Masadir-e-Seerat-e-Nabvi by Dr. Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui: An Introduction to Seerat Books and Their Authors

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam

16 February 2023

Main Points

1.    The book Masadir-E-Seerat-E-Nabvi serves as an introduction to Seerat books and their authors.

2.    This demonstrates the process used to write, compile, and present the sacred biography in book form.

3.    In the preface to the book, Dr. Siddiqui claimed to have worked on 49 reliable works, 25 of which were featured in this volume.

4.    The author gives an overview of the study of Seerat from the first to the fourteenth centuries of Hijri, as well as the contributions of Orientalists to this field, the development of their ideologies, and the degree of prejudice they displayed over time.

------

Book: Masadir-E-Seerat-E-Nabvi (Islam Ka Ilmi Wa Saqafati Waritha) - 2 Volumes

Author: Dr. M Yaseen Mazhar Siddiqui

Binding: Hardcover

Publishing Date: 2021

Publisher: Milli Publications

Edition: 2

Number of Pages: 900

Language: Urdu

 

Masadir E Seerat E Nabvi (Islam Ka Ilmi Wa Saqafati Waritha) - 2 Volumes

Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui ((26 December 1944 – 15 September 2020) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar and historian who served as director of the Institute of Islamic Studies at Aligarh Muslim University from 26 December 1944 until 15 September 2020. Dr Siddiqui was employed as a research assistant by the history department of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in 1970. He began lecturing history in 1977, and Sayyid Hamid transferred him to the Institute of Islamic Studies at AMU in 1983. He was appointed a professor of Islamic studies in 1991, and from 1997 to 2000.

Masadir-E-Seerat-E-Nabvi (Peace be upon him), one of the most important Urdu works, was written by Dr. Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui. It is available in two volumes. Since I haven't read the second volume yet, I will only discuss the first volume at this time. The book by Dr. Siddiqui is based on a sacred biography of history. This book demonstrates the process used to write, compile, and present the sacred biography (Seerat-e-Nabi) in book form. This allows us to observe how fervently and diligently the biographers sought out this information.

-----

In the preface to the book, Dr. Siddiqui claimed to have worked on 49 reliable works, 25 of which were featured in this volume. Since the work on Sacred Seerat was done on a large scale, several significant books are not featured in it due to their unavailability.

This book serves as an introduction to Seerat books and their authors. As a result, this book contains details about the authors as well as their books. Dr. Siddiqui has mentioned each author, mentioning their birth, academic career, mentors and elders, and finally their students. He addressed their biographical style before briefly mentioning their other writings and identifying their books.

Of course, Dr. Siddiqui deserves praise for his labour- and research-intensive work on this project. In this work, Dr. Siddiqui's research methodology is amply demonstrated.

The preface to this volume, written by Dr. Siddiqui, is another noteworthy aspect. It contains a wealth of insightful information regarding the origins and development of Seerat. This preface provides an overview of the research on this topic from the first to the fourteenth centuries of Hijri. This also covers the work of the Orientalists in this area, their evolving ideologies, and how their level of bias waned through time. The Urdu work on Seerat has also been briefly discussed in this preface.

Since the Sacred biography [Seerat] of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) contains such a vast amount of information, biographers from all over the world contributed to it. Even in the early centuries, the Hijaz, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Yemen had some of the best biographers. The following 25 biographers and their writings are mentioned in this first volume.

Imam Urwa bin Zubair, Imam Ibn Ishaq, Imam Abdul Malik Ibn Hisham, Allama Waqdi, Imam Ibn Saad, Khalifah ibn Khayyat, Allama Muhammad bin Habib Baghdadi, Ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī al-Marwazī, Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Jābir al-Balādhurī, Imam Tirmidhi, Imam Tabari, Allama Ya’qubi, Allama Abu Zayd Ahmad Suhail Balkhi, Mutahhar b. Tahir al-Maqdisi, Allama Mas’udi, Muḥammad ibn Hibbān al-Bustī , Imam Ibn Hazm, Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr Qurtubi, Qazi Ayaz Maliki, Hafiz Ibn Asaqir, Imam Suhaili, Imam Ibn Al-Jawzi, Hafiz Abdul Ghani Al-Maqdisi, Allama Ibn Athir Shaibani, Hafiz Kulai.

Every one of these 25 historians and biographical authors has a different introduction. While keeping in mind their brevity, which offers a wealth of rare facts, Dr. Siddiqui highlighted numerous crucial aspects of each person's academic background and compilation method.

These 25 biographers are important in two respects. The first is that the Seerat work was done at the regional level in the initial time, which is to say during the first six centuries. They served as representatives for various areas. Waqidi, Imam Ibn Ishaq, and Hazrat Urwa bin Zubair are some of the biographers from Madina Sharif. Ibn Sa'd portrays the city of Basra. Imam Ibn Asaqir was born in Syria. Imam Ibn Hibban is from Central Asia. Masudi was born in Iraq Allama Ibn Abd Al-Birr Qurtubi, Sheikh Ibn Hazm, Qazi Ayaz Maliki, and others appear to represent Andalusia.

They can also be divided further based on their ideological affiliations. As an illustration, the majority of the biographers there are Sunni Muslims. Sheikh Ibn Hazm is the representative of Fiqh-e-Zahiri. Masudi is a Mu'tazili, while Yaqubi is a Shia. There are few others who are associated with Shi’ism.

These compilations include some in-depth Seerat works as well as some of their annotations, summaries, and commentary. Even though some of the books are histories, they include a wealth of knowledge on the holy Seerat, which is why Dr. Siddiqui also addressed them.

