I was drawn to this book, in lieu of this brief statement,
"It is difficult for an ordinary person who is not connected to the heavens to realize the reality of the those who are connected to the heavens, metaphysical dimensions and the Creator of the Universe ! How, can one realize the reality of the first human being in the world of existence, the perfect individual amongst the creation, the last of those who preceded him and the conquer who is yet to come" (p.11)
The very short book-let runs into 90 pages, with over 100 + citations of Qur'anic revelation on the persona of the Prophet ('s), the hadith from all makatib al-fikr, with an emphasis on two particular events
1. how the Divine Revelation, proposes the persona of Muhammad, his excellent mannerisms (akhlaq) and the manner of him burdening him-self with the concerns around him, whether his family, his companions, and those of the ahl al-Kitab.
2. the very famous advice given by the Prophet ('s) to abu Dhar al-Giffari, where he imparts words of wisdom, that are shared but without the necessary exposition [a]
3. in the light of the statement, with respect to having a marifah of the beloved Prophet('s), it also treats a certain event in his life, which is related to his last days, when he had submitted to and requested a "Pen and Paper" and the ensuing comment from Ibn Abbas, commonly known as the "Tragedy of Thursday", where the request was denied amid claims from Umar b. al-Khattab, who remarked that the Prophet ('s), was under the influence of pain, and hence "hallucinating", with proper citations from the works of muhaddiths of the likes of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam al-Muslim. [b]
Given the sensitivity of this episode, the author then proceeds to highlight the lack of Qur'an literacy, hence ascribing to Umar b. al-Khattab's position as emanating from "ignorance of the Qur'an in his own words".
4. the book is thus concluded from several examples of his interaction and morals with others, which is line with the over-all theme (s) of the work
The book is a useful addition to a genre, that while being short (less than 100 pages) is very useful for different age groups since it hinges on Qur'ans self-disclosure of God, the Prophet, God's Prophet Mission and the Trust in him.
I also wish to close this very brief review with this note, the book has been published under the aegis of al-buraq.org, which while publishing works from the maktab ahl al-Bayt, also strives to bring such works to fruition for the english readers, by accepting donations that go to the publishing of such needed and high quality works. If you chose to contribute to works that are under consideration for publication, a copy of the work is despatched upon its completion and publications.
Wama Tawfiqi IllaBillah. Qur'an, 11.88
[a] a commentary is available on this advice @ https://www.al-islam.org/articles/advice-prophet-s-gave-abu-dharr
[b] a detailed treatment of this issue is discussed, as under, @ https://www.al-islam.org/shiite-encyclopedia/tragedy-thursday
