On the sidelines of the biography

Author's name: Taha Hussein

Ibn Hisham's "Seerat" is the most prominent work documenting Islamic history and the primary and most comprehensive source on the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It records most of the events related to the Prophet and the Arabian Peninsula from the pre-Islamic era until his death. The Prophet's biography remains a source of inspiration for many who discuss it, explaining, abbreviating, analyzing, or simplifying its meanings. The "Dean of Arabic Literature" was one of those who were captivated by it. He recorded what he saw from it, hoping that it would serve as a beacon to guide many Arabic speakers to the necessity of referring to it and benefiting from it. Taha Hussein admitted that he did not present anything new and that what he recorded were merely thoughts that occurred to him while reading, which he formulated in his simple yet elegant style.