Glimpses: The life of the Blessed Prophet being relatively short, it does not contain so much detail as to become arduous to read; nor is it so brief as to lose its informative power or the spiritual fragrance of that emanates from the life of the Supreme Divine Envoy. It provides essential information about the Prophet’s background, ancestry, character, and household, the various stages of his life, his miracles, and his political and military activities. It is therefore a useful summary of the most important facts about him. It also shows how the Prophet envisaged his mission: what he wished to achieve for mankind and for his Community.

Firstly, the Prophet’s words and deeds, preserved in full detail for posterity by his Companions and transmitted meticulously from generation to generation, show how concerned he was to save disbelievers from the consequences of their denial of the One True God and of a Day of Judgement. He ordered his Community to transmit his message on his behalf as best they could, and to do so gently and tactfully. To exterminate them would result in their dying as disbelievers and deserving Hellfire, and so he fought only in self-defense. He enjoined upon his Community to keep their promises and pacts even with disbelievers. The second function was to make the believers better Muslims who excelled in their adoration of their Lord, and in their behavior toward others. The third function was to found an exemplary Islamic state, ruled with justice, where both Muslims and non-Muslims enjoyed the full protection of the Sacred Law and were able to worship in full freedom.