Book: Siyar A'lam An-Nubala by Ad-Dhahabi - سير أعلام النبلاء ـ الإمام الذهبي

Introduction

By Muhammad Ayman Al-Shabrawi:

Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and the misdeeds of our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can mislead, and whomsoever He leads astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

“O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims” [Al-Imran: 102]. “O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever, over you, an Observer” [An-Nisa: 1]. “O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice, He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment” [Al-Ahzab: 70-71].

The esteemed "Dar Al-Hadith" in Cairo presented to me the book "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala" by the historian of Islam, the Imam, the preserver, Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthman al-Dhahabi, born in the year seven hundred and forty-eight [673 AH - 748 AH]. They requested me to verify it and provide the scholarly service deserving of this monumental work, to facilitate its benefit and bring it closer to the general readers.

It has always been my practice and earnest intention never to undertake any worldly or religious matter without first performing the prayer of guidance (Istikhara). Hence, I sought Allah's guidance for serving this book, and Allah expanded my heart to attend to this task. He eased the means for its verification and service until I completed this book in a relatively short period, having over a year, during which I worked day and night to accomplish it.