Preface 1 : The Book of the Bliss of Him Who Seeks Guidance by the Life of the Imam the Mahdi

[2] Following a basmala, thanksgiving to God and prayers for the Prophet Muḥammad, his family and Companions (aṣḥāb), ³ the author of the Sīra identifies himself as Ismā‘īl b. ‘Abd al-Qādir. He then draws a parallel between the biography (sīra)of the Prophet and that of the Mahdi. The sīra of the Prophet was compiled by throngs of virtuous people and was thus preserved and handed down throughout the generations without alteration. Since the expected master of the Time (ṣāḥib al-zamān al-muntaẓar) is the successor (khalīfa) of the Prophet, all the Muslims are in duty bound by religion to spread his sīra and thus prevent its corruption with the passage of time.