Lesson 1b: Sources, Approaches and Significance of the Seerah
- Quran - There are verses that are not in placed in order of the events that occurred in the life of the Prophet but in different times and place, Allah revealed verses to guide him towards taking or reviewing certain actions; giving him consolation; revealing what will occur in the future. These events then became occasions on which He would send his replies.The order is not chronological in the Qur'an. Something which occurred later in the life of the Prophet could be mentioned earlier in the Quran.
- The Hadith - Namely the six authentic collections. i.e. Bukhair, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and An Nasai. As well as Muwatta of Imam Malik and Musnad of Imam Ahmad. Compilation of Darami etc. which are also regarded highly. Today we can gauge a lot of the Seerah from Hadith accounts but its important to note that the Scholars who wrote the Seerah in the early ages (Salaf), they were also collectors and narrators of hadith themselves. Ibn Ishaq, for example, came before the time of Bukhari and Muslim but he did not rely on their hadith to record his Seerah rather he understood the science of how to collect hadith and how to collect reports about seerah and he put them up to the scrutiny that Science demands. The only difference is that he put in into the order and pattern of a narrative. Narrators from among the Sahabah who narrated many things about the biography of the prophet, for example, Aisha the wife of the Prophet, she had a glimpse into the life of the Prophet that many people didn't have thus we turn to her for much of the information about the Seerah as well as companions who were involved with the Prophet from his early days of his mission. i.e. the tabi'een - Urwah ibn Az Zubair, son of Zubir ibn Awwam and Asma bint Abu Bakr. His older brother was Abdullah, who was the first Muslim to be born after the Hijrah. He was the nephew of Aisha r.a. thus he was able to meet and sit with his aunt and there was a clear chain of transmission for the source of the Prophet's biography.
Science of the Prophetic Biography
- What is meant by Science of the Prophetic biography?
- The method of the compilation of the Seerah matches the scientific standards that are used in science of hadith. For example, there would be a matn or text of seerah a person would narrate when a biographer would go to different people to ask them accounts of the prophetic biography. The biographer would then review who told that person that piece of information and analyze each and every person involved in the chain of transmission (Science of Rijaal - men and women were both narrators) It was a method of analyzing level of accuracy, memory and scrupulousness of these narrators. The same method applied in Science of hadith as well. They would look at chain, people involved and the text involved.
- If the biographer had analyzed the chain and he was satisfied and if text didn't contain obvious or hidden faults, the narration was accepted and used in the Seerah. The biographers of the Prophet were pure historians so they wouldn't interpolate based on their own opinions. They wouldn't try to embellish any of what they heard and they wouldn't try to do apologetic and justify certain things and add them into the text of what they were narrating. They wouldn't tamper or match contemporary paradigms and dominate discourses of their time. i.e. if their political situation had changed, they wouldn't try to direct the Seerah to suit a certain type of discourse dominant at that time. Nor did they pick and choose what they wanted to believe.
- They applied the scientific standard of uloom al hadith and if it was sound, they reported it.
- The margin of error in Seerah is quite low. The biggest reason being the Seerah of the Prophet was so well known at the time of the Companions and early generations that it was very difficult to inject something into tafseer of Ahlus Sunnah. There was an automatic filter of what was commonly understood. The detailed stories ask us to consider with a grain of salt but still do provide some benefit.
- The induction of principles and meanings from the life of the Prophet is a completely separate science. This means that the fiqh of the Seerah is not the same thing as the Seerah. The function of Seerah is to derive lessons and not for laymen to derive fiqh rulings from it - that is the job of the Ulema.
- Science of interpreting the Seerah and deriving rulings from it is a different Science.
Development of Seerah
- Ulema of Ahlus Sunnah were flag bearers of preserving an authentic tradition through the ages so after the weakening of the Muslim ummah particularly during European colonialism, there was an effort by them to divorce the Ummah from its scholars because in order to affect the people who they had colonized, they realized they would have to break the reliance of the Muslims towards their Muslim scholars. This started during the British colonization of Egypt. Europe had undergone the 'enlightenment' period.
