Contents ....................................................................................................................... 2 Foreword ..................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter One: Historical Books, Causes of their Inadequacies ................. 6 The First Cause: Impact of Orientalists ...................................................................... 6 The Second Cause: Lack of Knowledge ...................................................................... 9 Method of Imaam Ibn Jareer al-Tabari ......................................................... 10 The Third Cause: Loose Reporting of Events ........................................................ 15 Chapter Two: Countering Doubts in Historical Perspectives ................. 20 First Category: .................................................................................................................. 20 Second Category: ............................................................................................................. 23 Third Category: ................................................................................................................ 29 Fourth Category: .............................................................................................................. 30 Chapter Three: Countering Doubts in the History of Companions and Family of Prophet .................................................................................................. 40 First Principle: Overstated love ................................................................................. 40 Second Principle: Fabricated Reports of Virtues ................................................ 42 Third Principle: Ascribing special virtues ............................................................. 43 Fourth Principle: Preference to Lineage ................................................................ 47 Fifth Principle: Restricting the Family of the Prophet ...................................... 47 Sixth Principle: Suspicious statements about the Family of the Prophet .. 54 The First Response: .............................................................................................. 55 The Second Response: ......................................................................................... 61 Chapter Four: The Most Significant and Reliable Books of Islamic History....................................................................................................................... 65 Few Trustworthy Historical Sources ....................................................................... 65 Other Books Containing Important Information ................................................ 70 Biographies of Companions and Family Members of the Prophet ............... 71 Contemporary Books ..................................................................................................... 72 Chapter Five: Books that Distorted Islamic History .................................. 76 The Books that Must be Read with Caution: ......................................................... 77 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 94