Hayba 1-28

[Liliane Hubright]

fibhhed by Garner Publishing Limired 8 Southern Court South Streer Reading RG14QS UKCopyright 0 1998The Cenrer for Muslim Conuibution to Civilization Ail rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any elecrronic or mechanicd means, including infomarion srorage and retrieval systems, wirhour permission in writing from the publisher, arcepr by a reviover who may quote brief passages in a review Finr Edition 1998 First Paperback Edition 2000 Reprinted 2002,2004,2006 Brirish Library Catdoguhg-in-Publication Daca A caialogue record for chis book is availablefrom che British Library

CONTENTSForeword ixAbout this SeriesCenter for Muslim Contribution to Civilization: Board of Trustees x..i.Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization: Board and AdvisorsIntroduction by Ahmed Fareed xlllTranslator's Preface xiv xv xxivVolume I 1 The Story of Saba'. 4 The Story of Rabi'a b. Nasr b. Abii Haritha b. 'Amr b. 'Amir. 9 The Story of Tubba' Aba Karib Tubbim As'ad, king of Yemen, with the people of Medina; how he wished to raid the Holy Sanctuary at Mecca. Then he 12 dignified and venerated it and covered it with cloth; thus be was the frst to do so. 17 Usurpationof the throne of Yemen by LaklmrFa Dhri Shanntir.AN ACCOUNTOF HOW RULE IN YEMENPASSED FROM HIMYARAND WAS 18TRANSFERRED TO THE BLACK ABYSSINIANS.AN ACCOUNTOF HOW ABRAHAAL-ASHRAMREBELLED AGAINST, FOUGHT,AND KILLED ARYAT,AND SO ASSUMED POWER OVER YEMEN.AN ACCOUNTOF THE REVERSION OF THE KINGSHIP FROM THE ABYSSINIANSTO SAYFB. DHUYAZANTHE HIMYARITEJ,UST AS THE TWO SOOTHSAYERSHADPREDICTED TO RABI'A8. NASR,THE LAKHMITE.AN ACCOUNTOF HOW PERSIANRULE IN YEMENENDED. The Story of al-Satiriin, King of al-Hadr.AN ACCOUNTOF THE SONS OF ISHMAELWHO WERE THE ARABSOF HIJAZ, ANDOF THE EVENTS OF THEJXHILIYYA PERIOD UP TO THE TIME OF THE MISSION. T h e Story of Khuza'a and an account of 'Amr h. Luhayy and the worship of idols in Arab lands.AN ACCOUNTOF 'ADNAN,FOREBEAORF THE ARABSOF THE HIJAZFROM 50WHOM THE LINE GOES DOWN TO THE PROPHET(SAAS).AN ACCOUNTOF THE GENEALOGICAL ORIGINS OF THE ARABSOF HIJAZUP TO(ADNAN. 57

In the N a m e of God,the Benefcenr, the Merciful FOREWORDTHEinterrelationship and interaction of human cultures and civilizations hasmade the contrihutions of each the common heritage of men in all ages and allplaces. Early Muslim scholars were able to communicate with their Westerncounterparts through contacts made during the Crusades; at Muslim universitiesand centres of learning in Muslim Spain (al-Andalus, or Andalusia) and Sicily towhich many European students went for education; and at the universities andcentres of learning in Europe itself (such as Salerno, Padua, Montpellier, Paris,and Oxford), where Islamic works were taught in Latin translations. Among theMuslim scholars well-known in the centres of learning throughout the worldwere al-F&i (Rhazes), Ibn Sin2 (Avicenna), Ibn Rushd (Averroes), a1Khwiuizmiand Ibn Khaldm. Muslim scholars such as these and others produced originalworks in many fields. Many of them possessed encyclopaedic knowledge anddistinguished themselves in many disparate fields of knowledge. In view of this, the Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization was estab-lished in order to acquaint non-Muslims with the contributions Islam has givento human civilization as a whole. The Great Books of Islamic Civilization Projectattempts to cover the first 800 years of Islam, or what may be called Islam'sClassical Period. This project aims at making available in English a wide selectionof works representative of Islamic civilization in all its diversity. It is made upof translations of original Arabic works that were produced in the formativecenturies of Islam, and is meant to serve the needs of a potentially large reader-ship. Not only the specialist and scholar, hut the non-specialist with an interestin Islam and its cultural heritage will he able to benefit from the series.Together, the works should serve as a rich source for the study of the early periodsof Islamic thought. In selecting the books for the series, the Center took into account all majorareas of Islamic intellectual pursuit that could be represented. Thus the seriesincludes works not only on better-known subjects such as law, theology,jurisprudence, history and politics, but also on subjects such as literature, medi-cine, astronomy, optics and geography. The specific criteria used to selectindividual books were these: that a hook should give a faithful and comprehensiveaccount of its field; and that it should be an authoritative source. The readerthus has at his disposal virtually a whole library of informative and enlighteningworks. Each book in the series has been translated by a qualified scholar and reviewedby another expert. While the style of one translation will naturally differ from

x THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMADanother, the translators have endeavoured, to the extent it was possible, to makethe works accessible to the common reader. As a rule, the use of foomotes hasbeen kept to a minimum, though a more extensive use of them was necessitatedin some cases. This series is presented in the hope that it will contribute to a greater under-standing in the West of the cultural and intellectual heritage of Islam and willtherefore provide an important means towards greater understanding of today'sworld. May God Help Us! Muhammad bin Hamad Al-Thani Chairman of the Board of Trustees