- Different ideas started creeping into the Muslim Ummah and Muslims were looking outside of their civilization to understand why they were being colonized and conquered. There was a new school that rose up and relied on the subjective method as opposed to the objective method. This was first championed by Sigmund Freud - His take on how to analyze historical accounts and facts required that you must interpolate what you are reporting and you must be critical and subjective using your own inclinations, ideas and experiences according to the values you hold and times you are in in order to interpret what you are reporting and bring it out into the light that is relevant to what people believe in your time. This could change from audience to audience. This erases the concept of pure, objective and impartial history which Muslims had been standing on for 1100 years before that. History then was not a science but an art. It became a philosophy rather than a pure science.
- As that civilization thought it was becoming objective, it was actually becoming subjective and partial. The Muslims too were matching the Seerah to the 'new age' and new ideas.
- As mentioned, this started during the British colonization of Egypt. The colonizers could not reach the Muslims in their ideology so they attempted to infiltrate and influence Al Azhar which was the seat of Islamic learning in Cairo. Particularly some figures and so they encouraged people to scorn their Ulema who had been their Scientists, doctors, philosophers with whispers that Science was the key to progress and the path of liberation from colonialism.
- As a result, talk of religious reform came about in Seerah and the way it is taught - that there are certain things that don't match our thought processes today nor are they 'scientific' or advanced. This affected the writings and studies of the younger Ulema. It also affected different areas such as tafseer, fiqh etc. In the Seerah particularly, there was a purging of information that was not in accordance with 'science' i.e. aspects of revelation, miracles in the life of the Prophet (splitting of the moon, multiplying of food, Israa and Miraaj, incident of the elephant)
- Many things were radically interpreted or dismissed because it was not in accordance with the 'new age' of science and ideas.
- This led to regarding the Prophet not as a Prophet of Allah but as a hero or great man of the past though he was unlike any other man. People were guided away from reflecting on the concept of prophethood, revelation and divinely sent mission. Redacting of the Prophet and reading Seerah in light of that certain ideology at the time i.e socialism.
- When the scholars had been affected by this ideology so were the masses of Muslims.
- This still happens today unfortunately. i.e. extremists who reinterpret seerah according to their angry inclinations which leads to horrible results.
- Its not wrong to say the prophet brought women's rights or to elevate status of servants or encouraged certain aspects of science and knowledge but its when you reduce him to a speaker on that subject and you leave behind the biggest message.
- Examples of such writings: Hussain Aikel 'Hayat Muhammad (SAW)' - focusing on humanistic principles to avoid ascribing miracles. Humanistic principles according to a different group of people or writings such as 'Seerah in the light of Science and Philosophy' as if Seerah is devoid of or against that and needs to be interpreted. Space theories - Israa and Miraaj.
- Redaction of Seerah left people quite empty because it took away the spirituality and point of the message. It caused much disillusionment of religion and inclined to secularism because it thought Islam was not an intellectual or thinking religion.
- The New school - A historical water shed. Floundering attempt to try to fish the Muslims out of the problems faced at that time. However, Muslims realized this was not the answer. Now, people have begun to come back towards authentic look of the Seerah. Even Orientalists who were very hostile and skeptical towards the Seerah, have begun to deal with Seerah in a fair and objective light rather than dismiss what didn't match their values.
- GEM: Allah creates Science but he is not bound by Science. He can bypass that when he wants and that's what you call a MIRACLE.
How do we interpret the Seerah in light of objectivity and Islamic principles
- The question then arises on how do we interpret the Seerah in the light of objectivity and Islamic principles? We've just listen many ways how we shouldn't look at the Seerah.
