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What is Volume 3 of Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya?
Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya is the history of the world written by Imam Ibn Kathīr in the 14th century. Volumes 1 and 2 cover everything from creation to the eve of the Prophet's birth. Volume 3 opens the Sīrah proper, the life of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. It answers the question: how did Islam begin, and how did the first Muslim community come to be? Ibn Kathīr tells it with his characteristic care for the chains of transmission, so each event comes with the reports it rests on.
The volume begins with the first revelation in the cave of Ḥirāʾ and the manner of waḥy, how revelation came to the Prophet ﷺ. It then follows the earliest Muslims and the persecution they faced in Mecca. The hijrah to Medina comes next, and with it the establishment of the ummah, the new community. The volume closes at the Battle of Badr in Year 2, the first open confrontation between the Muslims and Quraysh. Together these events form the first chapter of the Prophet's public life, from the cave to the battlefield.
Is there an English audiobook of Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya, Volume 3 (The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr)?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Volume 3 — The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr of Ibn Kathīr's Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya as an English audiobook (about 16 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It covers the first revelation, the earliest Muslims, the persecution in Mecca, the hijrah to Medina and the Battle of Badr in Year 2.
Is it free to listen?
The whole library is open to everyone. Every member gets five hours of listening free each month; Joyful+ removes the time limit.
What does it cover?
The start of the Sīrah: the first revelation in the cave of Ḥirāʾ, the manner of waḥy, the earliest Muslims, the persecution in Mecca, the hijrah to Medina, the establishment of the ummah, and the Battle of Badr in Year 2. It runs about 16 hours.
Last updated 2026-09-11
Inside the book.
Chapters
Word-synced with the narrator.
The first three minutes are transcribed here. In the app, the Living Manuscript scrolls through the entire book in rhythm with the audio — Arabic alongside English.
Living Manuscript
Listen to the full book in the app for the complete Living Manuscript.
The full, word-synced transcript in Arabic and English is in the app.