Hazrat Urwa bin Zubair was the son of Hazrat Zubair bin Al-Awam.  He is regarded as the Imam and the originator of the biography and Seerat genres. His maternal aunt and the Mother of the believers, Hazrat Sayyida Ayesha Siddiqa also played a key role in his training. He was also trained and educated by Hazrat Uthman and Hazrat Mawla Ali. Numerous Companions were among his tutors in addition to them. (May Allah be pleased with all of them).

He had a good relationship with the Umayyad Caliph Abdul Malik b. Marwan despite his elder brother Hazrat Abdullah b. Zubair engaged in a conflict with Abdul Malik in which Hazrat Abdullah b. Zubair ultimately was martyred. Abdul Malik and Hazrat Urwa had a friendly relationship even after Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair was slain, and Abdul Malik continued to learn from him. His Seerat book is succinct but jam-packed with knowledge, especially about Ghazwat.

The inclusion of Ibn Ishaq is interesting because his book is the first complete Seerat manuscript. Experts and authorities on the subject have varying opinions regarding Ibn Hisham. Dr. Siddiqui has praised the two biggest critics of Ibn Ishaq, Imam Malik, and Hisham ibn Urwah, believing that their criticism stems from a contemporary perspective. Because of his extravagant comments about the majesty and sanctity of the Bani Hashim family, Ibn Ishaq was suspected of being a Shiite; nevertheless, according to Dr. Siddiqui, he acted exaggeratedly but did not treat the other Companions badly. As an example, Ibn Ishaq credited Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah Ansari with conquering the battle of Khaybar.

Ibn Ishaq wrote the Seerat book originally, and then Ibn Hisham edited it. The Seerat-e-Ibn-Ishaaq, the book’s original source, lost some of its significance when the edited version of his book gained fame. Although Ibn Hisham did not completely follow Ibn Ishaq, he did remove some of the poems included by Ibn Ishaq in the Seerat book as being false and recruited the help of other imams in the process. Ibn Hisham’s academic integrity and technological validity received widespread support.

The scholarly life of Imam Tabari is admirable and surprising. His contemporaries recognized his erudition. He was both a jurist and a Muhaddith, but his approach to history was journalistic; he only gathered traditions without giving them a critical examination. The majority of the incorrect information may be discovered in his history as a result.

The book by Imam Tabari is actually about history, but it also includes a lot of information regarding the Prophet's Seerat.

This is also the case with Allama Ibn Athir, who has expounded on the history work of Imam Tabari and done so while imitating Imam Tabari. Ibn Athir also incorporated a large number of hadiths throughout his Seerat book.

Dr. Siddiqui has made reference to the book of Qazi Ayaz Maliki. This book is particularly effective at encouraging readers and believers to feel devotion and love for the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him). Then Dr. Siddiqui commended the compilation style of Qazi Sahib. According to Dr. Siddiqui, this book contains a few weak and subjective hadiths that Allama Suyuti has noted in a separate book.

Yaqubi has a distinctive style due to his Shia heritage. He mentions the four daughters of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), but he leaves out the names of the spouses of Hazrat Sayyida Ruqayyah and Hazrat Sayyida Umm-e-Kulthum. In a similar vein, he claims that Hazrat Zainab’s husband was Hazrat Abul Aas b. Bishr and that he was a member of Banu Thaqeef. However, the correct name of Hazrat Sayyida Zainab's husband was Hazrat Abul Aas b. Rabi’ and that he belonged to the Banu Umayyah. With the exception of a few narrators, Ya'qubi's sources are trustworthy, but there is no proof that he ever met them.

It is surprising to learn about the personality of Hafiz Ibn Asakir, who is known for his prolific output, which includes the 80-volume History of Damascus, of which 1.5 volumes are devoted to the sacred Seerat of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He follows Muhaddith's methodology, yet he has gone to great lengths to accept some traditions. His book stands out for the Syrian literary style, which contrasts with the Iraqi style.

Dr. Siddiqui goes on to discuss Shaykh Ibn Hazm and how profoundly knowledgeable he was. Since his father held a position in the ministry, Ibn Hazm's early years were lavish; hence, knowledge about his life is provided after that. Following the death of his father, he ran into political and financial problems and was even forced to leave Cordoba.  When he switched from the Shafi'i school of thought to the Zahiri School, a dispute arose with the local intellectuals who practised Maliki law. He battled with this and even his books were burned. His sons played a key role in upholding his academic legacy.

Imam Ibn al-Jawzi, who authored countless works, is one of the most illustrious individuals in terms of knowledge. He was well renowned for his austerity and serious demeanour. The remarkable thing about him was that two of his three sons were academics of knowledge and virtue, while six of his daughters were Hadith experts. This indicates the significance that was placed on women's education at the time. Allama Ibn al-Jawzi was the one who first understood the Prophet's life and presented it as an encyclopaedia. In his work, he tests hadiths in his writing, examines, critiques, and applies them. In contrast, Allama Ibn Jawzi's Seerat work shows less evidence of his reputation for criticism.

It is also important to note the work of Hafiz Abu al-Rabi Sulaiman Kula'i, who strove to connect the lives of the Prophet and the Caliphs and to trace the Maghazi in a straight line from the time of the Prophet to the period of the Caliphs. It was the only instance of its sort. Hafiz Kulai was an expert in cross-examination [Jarh Wa Tadil] back then. He was both a writer and a combatant, and at the age of 70, he was martyred in action. He continues to have a prominent position among Andalusia biographers and was a prolific writer.

I offered a few examples from the first volume of the book in my own words. If you wish to learn more about the background of Seerat books and their authors, I strongly suggest reading the book because Dr. Siddiqui has a lot to say on the subject.

…

A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.

 

URL:   https://newageislam.com/books-documents/masadir-seerat-nabvi-authors/d/129119

New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism