like to escape from the battlefield. But one who is informed of some occasion when one of his fathers took the field in an adverse situation and fought fearlessly even at the cost of his life, will never flee the battlefield, and the very background of his elder will serve as fetter for him. Now imagine about the high morals like loyalty, truth, piety, modesty, generosity etc. The way the elders and ancestors lived, can produce the spirit of living in the nations and peace in the world. And, perhaps, because of this reason that our neighboring states who have no glorious history of their own, get their purpose served by changing fictitious tales and false stories into historical accounts thinking least about their disgraceful position in the court of the historians. History and Family Virtues: Since history contains virtues of the good and evils of the evildoers, an individual belonging to a mean or low family can give only scant attention to true historical accounts. Noble nations preserve the great and unique deeds of their ancestors in their memory which they The History of Islam follow to keep their nobility intact. Ignoble nations forget even some of the good deeds of their ancestors with the passage of time. To a family or nation whose ancestors have achieved a place of distinction in the sphere of Divine worship, bravery, art and learning, power and grandeur etc., and they have not totally ignored it, they could be activated by producing in them sense of courage, determination, shame and honor. But this device cannot be attempted in case of the mean nations. This is the reason why most often men from the· · respectable nations, of the honorable lineage, sons of saintly people and the virtuous have especial interest in and fondness for the knowledge of history. None among the atheists and well-known coward had ever been a historian or a leader of the historians. Historian The best among the historians is one who is righteous in creed and pure in religious affairs; what he writes should be true as a statement; he is supposed to neither conceal anything nor add anything untrue on his own behalf. Wherever there is chance of stumbling or being victim of misunderstanding, it is permissible to explain and clarify it. It is essential for a historian neither to indulge in sycophancy nor harbor malice against anybody. The style of writing should be simple, intelligible and spontaneous. Orientation in words and style kills the very purpose of the historiography. This is the reason why histories written in the form of poems are considered below standard with respect to reliability and authenticity. He must be noted for honesty and integrity; he has to be distinguished in speaking truth and acting gracefully; he is to be miles away from nonsense talking, hate and dejection. The work of compiling, collecting and editing needs very hard labor and determination from a historian, but still, he is not to be very sure of the veracity of events, for sure access to facts behind an event is not guaranteed. Besides having considerable knowledge of astronomy, geology, civics and religions of the world, a historian must be intelligent, discerning and fair-minded along with being a litterateur and a man with perfect command on expression so that he could state his motive easily and effectively. Despite all this, there are some

Introduction difficulties which appear to be insoluble; for instance, a narrator relates about someone going to a theatre. Now, such a narration gives a number of reasons about his visit and nothing can be said to be essentially true: