The best book on Seerah you've ever read!?

[Qatadah]

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulahi wabarakatuh


What's the best book on sirah you've ever read? Explain why it's good too, and what are its advantages/disadvantages etc.

I've read Adil Salahi's [Muhammad: Man & Prophet] nearly over half way but i couldn't soak into it because he kept commentating on the events and refuting orientalists.. so that was a slight let down. It's good for sources though and it covers many narrations for the first time reader.


Now i've got Muhammad Rasulullah by Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi, which looks really exciting because i can see some brief details in it which aren't mentioned in other usual seerah books. So i'm really excited to read that. It's got sources in this too, and i think its in 'story form' - so its flowing, which i really like.



You post yours! i want to read more in the future, so i want to see a variety from u all insha Allah!

[Al Habeshi]

Wa 'Alaykum Salam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

Here is a fatwa which may be interesting! I know you want opinions on what is good etc, but I thought I'd include this before telling youabout my experience;

The best book on the Seerah an-Nabawiyyah

From the best books on the topic of Seerah an-Nabawiyyah (the Prophets biography) is the book by Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer, since this book is the nearest of the books of Seerah in accuraccy/soundness. Yet how difficult it is for anyone to write a sound Seerah work.

Shaykh Hammaad al-Ansaaree

Al-Majmoo' fee tarjumah Hamaad Al-Ansaaree volume 2 page 717.

Translated by Aboo Haatim Muhammad Farooq

http://www.fatwaislam.com/fis/index.cfm?scn=fd&ID=248

I have read the When the Moon Split, I was not absorbed by it, it felt like a story book, it appears you may like that? I think I will read it again though. I also have Sealed Nector, finding it hard to raed that.

[Efendi]

For english speaking people i advice, strongly advice book by Mahdi Rizqullah Ahmad, it printed in two volumes by Darussalam.
Very detailed book, that mostly based on narrations.

[Najibullah]

Is the Seerat-un-Nabi by Shibli Nu'mani reliable??

[Ibn Yusuf]

Bismillah walhamdulillah wassalaatu wassalaam 'alaa Muhammad

Assalaamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh

I recently purchased the English translation of Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya by Ibn Kathir (rahimahullah). Insha-Allah i'll try to post a bit more about it when I have read more of it. Mind you, it may take a while before I post, as it's a fairly large four volume set.

Wassalaamu 'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh

[Abd al-Muhsin]

AsSalaamu alaykum, well speaking frankly , I really haven't read any seerah completely! I do have Sealed Nectar , Ibn Hisham (Abridged) .. but I am looking for a seerah book full not Abridged , SO can the brothers here scan their books if possible and make it available for us!!! And especially the classics and the one by Adil (Muhammad : Man and the Prophet), so can any one help!!! Assalaamu alaykum.

[zarash]

Assalaamu Alaykum

Regarding Shibli Numaani's Seerah.

It is popular that some part of it is by Shibli Numaani Hanafi/Sufi. And some part is by Sulayman Nadawi (in my info, he is also Hanafi/Sufi).

This Seerah work by Shibli/Nadawi is monumental indeed and not many people are able to read it complete (myself included). So, it is no wonder there does not exist (or I havent found yet) any detailed commentary/critic from Ahlul Hadeeth's view. Rather, some less expert Ahlul Hadeeth have OK-ed it.

Personally, I would say, one should be extremely careful. I have some works/statements of Shibli Numaani in front of me which are highly regretable and condemnable.

He wrote a book on life of Abu Hanifah (Seeratu Numaan).

Some short points from this book:

In this book he tried to defend Abu Hanifaa's (and Hanafism) and deliberatly tried to misrepresent narrations, historic events. At many places he raises questions on Adaalah of Sahaabah which are clearly an insult and are typical of the Hadith-deniers group. Note that shibli spent some time in the famous Ali Garh College, which was the training ground for Naturist school of thought. An infamous naturist personality of sub-continent known as Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was an Ali Garian.

