Analysis
Throughout human civilization, no other individual has been the subject of as much study, research and writing as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) — his life and his work. The breadth of research, discussion and biography devoted to his life and work has no parallel in history. Since the era of the Companions, special importance has been placed on preserving and recording his seerah (biography) and sunnah (his commands, prohibitions and life guidance). In the periods that followed, seerah and sunnah scholarship has continually expanded and grown richer through various methods and perspectives.
In every era of Muslim civilization, research and writing have been produced about the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Sometimes his entire life has been presented sequentially and in detail; sometimes various narrations have been examined for authenticity, their chains of transmission verified, and historical information analyzed; and sometimes discussion has centered on a particular event, quality or aspect of his life. Those who loved and revered him have written his biography, but so have those hostile to or opposed to him. Even neutral and fair-minded researchers have made his life and work the subject of their scholarship. As a result, across the ages, the seerah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) has drawn interest from three distinct types of people: those writing out of love, those writing out of opposition, and those conducting neutral inquiry.
Two streams of seerah scholarship
The prevailing scholarship on the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) seerah can be broadly divided into two main streams. The first is “narrative-historical seerah scholarship.” This stream discusses, in sequence, the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) birth, the period and environment before his birth, through to his death and the events that followed.
Within this stream, too, there are multiple research approaches. Some have compiled all available information without exercising sufficient caution in verifying chains of transmission. Others, alongside gathering information, have examined and reviewed the chains of transmission — accepting narrations found to be authentic while cautioning readers about those that are unproven or weak. Another tendency within this stream is to discuss the events of the seerah and draw from them lessons, counsel and life guidance. Some have emphasized general lessons in their discussions, while others have stressed a particular lesson or significance.
The second stream of seerah scholarship also dates back to antiquity. In this stream, a particular aspect of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life is chosen and studied in depth. Early examples in the Muslim tradition are found in works on his shama’il (physical and personal characteristics) and khasa’il (special qualities). Writings by Qadi Iyad, al-Maqrizi and others exemplify this kind of scholarship.
In the modern era, this stream of research into particular aspects of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life has developed further. Many books have been written centered on specific topics within the seerah. Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad, Khalid Muhammad Khalid, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Mahmoud Shit Khattab and others have played a notable role in this area.
Western writers, too, have researched the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life. Among these works can be found both fair and balanced perspectives, as well as biased and hostile ones.
A third, newer stream of seerah scholarship
There is a third stream of seerah scholarship that has not been widely practiced — only a handful of writers have worked in this method. This stream’s subject is not only the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) biography itself, but a fresh reading of the seerah through the varied perspectives of the writers and authors who have worked on his life story.
This approach might be called “comparative seerah scholarship” — that is, placing side by side how different writers have presented a particular event in the seerah, and discussing them comparatively. Each writer analyzes the events of the seerah in light of their own culture, literary environment, style of language, and intellectual knowledge and experience. As a result, the same event can be expressed with varied thought, creativity and insight across different writers’ works.
Just as comparative fiqh exists in Islamic jurisprudence — comparing the opinions and rulings of different jurists, analyzing the motivations, reasons and reasoning behind these views, and reviewing the juristic philosophy behind a given opinion and the rulings built upon it — this same approach is also applied in the field of tafsir (Quranic exegesis).
If this kind of comparative method were applied to seerah studies as well, it would create a new and distinct stream in the scholarship on the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) seerah. Through this, many aspects and significances of the seerah would come to light that might otherwise go unnoticed when read in isolation. This approach could thus make seerah scholarship richer and deeper in understanding the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life and example.
The example of al-Bayoumi
I am not aware of anyone besides Dr. Muhammad Rajab al-Bayoumi who has made this kind of effort. However, he did not write in this method with the aim of establishing a distinct approach to comparative seerah scholarship; rather, he simply drew attention to an important aspect of seerah writing. His essay was titled, in Arabic, “From the Splendors of the Prophetic Seerah: The Messenger Weeps for His Son Ibrahim.” The essay was compiled in the book “Fi Mizan al-Islam.” In it, he discussed the death, at a young age, of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) son Ibrahim, born to Maria al-Qibtiyya.
Al-Bayoumi conducted a comparative discussion of how this event was presented in the seerah writings of contemporary literary figures and thinkers Abbas al-Aqqad, Taha Hussain, Ahmad Hasan al-Zayyat and Muhammad Husayn Haykal.
Although the event takes up at most half a page to a page in seerah books, it became extraordinarily meaningful in the hands of these four literary figures. Each brought a different perspective. Al-Aqqad first approached the matter through reason and intellect, then moved toward emotion; Taha Hussain did the opposite, beginning with emotion and arriving at reason. Al-Zayyat, drawing on his own experience of losing a child, found consolation and lessons in the event. And Haykal described and analyzed the event in flowing literary language.
Further examples supporting this approach
Beyond the approach al-Bayoumi took, there are countless other examples that support this stream of scholarship. It can be seen that each jurist or writer has viewed a particular event in the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life from a different perspective. Placing these perspectives side by side for comparison would yield a fuller and clearer picture of prophethood before us.
One such example is found in the writings of Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Khalid Muhammad Khalid. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever kills a wall lizard with the first strike will have a hundred good deeds recorded for him. With the second strike, fewer than that, and with the third strike, fewer still.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 5740)
In explaining why the first strike earns 100 good deeds while subsequent strikes earn progressively fewer, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, writing from a jurist’s perspective, said this is essentially a reward for the skill of striking the target accurately on the first attempt — a skill Muslims need to be able to call upon when facing an enemy.
Khalid Muhammad Khalid’s explanation, on the other hand, differs. In his view, the reward here is fundamentally meant to teach mercy. If a wall lizard must be killed, he argues, it should be killed quickly, since repeated strikes would cause the creature needless suffering.
The method we are calling “comparative seerah scholarship” could be an effective way of bringing before readers the invaluable gems scattered throughout the vast treasury of seerah literature — particularly the side events and relatively lesser-discussed aspects of the seerah, whose underlying significance and lessons are often obscured within larger narratives.
Seerah writers and poets generally focus most of their attention on the major events of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life. Events such as his birth, the beginning of his prophethood, the migration (Hijrah) and major battles dominate their writings. Yet many smaller and seemingly ordinary events in his life also hold deep significance, valuable lessons, and important guidance for both faith and worldly life. If these forgotten or overlooked gems can be uncovered and brought together in light of different writers’ perspectives, it will become possible to understand the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life and example more deeply, fully and multidimensionally.
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