al-Sira al-Nabawiya inda al-Haythami fi Kitabihi Majma al-Zawaid wa Manba al-Fawaid
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al-Sira al-Nabawiya inda al-Haythami fi Kitabihi Majma al-Zawaid wa Manba al-Fawaid (The Prophetic Biography According to al-Haythami in his Book Majma‘ al-Zawa’id wa-Manba‘ al-Fawa’id) is a scholarly study by Sulayman al-Suwaykit examining the historical and hadith narrations concerning the biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ compiled in Nur al-Din al-Haythami's (735–807 AH) seminal work Majma‘ al-Zawa'id wa-Manba‘ al-Fawa'id.
Scope and Purpose
The study analyzes the biography-related hadiths gathered by al-Haythami that represent additions (zawāʾid) beyond the six canonical hadith collections (al-Kutub al-Sitta). The author emphasizes that combining these supplementary narrations with the biographical material found in the six canonical books provides a vast corpus essential for constructing the broader framework of the Prophetic biography. The work outlines al-Haythami's biographical background, examines his methodological approach to ordering chapters and evaluating chains of transmission (isnād), and illustrates these features with textual selections.
Structure and Content
The book focuses on the two primary sections in Majma‘ al-Zawaʾid dedicated to the Prophetic biography and related events:
- The Book of Expeditions and Military Campaigns (Kitāb al-Maghāzī wa-l-Siyar): Contains 78 chapters and 594 hadiths and historical reports. Within this section, 69 chapters comprising 556 reports pertain strictly to the Prophetic biography, covering Meccan events (such as the early proclamation of Islam, persecution, migration to Abyssinia, the journey to al-Ta'if, and pledges of allegiance) as well as Medinan campaigns and expeditions. Notable topics include the Battle of Khaybar (25 reports), the Conquest of Mecca and the campaigns of Hunayn and al-Ta'if (36 reports each), the Expedition of Tabuk (19 reports), and 14 chapters dedicated to various detachments (sarāyā) comprising 31 reports. The remaining 9 chapters (comprising 38 reports) address post-Prophetic or wider historical battles, including Dhu Qar, fighting Persia and Rome, al-Qadisiyya, Nihawand, the Day of the Bridge, Alexandria, Constantinople, and the Ridda wars.
- The Book of Signs of Prophethood (Kitāb ‘Alāmāt al-Nubuwwa): Contains approximately 323 narrations. It covers pre-prophetic signs, lineage, the Prophet's birth, nursing, the opening of his chest, early protection, the foreknowledge of the People of the Book regarding his coming, and supernatural signs.
The author also includes a section surveying scholars who relied upon al-Haythami's judgments and transmissions, such as al-Busiri (d. 840 AH), Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 852 AH), Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH), al-Munawi (d. 1031 AH), and Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Rudani (d. 1094 AH).
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