Awail al-Muallifin fi al-Sira al-Nabawiya
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- Awail al-Muallifin fi al-Sira al-Nabawiya
Awa'il al-Mu'allifin fi al-Sira al-Nabawiyya (The Earliest Authors of the Prophetic Biography) is a historiographical study by the Egyptian scholar of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University, Abd al-Shafi Muhammad Abd al-Latif . The work examines the origins of recording the biography and military expeditions (maghazi) of the Prophet Muhammad, tracing the earliest generations of authors who compiled narratives of his life .
Context and Publication
The work was published in 1426 AH (2005 CE) and printed at the press of the Ministry of Awqaf in Tura al-Balad . It was subsequently included as the opening study in Abd al-Shafi's broader collection of historical treatises titled Buhuth fi al-Sira al-Nabawiyya wa-l-Tarikh al-Islami: Qira'a wa-Ru'ya Jadida . The author placed it at the beginning of his collected studies because it addresses the earliest efforts to record the events of the Prophet's life and highlights the contributions of early scholars in transmitting well-documented historical reports .
Structure and Scope
The book opens with an introductory section outlining the motives of early Muslims for studying the Prophet's biography and the initial phase of writing down biographical accounts . The remainder of the work classifies the early biographers into three successive generations (tabaqat) :
- The First Generation: Focuses on early transmitters and pioneers of maghazi writing, covering Aban ibn Uthman, Urwa ibn al-Zubayr, Shurahbil ibn Sa'd, and Wahb ibn Munabbih .
- The Second Generation: Examines prominent compilers of the succeeding phase, including Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr, and Asim ibn Umar ibn Qatada .
- The Third Generation: Covers major second-century authors who produced foundational written compilations, including Musa ibn Uqba, Ma'mar ibn Rashid, Ibn Ishaq, al-Waqidi, and Ibn Sa'd .
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