Abdeltawab Youssef
His writings

I Am a Book

أنا كتاب · 1986

With these words the book introduces itself. The Life of Muhammad in Twenty Stories is Abdeltawab Youssef’s best-known and most widely read work, and in 2000 it won the New Horizons award at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. In each of the twenty tales an animal or an object that witnessed the Prophet’s life tells what it saw: the elephant, the she-camel, the dove at the cave, the stump of a palm tree. The English translation is by Professor Mohamed Enani.

I AM A BOOK

—which makes me very happy.

I feel that I am the most precious object on earth, that my paper is more precious than securities and banknotes! The reason is simple:

When God wanted to guide people to the right path, He sent them a book! A sacred book! All revelations are books: the Torah, the Gospel, the Qur’an.

I am a book about Mohammad, the last of God’s prophets and messengers, sent to all people, advocating Right, Goodness, Love and Peace to everybody everywhere.

I am a book addressed to the young, who are innocent and pure of heart, beloved by God and Mohammad, God’s noble Messenger.

Being so pleased with my name, my title and my readers, I had to say these words by way of introducing myself, as well as the tales printed on my pages. They are all real and true ones; they have all taken place, and all are truthful, though told by animals and inanimate things. I am sure, dear readers, that you like to hear these tales as told by them!

[…]

I am sure you will read them all with great interest and pleasure; that you will enjoy the lovely incidents recorded, and the lofty ideals dealt with; and that you will read them over again and again. You will, I am sure, always remember those incidents and ideals, that you will love the noble Prophet with all your hearts, and that you will always try to follow such a great example of morality.

By now, you must be eager to learn about these ‘incidents’! Well, turn over the pages, and read on.