IIPH (International Islamic Publishing House)

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MUHAMMAD
AS IF YOU CAN SEE HIM
'Â'id al-Qarni
محمد * كأنك تراه
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE
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Muhammad: As if you can see him
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I am not neutral about the subject-matter of this work because I am writing about someone who is the leader and guide of all of mankind. When I pray, I remember him because he () said, "Pray as you have seen me pray."2 When I perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), I remember him because he () said, "Take from me the rites of your pilgrimage."3 With every blinking of my eye, I remember him because he () said, "Whoever turns away from my Sunnah (i.e., my way, my guidance) is not from me. And in every second of my life, I remember him because Allah () said:
114
(سورة الأحزاب : (۲۱)
لقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أَسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ
Indeed in the Messenger of Allah [Muhammad] you have a good example to follow... (Qur'an 33: 21)
I am writing about a man who categorically is the best human being ever to have walked the earth. And what are the sources and reference books I used to write this book? Were they encyclopedias and history books? No. Instead, my main reference works were the book of love for the Prophet () that I have stored in my heart and the book of unadulterated veneration of the Prophet () that is inscribed indelibly, I hope in my memory. It is as if I am writing not with my hand and a pen, but with my nerves and my heart's arteries. And, because of my great love for the Prophet (), it is as if the ink I am writing with consists of a mixture of my tears and blood.
2 Related by Bukhari (631), on the authority of Mâlik ibn al-Huwayrith. 3 Related by Muslim (1297), on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah. 4 Related by Bukhari (5063) and Muslim (1401), on the authority of Anas ibn
Mâlik.
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Introduction
All praise is for Allah. May the peace and blessings of
Allah be upon Muhammad, upon his family, upon his Companions, and upon all those who follow his way until the Day of Resurrection.
It is often said that a writer of biographies should be neutral and unbiased, and even detached, from the object of his writing. This means that he should write a biography without interjecting into his work personal thoughts and feelings regarding the person he is writing about; furthermore, he should simply give an account of the events and occurrences of that person's life, and thus allow readers to draw their own conclusions about who that person was, and about whether he was ultimately good or evil.
And yet I cannot be neutral as I write about the one human being who is nearest and dearest to my heart: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (). After all, I am not writing about a political leader who, through his ideas and efforts, helped established a country in one of the corners of the earth; instead, I am writing about the Messenger of the Lord of all that exists, about a man who was sent as a mercy to all of mankind.
While writing about him (), I cannot be unbiased. I am not, after all, writing about a ruler who had a large retinue of servants; who owned vast treasures of gold and silver; who would come before his people wearing a crown, an expensive robe, and priceless jewels. Such was the way of countless kings throughout history, but it was not the way of the man that I write about in this
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Muhammad
As if You Can See Him
Muhammad: as if You Can See Him is the author Â'id al-Qarni's follow-up to his recent best-sellers Don't Be Sad and You Can Be the Happiest Woman in the World. It is yet another uplifting spiritual journey that is aimed at inspiring readers to grow in their love for the greatest of all prophets: Muhammad ().
Al-Qarni's own personal devotion to the Prophet's noble character makes for an inspiring read. In each chapter of this book, Shaykh al-Qarni discusses an individual characteristic of the Prophet () in depth, allowing for a focused understanding of his personality. Readers would do well to note that this book is not a biography, but rather a sincere tribute to the Prophet (). It is not a book that should be studied or over-analyzed, but one that should be read with awe and a sincere attachment to the greatest of all of Allah's created beings our beloved Prophet (3).
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