AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
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lord over all the prophets, and before them all. May God bless and grant salvation to him[1] and his family and his associates![2]
To proceed: There are the words of the poor and feeble slave, endowed all his life with weaknesses and deficiencies, and much error and many sins—
- ↑ This formula, Sálla Allâhu ʾalaihi wa-sállama, is always used by Muslims after naming the Prophet. The expression is not easy to translate idiomatically. It means literally, "May God look with favour upon him, and grant him salvation." Either the first or last verb, but more especially the last, is like "God save (the Queen)." In a somewhat similar formula, "Salawâtu ʾlâhiʾalaihi wa-salâmáhu," the first word is equivalent to Mercy, and the last to Salvation, or Eternal Peace; and the whole means, "May the mercy of God be upon him, and His salvation." Perhaps the first-mentioned phrase may be rightly translated, "May God grant him grace and salvation." Redhouse has it: "May God grant him eternal peace," i.e., salvation. But there is a double meaning in the formula to the sense of a Muslim. The verbs being in the past tense, the phrase would abstractedly mean, "God has blest and granted to him salvation." But a Muhammadan whilst uttering the formula must also inwardly pray that God will continue to bless and grant him His grace.
- ↑ The word suhâbah, "friends," also means "companions" or "associates," and when applied to followers of the Prophet, signifies those who were personally acquainted with him, and those only. Their names to the number of 7,500 are given in the ʾUsd-el-Ghâbah fi Maʾarafat es-Suhâbah by Ibn-el-Athîr, 5 vols. large 8vo, Cairo, A.H. 1280 (A.D. 1863). Ibn-el-Athîr died A.H. 630 (A.D. 1233).
