The Maghazi of Sayiduna Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم

“Hold firm to the maghāzī of Mūsā because he is a reliable man. He sought them in old age with the aim of making a record of those who participated with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he did not report excessively as others did.” (Imam Mālik ibn Anas).

The work at hand is the translation of Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah’s Maghāzī (Expeditions), the earliest biography of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in current existence.

Given its unattainability for the past few centuries, the pleasure at the rediscovery of its manuscripts and its subsequent publication cannot be understated. Its author ranks as one of the first individuals to compile reports specifically related to the sīrah. More significant, however, is the fact that it was acclaimed as the most authentic work of its genre and an authoritative source for later writings on the life of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Author Born in Medina, Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah ibn Abī ʿAyyāsh al-Miṭraqī was from the mawālī of the family of Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām, an eminent Companion, and also the cousin and brother in-law of the Prophet ﷺ. By virtue of this, Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah was affiliated to the Quraysh, and more specifically, the Banū Asad ibn Khuzaymah tribe.