Tazkiyah literally means purification. In the extended sense it means growth. In this respect, tazkiyah means intellectual development. The mind is not something stagnant, it is ever-growing, like a tree. It is this process which is called ?adding faith to their faith? (48:4) in the Quran. Adding faith to faith means development in consciousness, which is another name for intellectual development. The real faith is one which does not stagnate, but grows continuously in its conviction about God.How does tazkiyah or intellectual development take place? The path to this is contemplation. Contemplation is in itself a continuous process ? contemplating the Quran and Hadith, the life of the Prophet, the lives of the Companions, the various human disciplines, the universe, the earth and the heavens. There is also the kind of contemplation which takes place during serious discussions. In this process of contemplation, new ideas emerge, deeper meanings come to light, new aspects hitherto unexplored of different events and realities are discovered, and every experience will bring him closer to God.

In making the Prophet Muhammad the greatest figure, and consequently one of the most resplendent landmarks in human history, God has bestowed his greatest favour on mankind. Whoever seeks guidance cannot fail to see him, for he stands out like a tower, a mountain on the horizon, radiating light like a beacon, beckoning all to the true path. It is inevitable that the seekers of truth will be drawn up to the magnificent pinnacle on which he stands.

This book forms a collection of inspiring thoughts, stories, quotes, sayings, and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, which have been presented in a simple and straightforward style. Besides being an aid to personal study and individual training, this book will be of great benefit when read out at gatherings, as it is valuable for congregational recitations

The book aims at developing a spiritual bent of mind in its reader. The author believes that to attain spirituality one does not need to retire to the jungles, rather one must live in the midst of all the activities of the world and develop the ability to convert material events into non-material or spiritual events. According to the author, “If you want to live as a spiritual person, learn the art of extraction. That is, you have to be able to extract spiritual content from material things. This will give you spiritual food, and thus you will be able to develop yourself as a spiritual person.”Spiritual living is the greatest need of the day and in the various chapters of the book, the author enlightens the reader on how to deal with day-to-day problems of failure, stress, unhappiness and conflict.

The approach to non-violence and peace-building outlined in this book is based on the Quran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad . It draws lessons from these sources that can be applied to efforts to negotiate differences and conflicts at all levels—from between individuals to between communities and entire countries. The central focus of the book is on conflict-prevention. After all, if conflicts are prevented at the very outset, violence can be done away with. Amicably negotiating differences before they degenerate into a conflict is, the author suggests, the most sensible way for us to handle conflicts

According to the Quran, a person’s life has been divided into two phases: the pre-death period and the post-death period. The present life is only temporary and is meant as a test. Depending upon our performance in this test, we shall be judged in the eternal life after death. The Quran aims to make one aware of this reality and help one lead one’s life in this world in such a way that one is rewarded with Paradise in the life Hereafter