AL BIDAAYAH WANNIHAAYAH
By: Imam Ibn Kathir Ad-Damishqi D – 774H
About the book ”from the publisher”:
This book is a large work on history. It begins before anything existed besides Allah and describes how the creation was brought into existence by Him. The he gives the history of the past people, or ummahs of the past, throwing ample light on the lives of the Prophets (PBUTH) from the Sayyiduna Aadam (PBUH) to Sayyiduna Muhammad (PABUH). He then continues from the death of the Prophet of Islam (PABUH) to recount the lives of the five caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and Hasan the last of whom resigned in order to save the Muslims from infighting and disorder. Then, kingdom followed thirty years after the death of the Prophet (PABUH).
Ibn Kathir then traces the history of the kings up to the year 698 A.H. and how Muslims domination was thrown into disorder and chaos.
He also writes on the portents of the Last Hour. This description includes on what kind of trials humanity will face. This portion is Al-Fitnah wa al-Malahim. It also says what will happen after the end of the creation, how they will be judged and describes paradise and hell.
In short, this is a great work of Ibn Kathir. He cites the Quran and the ahadith generously. He is an authority on this subject.