Early Days : From Al – Bidayah wan – Nihayah (H/B)

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.

Allah the Most Exalted says in the Qur’an:

• “We are relating unto you the most beautiful of stories in that what We have revealed to you from the Qur’an, though before it you were from among those who were not aware of them.” (12:3)
• “We have indeed sent aforetime Messengers before you, of them there are some whose stories We have related to you, and whose stories We have not related to you…” (40:78)
• “We relate to you the important news of their story in truth…” (18:13)
• “And all that We relate to you of these stories of the Messengers, We strengthen with them your heart. Through them there come to you the truth as well as admonition and reminder to all those who believe.” (11:120)
• “There is, indeed, in their stories lessons for people endowed with understanding. It is not any invented tale, but a confirmation of what went before it, and a detailed exposition of all things, and a guide and a mercy to the people who believe.” (12:111)
• “…so relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.” (7:176

Much is known about Henry Ford (1863-1947), one of the greatest industrialists of our times, and his ‘Model T’.

What is not so well known is that Ford devoted years of his life and a substantial part of his fortune to awakening the American people to the enemies of the nation. Ford had become convinced that there was an organized, dangerous, largely secret, and incredibly powerful menace to America, almost completely Jewish at its highest levels, and he was determined to do something about it. Thus, 1920 marked the beginning of the publication of Ford’s research series in The Dearborn Independent, the Ford Motor Company’s weekly magazine. These articles were eventually collected in book form under the title The International Jew. When first published, more than 10 million copies were sold in the United States  alone. It was translated into sixteen LANGUAGEs and distributed by the millions in Europe, South America and the Middle East, making it one of the greatest bestsellers of all time.

Yet today this book is almost impossible to find. You will not be able to buy it in your local bookstore, nor check it out at your local library. The truth is that in the so called “democratic, pluralist” America this book has been nakedly suppressed.

The International Jew is relevant to all of us, even if Henry Ford addressed this question to the Americans. Its insights into the roots of today’s political situation is astounding and prophetic. The International Jew and the Zionist movement have assumed gigantic proportions affecting the peace of the world.

This should be educational for Muslims & non-Muslims & create a better East-West appreciation for mutual role. This book will enforce the fact that the civilization which produced this phenomenal output also has potential in the future.Dr. Mohammad Ilyas & Dr. Bushra Saeed Ilyas

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.