al-Ihtimam bil-Sira al-Nabawiyya bil-Lugha al-Rusiyya
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex in Medina
al-Ihtimam bil-Sira al-Nabawiyya bil-Lugha al-Rusiyya (The Study of the Prophetic Biography in the Russian Language) is a research treatise by Ilmir bin Rufail Kuliev that examines the history, methodology, and key works of Russian and Soviet Orientalist literature concerning the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
Objectives and Scope
The study opens with a discussion on the theological and pedagogical significance of studying the Prophetic biography (the Sira), outlining ten key benefits for believers . These include comprehending monotheism (tawhid), purifying the soul through righteous action, mastering the methodology of Islamic propagation (da'wah), verifying the Prophet's truthfulness, cultivating love for him and his Companions, gaining steadfastness through trials, emulating his character, and contextualizing Islamic legal rulings and Quranic verses . Kuliev contrasts the devotional and authentic transmission of the Sira within Islamic tradition against the analytical framework of Orientalism, which he argues frequently projects distorted perceptions of Islam onto Russian-speaking readers .
Survey of Russian and Soviet Literature
The treatise surveys the developmental stages of Russian-language scholarship on the Sira:
- Tsarist Era: Dedicated works on the Sira were relatively scarce due to Tsarist censorship restricting Islamic publications that contradicted state policy, as well as an Orientalist emphasis on criticizing the Quran . Among the earliest Russian monographs on the subject was Muhammad: His Life and Religious Teaching by the philosopher Vladimir Solovyov (1853–1900) . Because Solovyov did not know Arabic, he relied on European translations and studies, producing a work that affirmed the Prophet's historical sincerity while maintaining theological reservations and contradictions stemming from his Christian background .
- Early Soviet Period (1920s): Following the Communist revolution, a generation of scholars, including Vasily Bartold, K. S. Kashtaleva, and I. N. Vinnikov, produced specialized academic papers on specific Sira topics, though without publishing a comprehensive biography of the Prophet .
- Mid-20th Century Ideological Phase: For roughly five decades, Soviet scholarship was heavily swayed by Marxist-Leninist ideology, leading researchers such as E. A. Belyaev, L. I. Klimovich, and S. P. Tolstov to adopt hypercritical stances, even questioning the Prophet's historical existence .
- Later Soviet and Academic Studies: The publication of Ignaty Krachkovsky's translation of the Quran in the early 1960s prompted a shift toward rigorous textual analysis of Islamic sources . Comprehensive accounts appeared, notably Belyaev's The Arabs, Islam, and the Arab Caliphate in the Middle Ages and the detailed first volume of O. G. Bolshakov's History of the Caliphate (Istoriya Khalifata), which extensively covered pre-Islamic Arabia and the Sira . Kuliev also evaluates Vera Panova and Yuri Vakhtin's popular literary biography, The Prophet Muhammad, highlighting its engaging narrative style alongside its rationalistic dismissal of miracles, such as explaining the defeat of the Abraha's army as an outbreak of smallpox .
Critique and Recommendations
Kuliev concludes that Russian and Soviet Orientalist research into the Sira primarily revolved around two reductionist aims: seeking a materialist or psychological explanation for divine revelation, and analyzing the Prophet's political decisions to explain how he unified the Arabian tribes under a single system .
To provide an authentic alternative for Russian-speaking readers—comprising Orthodox Christians, Jews, and individuals influenced by Soviet atheism—Kuliev emphasizes the need for Muslim scholars to author well-documented analytical studies that counter Orientalist claims, as well as accessible narrative biographies rooted in authentic Islamic reports .
Answer updated