ABOUT TIHIS SERIESTHISseries of Arabic works, made available in English translation, represents anoutstanding selection of important Islamic studies in a variety of fields of knowl-edge. The works selected for inclusion in this series meet specific criteria. Theyare recognized by Muslim scholarsas being early and important in their fields, asworks whose importance is broadly recognized by international scholars, and ashaving had a genuinely significant impact on the development of human culhire. Readers will therefore see that this series includes a variety of works in thepurely Islamic sciences, such as Qur'an, hadith, theology, prophetic traditions(sunna), and jurisprudence Viyh). Also represented will he hooks by Muslimscientists on medicine, astronomy, geography, physics, chemistry, horticulture,and other fields. The work of translating these texts has been entrusted to a group of profes-sors in the Islamic and Western worlds who are recognized authorities in theirfields. It has been deemed appropriate, in order to ensure accuracy and fluency,that two persons, one with Arabic as his mother tongue and another withEnglish as his mother tongue, should participate together in the translation andrevision of each text. This series is distinguished from other similar intercultural projects by itsdistinctive objectives and methodology. These works will fill a genuine gap inthe library of human thought. They will prove extremely useful to all those withan interest in Islamic culture, its interaction with Western thought, and itsimpact on culture throughout the world. They will, it is hoped, fulfil an importantr61e in enhancing world understanding at a time when there is such evident andurgent need for the development of peaceful coexistence. This series is published by the Center for Muslim Contribution toCivilization, which serves as a research centre under the patronage of H.H.Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Amir of Qatar. It is directed by a Board ofTrustees chaired by H.E. Sheikh Muhammad bin Hamad al-Thani, the formerMinister of Education of Qatar. The o a r his comprised of a group ofprominent scholars. These include H.E. Dr Ahul-Wafa al-Taftazani*, DeputyRector of Cairo University, and Dr Yusuf al-Qaradhaw Director of the Siraand Sunna Research Center. At its inception the Center was directed by the lateD r Mohammad Ihrahim Kazim, former Rector of Qatar University, who estah-lished its initial objectives. The Center was until recently directed by Dr Kamal Nagi, the Foreign CulturalRelations Advisor of the Ministry of Education of Qatar. He was assisted by a * Died 1994, may All& have mercy on him

xii THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUWAMMADBoard comprising a number of academicians of Qatar University, in addition toa consultative committee chaired by D r Ezzeddi Ihrahim, former Rector of theUniversity of the United Arab Emirates. A further committee acting on behalfof the Center has been the prominent university professors who act under thechairmanship of Dr Raji Rammuny, Professor of Arabic at the University ofMichigan. This committee is charged with making known, in Europe and inAmerica, the books selected for translation, and in selecting and enlisting prop-erly qualified university professors, orientalists and students of Islamic studiesto undertake the work of translation and revision, as well as overseeing the pub-lication process.

CENTER FOR MUSLIM CONTRIBUTION TO CIVILIZATION H.E. Sheikh Muhammad bin Hamad al-Thani Chairman 1. H.Eminence Sheikh al-Azhar, Cairo, Arab Republicof Egypt. 2. Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). 3. Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO). 4. H.E. the Minister of Education, State ofQatar. 5. H.E. the Minister of Education, Kuwait. 6. H.E. the Minister of Education, Oman. 7. H.E. the Secretary-General of the Muslim World Association, SaudiArabia. 8. H.E. Dr Ezzeddin Ibrahim, Cultural Advisor to H.H. the President of the U.A.E. 9. Professor Yusuf al-Qaradawl, Director, Sira and Sunna Research Centre, University of @tar.10. Chairman, Arab HistoriansUnion.11. Professor Cesar Adib Majul, Professor at the American Universities.Following are the names of the late prominent Muslim figures who (may Allah have mercy uponthem) passed away after they had taken vital roles in the preliminary discussions of the Center'sgoals, work plan and activities.They are:1. Dr Kamal Naji, former General Supervisor,Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization, Qatar (7 October 1997).2. SheikhJad al-Haq Ali Jad al-Haq, Sheikh al-Azhar, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt.3. Dr Muhammad Ibrahim Kazim, former Rector, University of Qatar.4. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ibrahim al-Ansari, former Chairman, Department for the Revival of Islamic Cultural Heritage, Srateof Qatar.5. Muhammad al-Fasi, former Honorary Chairman, Islamic University Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco.6. Dr Abul-Wafa al-Taftazani, former Deputy Rector, University of Cairo, Arab Republic ofEgypt.7. Senator MamimatalT m n o , fanner member of the Philippino Congress and Muslim leader in the Philippines.

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