Dirasat Isbaniya lil-Sira al-Nabawiya
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- