Books for Incarcerated Muslims
Share the Prophet ﷺ in Prisons
His ﷺ story, in the hands of those behind bars
We print a paperback Shama'il for incarcerated Muslims and send it free to the chaplains and organizations who serve them.
Letters from recipients
In their own words
"I have been asking in my du'as for more knowledge of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and I got called to the package room and, alhamdulillah, I received the Shama'il of the Prophet."
"There is not just one thing in this book that has stood out. The whole book stands out, so much knowledge."
"I was so captured by it that I asked where to acquire it."
"I am writing to say thank you for the books and to let you know I am keeping you in my du'as."
Why this work
Often the hardest place to practice a faith
Muslims in prison are easy for the rest of us to forget. Many face daily obstacles to practicing: halal food, a head covering, even praying together.
Most of the free reading that reaches them carries little of the beauty and hope in the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. When we began sending the Shama'il, the requests came faster than we could fill them.
"The Shama'il is slowly starting to fill this void in ways we never imagined."
From the CelebrateMercy campaign update
The book
A portrait of the Prophet ﷺ in 415 hadiths
Al-Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya is Imam al-Tirmidhi's collection on who the Prophet ﷺ was: how he looked and spoke, how he lived with his family, how he worshipped, how he treated people. Muslims have read it for more than a thousand years.
- A full English translation with commentary
- Printed as a paperback, because many facilities do not accept hardcovers
- Sent free, through a chaplain or organization
How it is funded
An endowment that keeps printing
Donors seeded a fund for the Shama'il. The gifts are invested and the returns pay for printing, so each gift keeps sending books. So far, more than 3,000 paperback copies have gone out through chaplains and partner organizations.
How it works
From your request to their hands
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Tell us where you serve
Your facility or organization, how many people you serve, and where to ship.
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We check the facility's rules
Each facility has its own rules for books. We check before anything ships.
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We ship to you
Free of charge, within the United States.
Requesting for one person, such as a family member? Use the individual book request form.
For chaplains and organizations
Request books
Want to help send more books? You can give through one of CelebrateMercy's open campaigns.
