Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah English (7 Book Set)

Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah — The Beginning and The End — by Abu Al-Fida 'Imad ad-Din Isma'il bin 'Umar Ibn Kathir is among the most authoritative works of Islamic history ever produced, and one of the few that attempts the whole span.

Its unique feature is the range implied by its title. It does not only deal with past events. It also covers the future events the Prophet ﷺ foretold, running through to the Day of Judgment — which is why a work of history contains a volume on the trials still to come.

What Is in the Set

• Early Days — creation and the first Prophets
• Life and Times of the Messengers
• The Valley Came Alive — the Seerah
• In Defense of the True Faith — the battles and treaties
• Winning the Hearts & Souls — the expeditions and delegations
• Miracles & Merits of Allah's Messenger ﷺ
• Caliphate of Banu Umayyah

Together these run from the creation of the heavens and the earth, through the Prophets, through the life of the Messenger ﷺ in detail, and on into the caliphates that followed.

Buying the Set

This package contains all seven books translated so far, at a discount over buying them individually. More parts are expected in future, once they have been translated and printed — the volumes are issued as the translation work is completed rather than all at once.

Every title is also available separately if you would rather build the set gradually or already own some of it.

Who It Is For

Families building a permanent Islamic history reference. Students and teachers. Masjid and school libraries. Anyone who has read Ibn Kathir's Tafsir or his Stories of the Prophets and wants the history that stands behind both.

Related Reading

• The Book of the End — also drawn from Al-Bidayah, on the trials still to come
• History of Islam (3 Vol. Set) — a three-volume narrative history of Islam
• Atlas of the Islamic Conquests — the conquests mapped in full color