What are the comprehensive books on the biography of the Chosen Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that are easy for the layman to read and understand, and what is the opinion regarding Ibn Hisham's biography and the book "Al-Lu'lu' al-Maknun fi Sirat al-Nabi al-Ma'mun"?
The comprehensive books on the Prophet's ﷺ are too numerous to be fully listed, but among the most important are: Seerat Ibn Hisham, Uyun al-Athar by Ibn Sayyid al-Nas, Al-Seerah al-Nabawiyah by Ibn Kathir, and Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad by al-Salihi.
For the common person, it is advisable to start with condensed books such as Noor al-Yaqeen by al-Khudari, Tahdheeb Seerat Ibn Hisham by Abd al-Salam Haroun, Al-Raheeq al-Makhtum by al-Mubarakpuri, and Al-Seerah al-Nabawiyah by Ali al-Sallabi, or by memorizing some foundational texts like the poetic work Nadham Qurrat al-Absar by al-Muti.
Seerat Ibn Hisham is considered one of the most important, oldest, and most comprehensive references on the Prophet's seerah, as it is an abridgment, refinement, and summarization of Ibn Ishaq's Seerah.
As for Al-Lu'lu' al-Maknun fi Seerat al-Nabi al-Ma'mun by Musa bin Rashid al-Azimi, it is one of the newer books. It is likely beneficial in its subject matter, based on the commendations we have seen from Sheikh Othman al-Khamis and the introduction by Dr. Muhammad Rawas Qala'ji, as well as its approval by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf.
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