Some Ahlul Hadeeth people took strong notice of Shibli's book 'Siraatun Numaan'. They wrote many refutations to expose the malicious attempts present all over his book, to corrode the status of Muhadditheen, Ilmul Hadith and similar concepts. It has been suggested that this book was written in beginning of his career and thus he made mistakes. Later on, Shibli himself removed such statements in upcoming editions of this book (I am talking about 'Seeratun Numaan", not the Seeratun Nabi 7/8 vol).

In the same book, Shibli expresses his views on faith: that faith and acts/obligations (ايمان و عمل) are different things which is against our stance ie (doing virtuous or obligatory) acts are part of faith and you can find its sufficient details in the Book of Faith of Sahih Bukhaari and Sahih Muslim.

I can go on with some other details but I think it is irrelevant with the topic above.

Bottom line, there are better alternatives: better books written by much much better people in much much much accurate way. Ibn Kaseer, Albaani, Akram Zia Al Umri (correction needed!) etc...

Raheeq Al Makhtoom has aslo be mildly criticized but at least better than many other weak works.

Allaah knows best

[Abd al-Muhsin]

AsSalaamu alaykum, Well regarding Shibli Numaani, I think he was an anti-salafee and anti-Ahlulhadeeth, I heard that he even accused Imam Bukhari ,and made fun of various traditions , I don't remember the book name but Shaykh Adheemabadee wrote full refutation to his book, So its better to stay away from such a persons book especially those who are well at Aqeedah. AsSalaamu alaykum.

[Qatadah]

asalaam alaikum


the one by Martin Lings has an amazing narrating style masha Allah which flows, but he doesn't quote sources i think and he has some errors in it too, i.e. in regard to the marriage of Zaynab bint Jahsh with the Messenger of Allah (sal Allah alaihi wasalam) and also in the Fath (conquest) of Makkah, i've heard in a talk of Yasir Qadhi that he says there was a statue of Maryam mother of Isa in the Ka'bah, and he says it wasn't destroyed.


Allahu a'lam, but the writing style is really good masha Allah.

[Mufakkir]

What about ibn Ishaqs sirah, is it ok?

[Qatadah]

asalaam alaikum


mufakir, i think the sirah of ibn ishaq is preserved by ibn hisham [he summarised it] and ibn ishaq's may be lost. so yeah, ibn hisham's is good (or if you have ibn ishaq's and if it is preserved) then yeh it would be good insha Allah.

[BrotherUbaid]

I have not read it but have heared great things about The Sealed nectar

[Salamz]

Originally Posted by Qatadah

the one by Martin Lings has an amazing narrating style masha Allah which flows, but he doesn't quote sources i think and he has some errors in it too, i.e. in regard to the marriage of Zaynab bint Jahsh with the Messenger of Allah (sal Allah alaihi wasalam) and also in the Fath (conquest) of Makkah, i've heard in a talk of Yasir Qadhi that he says there was a statue of Maryam mother of Isa in the Ka'bah, and he says it wasn't destroyed.

Abu Bilal Mustafa al Kanadi exchanged some correspondence with Martin Lings on this which is published in a small booklet. You might find it online.

[Muhammad Ibn Ali]

وعليكم السلم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Originally Posted by Qatadah

You post yours! i want to read more in the future, so i want to see a variety from u all insha Allah!

Akhi, how about Seerah Ibn Hisham & Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum ????

[Qatadah]

asalaamu alaykum waRahmatullah waBarakaatuh


Muhammad ibn Ali, you can read them and they are good insha' Allah. (smile)


I have read a new one lately, it is the most detailed one and I love it!

Called; Noble Life of The Prophet;] by Ali Muhammad As-Sallaabee.

It is in 3 volumes, extremely detailed (probably the most detailed seerah in the english language.) And it has Lessons and Morals from the Seerah too.


