Histories and Stories

In this book, the stories of the prophets have been compiled from ‘Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah’ (The Beginning and the End) which is a great work of the famous Muslim exegete and historian Ibn Kathir and has a prominent place in the Islamic literature. The stories of the prophets and all the events in their lives have been supported by the Qur’anic Verses and the Sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet (S). Wherever it was necessary, other sources have also been reported for the sake of historical accounts, but on such places a comparative study has been made to prove the authenticity of the sources. Ibn Kathir has reproduced the views and interpretations of all the great exegetes of the Qur’an of his time. The systemic narratives of the Stories of the Prophets have been written in chronological order which renders a historical style to the book.

The book starts by describing the beginning of creation- from the throne and the Kursi, the universe and all that is in it , such as the angels, the jinn and humans . The book also recounts stories from the lives of the prophets and their nations up to the times of the children of Israeel and the Days of Igorance,which ended with the advent of the final Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ).

Darussalam is proud to present the abridged English translation of the classic work: Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah, which covers the Caliphate of Bani Umayyah. It starts from the rule of Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan in the 41st year of Hijrah upto the rule of Caliph Marwan Al-Himar in year 132 of the Hijrah.

The Umayyad Caliphate ?(c. 661-750 CE/41-132 AH) was the second of the four major Islamic caliphates established after the death of Rasulallah. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the city of Makkah, their capital was Damascus. At its greatest extent, it covered more than five million square miles (13,000,000 km2), making it one of the largest empires the world had yet seen, and the seventh largest contiguous empire ever to exist.

The Book of Islamic Dynasties presents in one concise volume an introduction to the many great Islamic dynasties that have arisen, shone and faded – like stars in the firmament – but have left the Muslim world all the richer. The subtitle, A Celebration of Islamic History and Culture, reflects the importance of the inspiring cultural legacies bequeathed to us by our Muslim ancestors and the enormous contributions made by Muslims to world civilization.

Filled with beautiful hand painted illustrations to bring the text to life. This book will be a pleasure to read for both adolescents and adults and will insha’Allah enable the reader to better comprehend the complexities of life in today’s Dar al-Islam.

Luqman Nagy was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with graduate degrees in Library Science and Education and subsequently pursued Middle Eastern language studies at Ankara University (Turkish), Pahlavi [Shiraz] University (Persian), and Umm al-Qur’a University, Makkah (Arabic). Since 1970, he has traveled the length and breadth of Dar al-Islam several times always in search of traditional Islamic societies. He currently resides with his family in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where he teaches at King Fahd University.