On the Margins of the Biography

“On the Margins of the Biography” is a book by the late author Taha Hussein. The book is a simplified account of the Prophet’s biography. The author states that he has not introduced anything new from what has been mentioned in the books of biography, and that what he has recorded are merely thoughts that occurred to him while reading, which he has formulated in his own simple yet elegant style, as he states in the introduction to the book.
“These pages were not written for scholars or historians, because I did not intend them for science or history. Rather, they are a picture that occurred to me while reading the biography, so I quickly documented it and saw no harm in publishing it. Perhaps I saw some good in publishing them. I would also like people to know that I have been generous with the stories, and have given myself the freedom to narrate stories and invent hadiths that I saw no harm in, except when the hadiths and stories relate to the person of the Prophet or some aspect of religion. I did not allow myself any freedom or latitude in that regard, but rather adhered to the same commitments of the earlier biographers and hadith scholars, narrators, and religious scholars. Those who wish to trace the origins of this ancient book, in its essence and origins, yet new in its form and shape, will not tire themselves out by referring to the ancient sources from which it was taken. These sources are very few, barely extending beyond the biography of Ibn Hisham, the Tabaqat of Ibn Sa’d, and the history of al-Tabari. There is not a single chapter, report, or hadith in this book that does not revolve around a piece of news mentioned in one of these books.”