Books on prominent Companions and Islamic history... Muhammad Ali Maghribi, author of the long poem on the Prophet’s biography and founder of *Al-Bilad* newspaper.
Among his most prominent poetic works was his composition of the noble Prophetic biography, covering the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) from his birth to his death, in addition to his writings on the prominent Companions and Islamic history. He was the poet, writer, and literary figure Muhammad Ali Maghribi (1334–1417 AH / 1915–1996), a writer and historian who lived in the city of Jeddah and was a member of the founding council of the Jeddah Literary and Cultural Club in 1975.
His long poem on the Prophetic biography, consisting of 1,431 verses, was published by Dar Al-Ilm, affiliated with Al-Madinah newspaper, in 1416 AH / 1995.
This long poem represents an expressive and artistic addition to the extensive poetic works written about the Prophetic biography in contemporary Arabic poetry, such as the poem by poet Ahmed Muharram, “The Glory of Islam,” also known as “The Islamic Iliad”; “The Islamic Epic” by poet Ahmed Al-Khani; “The Muhammadan Epic” by poet Kamel Amin; and other poetic works.
Poetic Quatrains:
Maghribi wrote poetic quatrains in Al-Madinah newspaper in the mid-1980s, in which he recorded social and real-life events and transformations. These quatrains were published as a collection in 1415 AH, corresponding to 1994. He became prominent in the art of poetic quatrains alongside a large number of pioneering poets who wrote in this concise poetic form, including Muhammad Saeed Al-Amoudi, Ahmed Qandil, and Muhammad Hassan Faqi. Maghribi also wrote about the Companions, producing works on Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, Umar ibn Al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and his son Al-Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with them), as part of the “Prominent Companions” series, which he began in 1403 AH, corresponding to 1982.
Among Muhammad Ali Maghribi’s most prominent works are: “Muhammad, Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him, the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers: The Prophetic Biography”, a prose biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) published in a volume exceeding 754 pages, distinct from his poetic composition of the Prophetic biography; “Prominent Figures of the Hijaz in the Fourteenth Century”; “A History of the Umayyad State”; “The Curse of Time”; “Grains from a Cluster”; and “The Resurrection and Other Stories,” a long novel published in 1944 and considered one of the earliest novels in the Kingdom. It was published together with several other stories, including “The Treasure,” “The Ill-Tempered Man,” “Sharif Awn’s Cow,” and “The Wedding Couple’s Maqama.”
Pioneering Works:
Muhammad Ali Maghribi founded the newspaper “Al-Bilad” in 1930 and became editor-in-chief of “Sawt Al-Hijaz” in 1941. He later served as chairman of the board of the Makkah Mushaf, after which he devoted himself to commercial work, establishing a company bearing his name.
His book “Prominent Figures of the Hijaz in the Fourteenth Hijri Century, 1984–1990” contains objective biographies of a number of prominent Hijazi figures who lived and died during the fourteenth Hijri century. He wrote the biographies of these figures based on personal knowledge of and close association with them. The book contains approximately 60 Hijazi figures across four volumes.
As for his book “Features of Social Life in the Hijaz in the Fourteenth Century,” published in 1982, it portrays social life during the second half of the fourteenth Hijri century. It examines families, customs, and traditions in the cities of the Hijaz, as well as education, medical practices, commercial and craft professions, the arts, and the foods and beverages familiar to the people, along with singing and musical entertainment, sports, and traditional games.
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