al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al-Tarikh al-Islami

al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al-Tarikh al-Islami (The Prophetic Biography and Islamic History: A New Reading and Perspective) is a collection of academic studies by the Egyptian historian Abd al-Shafi Muhammad Abd al-Latif, professor of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University, examining pivotal themes in early Islamic history, state administration, and civilizational encounters al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al….

Composition and Method

The book compiles thirteen academic research papers prepared over a span of more than twenty-five years al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…. These papers were originally presented at local and international scholarly conferences or published in specialized academic journals across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Spain, and Italy al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…+1. Rather than following the chronological order of their initial publication, Abd al-Shafi arranged the studies thematically according to subject proximity, reproducing each paper in its original form without modifications to preserve the context in which it was delivered al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…+1.

The overarching method of the work combines historical source analysis with critical engagement with contemporary historiography, focusing on correcting misconceptions regarding early Islamic statehood, governance, and foreign relations al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…+1.

Structure and Contents

The work is organized into thirteen distinct research studies grouped around the prophetic biography, the early caliphate, and subsequent Islamic historical developments:

• Historiography and the Prophetic Era: The opening study examines the earliest compilations and authors of the Sira from the era of the Companions and Successors al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…. This is followed by studies on the response to the prophetic call in Hijazi cities outside Mecca—namely al-Ta'if and Medina al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…; military and political strategy toward Quraysh between the Hijra and the Battle of Badr al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…; and relations with the Byzantines in light of the Expedition of Tabuk al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al….
• Governance and Statehood: The fifth paper analyzes administration during the prophetic era, composed as a direct refutation of arguments advanced by Hussein Mu'nis denying that the Prophet established an administrative state in Medina al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…+1. The sixth study details the internal and external frameworks governing international relations and peace treaties in the early Islamic state al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al….
• Early Conquests and Caliphate: A study reassessing the strategic directives of Umar ibn al-Khattab regarding the Islamic conquests and naval defense al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…, followed by an inquiry into the contribution of Egyptian Christians to the establishment and construction of the early Islamic navy across the Mediterranean al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al….
• Civilizational and Cross-Cultural Relations: Later papers cover the Islamic conquest of Transoxiana and the dissemination of Islam into Central Asia al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…; the diplomatic exchange of gifts and delegations between Muslim caliphs and Byzantine emperors al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…+1; the Umayyad role in transmitting Arab-Islamic civilization to al-Andalus and medieval Europe al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…+1; contemporary sociological conditions and future studies in Muslim societies al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al…; and the historical origins and evolution of Western Orientalism through the end of the Crusades al-Sira al-Nabawiya wa al….