- How the Prophet (SAW) presented himself and how Allah presented the Prophet (SAW) - When the Prophet (SAW) presented himself as a Prophet, it wasn't that he was merely a genius and was able to politically dictate the affairs of his time to gain power or a successful military leader that surprised the empires around him but it was clear that there was divine assistance that was backing him so logic demands from us that when a person is claiming that "I am a messenger of God', we give that a fair shot and say we will look at the Seerah as how the Prophet presented himself and as Muslims we do that without any problem. In terms of meaning of prophethood, the message sent to him applies to us today. It wasn't something just for the Arabs of that time, it was made to speak to us as well.
- When we study the humanistic aspect of the Prophet independently from the divine message, we only get confusion. If we take away the divine message, the only standard we have to judge is what we have devised by society ourselves. If we had the tools to decide between right and wrong on every single issue then there wouldn't be an immediate need to send a message but the moral responsibility is upon us once we receive the message.
- It behooves us now to study humanistic aspects along with the identity of the Prophet (SAW) that he claimed for himself.
- Allah also every time the Prophet was mentioned by his name (four times) in the Quran was referred by his role. For example, Surah Al Imran, Allah says 'And Muhammad is not but a Messenger and there have come messengers before him and so if he dies or is slain, will you then turn back on your heels from your religion? And that person who turns back on his heels, he doesn't affect Allah in any bit. Allah will reward those who are truthful'.
- Allah is saying if we turn back on the message because it doesn't match our own agenda then it doesn't' harm Allah rather only us.
- Surah Ahzab: Muhammad(SAW) is not a father of any man amongst you but rather he is the messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets and Allah is aware of all things."
- He is nothing but a messenger and included in that is all the roles that he has played.
- Surah Muhammad: " Those people who believed and worked righteous deeds and who believed in what was revealed upon Muhammad (SAW) and that is the truth from their lord and he will cover for them their sins and improve their condition.
- Surah Fath - "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah...You see them bowing, prostrating and eagerly working towards the bounties of Allah and His good pleasure....that is their likeness found in the Torah and the Gospels....."
- All of these four verses deal with the role of the Prophet (SAW) as a messenger and some of them tie in what we will get if we follow the Prophet (SAW). This is the light in which we should be analyzing the Seerah in.
- How we look at the Seerah - Allah says, "We have not sent you except as a mercy to all the worlds". In everything the Prophet did and that we study in the course, we understand that he was a mercy to all that he came into contact with and he was also a mercy to us and that which came after him and comes after him.
Significance of the Seerah
- It solidifies our yaqeen in his prophethood which is the second part of the shahadah or testimony of faith.
- To know that he is the best example for us in every aspect of life. In the Quran, Allah says, "Indeed you have in the messenger of Allah an excellent example for he who hopes for Allah and the day of judgment and who remembers Allah much." In the different roles we have, (teachers, leaders, parents, wives etc), there is an example in the messenger for us.
- To better understand the Qur'an. There are very verses we would not understand if we did not know the seerah.
- To understand the correct interpretation of misunderstanding and conceptions people have.
- To gain a solid understanding of other Islamic sciences because Islamic sciences depend on the narrative of the Seerah.
- To feel the dignity of what it means to be a Muslim and to value and cherish that.
- To try to serve the Ummah by applying seerah in our lives.
- Shows educators how to follow a path that was flawless in a way that it was lived by the Messenger and study sound examples on how to nurture and teach others.
- No other religion has studied the life of its founder or religious figure like the Muslims have.
- Seerah tells us how to behave in our relationships with others and the community at large. i.e husband and wife; leaders and public; students and dawah in school.
- Understand how to defend seerah when the Prophet is criticized unjustifiably.
- Raising our children in light of the Seerah so they may become the future leaders of the Ummah.
- Giving da'wah.
- The person who has thanked people has not thanked Allah. The sacrifices the Prophet gave for us should make us thankful to him and ultimately to Allah.
- To increase our love for the Messenger of Allah Sallalahu Alyehi Wasallam. None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his parent, child and any human being. (Hadith)