It is a good book with alot of sources in the footnotes.

[Muhammad Ibn Ali]

Originally Posted by Qatadah

asalaamu alaykum waRahmatullah waBarakaatuh

وعليكم السلم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Originally Posted by Qatadah

Muhammad ibn Ali, you can read them and they are good insha' Allah

Actually I was suggesting this books to the thread starter.... However, I don't know if Seerah Ibn Hisham is available in english. I have Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum but don't have Seerat Ibn Hisham... I heard seerah Ibn Hisham is big book having many volumes???

[AbooAbdurRahman]

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaah

I highly recommend reading this beneficial ebook that is a translation of a lecture by Shaykh Saalih Aal ush-Shaykh (hafidhahullaah) entitled "Principles for Understanding the Seerah." In brief it speaks about the importance of the Seerah, benefits in studying it, what is included in it, some of the early writers and recordings of the Seerah, sources for the Seerah, important points that should be noted in dealing with the works of Seerah, etc. More importantly as it relates to this thread Saalih Aal ush-Shaykh discusses "various schools of thought who attempt to understand it, author about it, and research the importance of it." Understanding the different schools of thought in approaching the Seerah will help one to weed out which books should and should not be read. There is more that can be said about it but I encourage everyone to read it.

As for what I think to be the best work of Seerah that I have read then it is hard to say because what one lacks in is complemented by another and vice-versa. The contempory books such as the Sealed Nectar are nice in that they are free of alot of the unauthentic stories found in earlier works. The Sealed Nectar is a excellent introductory work for one who wants to become acquainted with the Seerah of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, it is brief, easy to read, and full of benefit. The book by Ali as-Sallaabee mentioned by Qatadah is very beneficial and much longer but its length and detail comes mainly from the lessons and deductions taken from the stories found in the Seerah. Then the works of Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab (Mukhtasar Za'ad al-Ma'd) and his son Abdullaah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab (Mukhtasar Seeratur-Rasool) are good and these are like what Saalih Aal ush-Shaykh said,

"...you see that the verifying scholars who are concerned with attaching importance to the issue of tawheed such as Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim, Imaam Muhammad bin 'AbdulWahhaab and those after him, looked at the seerah and the incidents that took place in it and attached it to the battlefield between tawheed and shirk. For this reason, whoever looks at the book of seerah by Imaam Muhammad ibn 'AbdulWahhaab, the book of seerah of 'Abdillaah the son of the Imaam (raheemahumullaah) will see that they are beneficial in regards to the battleground between tawheed and shirk. This is a correct deduction because it is based upon a deduction with regards to application, which is the reality which was between the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wassallam) and his companions..."

The study of the Seerah is a lifelong endeavour and it is connected to the foundational branches of knowledge, i.e. Tawheed, Tafseer, Hadeeth, and Fiqh. So whenever you are seeking knowledge you are going to run into the Seerah. And it is not befitting whatsoever for a Muslim to be ignorant of the Seerah of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam. How can you follow someone you dont have knowledge of? It is essential that we have knowledge of him sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, who he is, his lineage, his city, what he came with, how the wahy first came to him, how he established the da'wah to Allaah, his life in Makkah and Madeenah, even his life before he was a Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, etc. I ask Allaah Tabarak wa Ta'aala to aid us all in acquiring a deep knowledge of the Seerah of His chosen Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam and I hope what added here was of some benefit and may Allaah forgive me if i stated anything incorrect.

[Muhammad Ibn Ali]

Originally Posted by AbooAbdurRahman

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaah

I ask Allaah Tabarak wa Ta'aala to aid us all in acquiring a deep knowledge of the Seerah of His chosen Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam and I hope what added here was of some benefit and may Allaah forgive me if i stated anything incorrect.

Wa ' alaikum as-salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Ameeen, ya rabb al-'alamin.
masha Allah, and what you said was also of benifit akhi, : )