It is a pleasure to acknowledge the debt that I owe to the friends whom I have consulted in the many and various difficulties which beset a translator of such a long text as the Sira on which there is no commentary worthy of the name. My thanks are especially due to my old friend Professor A. A. Affifi of Alexandria, Professor A. Kh. Kinani of Damascus, Dr. Abdullah al­Tayib of Khartoum, Dr. M. A. Azzam of Cairo, and Professor A. K. S. Lambton of London. Particularly I would thank Dr. W. Arafat for his self­sacrificing labour in reading the whole of my translation in manuscript, and for bringing its shortcomings to my notice. If, with reference to this book of mine, I am ever able to solace myself with the words kqfa'l­mar'a fadlan an tu'adda ma'dyibuh, it will be in great measure due to his ready help and eagle eye.

Last, but not least, I gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the School of Oriental and African Studies in meeting the cost of production. Without this help it would have been impossible to publish the book. I hope that in the years to come it will stand as a modest tribute to the School's great interest in Oriental studies and also help to further cooperation and friendliness between my country and the Islamic world.