The Exemplary Life of Emir Abd al-Qadir al-Jazairy

Afeeda Syeed, Demi, Tamar Miller
Hardback, 52 pages
9798896400059

Children, their parents, and teachers will be captivated by the inspiring life-story of one of the world’s noblest and most exemplary leaders.  In this book for children, Emir Abd al-Qadir describes his own childhood and education, growing up in the Algerian Sahara. When, later, the French army invades his country, the people chose him to defend their lands and lives. His enormous restraint on the battlefield, his courage, integrity, selflessness and compassion- which even extended to the enemy- serves us as a beautiful reminder: even under extraordinarily dreadful circumstances, such as war, it is possible to live up to the highest standards of human dignity, respect for others and innate goodness. After signing a truce to relieve his people’s suffering, the Emir was exiled by the French to Syria where his inner spiritual and saintly life was nourished. Later, in Damascus, when a terrible riot broke out, this revered Muslim figure took Christian and Jewish families, as well as the French, into his own home to protect them.