Hayatus Sahabah - The Lives of the Sahabah - Part 1 of 3

THE LIVES, OF THE SAHABM ~,E!@%3 (v01-I) 29
Foreword to the Urdu Edition
By Hadhrat Maulana Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi $\u"&l&j
This book (Hayaatus Sahabah W.Gh3j) was originally written in Arabic, which is
the official and most loved language of Islaam and the Muslims. It will always
remain such because Allaah g,Gj$e says in the Qurkan:
"Without doubt only We have revealed the Reminder (the Qur'aan) and
We shall certainly be its protectors." {Surah Hijr, verse 9)
This promise to eternally safeguard the Qur'aan automatically implies that it will
always be recited and taught. This naturally means that the language of the
Qur'aan will always remain protected, spoken and taught. During the time of the
author Hadhrat Moulana Muhammad Yusuf 3E6LlGj, the effort of Da'wah and
Tableegh which began m Nizaamud Deen in Delhi had already spread to Hijaaz
and other Arab countries and it had tremendously influenced the scholars of
these parts. It was therefore appropriate that this book should be published in
Arabic and it was originally printed by the Arabic press of Daa'ira Ma'aarif
Uthmaan~yyah of Hyderabad. It was favourably accepted in scholarly circles and
in the Arab countries. It was later painstakingly printed and attractively bound by
Daarul Qalam in Damascus. It was again received favour&ly in .religious and
academic circles and is still enjoying wide acceptance.
However, the need was long felt for a clear and reliable Urdu translation of the
book for the people of the subcontinent (India/Pakistan) and those areas where
people from tne Indian subcontinent have settled and where Urdu is widely
spoken. In this manner, the interested people of these areas and others engaged
in the effort of Da'wah and Tableegh may directly benefit from the book. This
would enable them to rekindle the embers of Imaan in their hearts and to cast
their lives, character and inclinations into the mould of the first Mu'mineen who
had been great preachers of Islaam nurtured by none other than Rasulullaah
w -.
Although the need was long felt for an Urdu translation, the time for everything
has been ordained. It was the current Arneer of the effort of Da'wah and Tableegh
Hadhrat Moulana In'aamul Hasan %-&tGj the successor and old friend of
Hadhrat Moulana Yusuf 3C&I&j who initiated the translation. The honour of
translating this great work fell to the lot of Hadhrat Moulana Muhammad
Ihsaanul Haqq (lecturer at Madrassah Arab~yyah RaiwindJ. He is a graduate of
Mazaahirul Uloom Sahaaranpur, a successor of Hadhrat Sheikhul Hadith
Moulana Zakariyyah 38&lGj and he received nurturing in the school of Tableegh
which teaches concern for the Ummah and the importance of good deeds.
Translating a book of this type, which serves as a interpreter for the effort of