The Maghāzī of Sayyidunā Muhammad S

Author: Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah

Translators: Javed Iqbal & Jody McIntyre

Foreword: Shaykh Abdul Aziz Suraqah

Notes: Shaykh Talut Dawood

Languages: English

Paperback Edition: 238 pages

Color: Black and White

ISBN: 978-1-952306-89-1

Publisher: Imam Ghazali Publishing

This text is the first English translation of The Maghāzī of Sayyidunā Muhammad ﷺ by the eminent Tabi’i scholar Musa ibn ‘Uqbah, the earliest biography of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ currently known to exist.

Renowned in his own time as a muhaddith and historian, Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah ranks as one of the first individuals to compile reports specifically related to the sīrah, the biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. More significant, however, is the fact that his Maghāzī (Expeditions) was acclaimed by his contemporaries, such as Imam Malik ibn Anas, as the most authentic work of its genre. In the years that followed, The Maghāzī of Sayyidunā Muhammad ﷺ served as an authoritative source for many later works on the life of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ.

A sub-genre within the field of Prophetic studies, the maghāzī literature covers the battles and military expeditions of the Prophetic era, and by extension, the biography of the Prophet ﷺ as well. The maghāzī literature is thus both historical and religious in its scope. What sets The Maghāzī of Sayyidunā Muhammad ﷺ apart, even among the works of maghāzī and sīrah, is the fact that its author was a muhaddith first and foremost, and as such, adhered to strict requirements for documentation of both narrators and narrations in his works. The result is that his Maghāzī is a work of history that is documented almost to the same standards as a work of hadith.

Until recently, no copies of The Maghāzī of Sayyidunā Muhammad ﷺ had been seen for over 400 years, and most scholars believed the text to be lost forever. Thus the good fortune of its reappearance cannot be overstated. The discovery of its manuscripts in the archives of the National Library of Tunisia is a significant event, the like of which the Ummah may not see again for many years, if ever. Ninety-one folios were found, which together contain approximately three-quarters of the original text. We hope that the remaining parts may be found soon.

IGP’s paperback edition of the The Maghāzī of Sayyidunā Muhammad ﷺ includes:

English translation of the manuscript text

Introduction and history of the work

Foreword with detailed discussion of the science of sīrah

Footnotes to provide context and explanation, as well as the sources of the dozens of Qur’anic verses woven into the text

Biography of the author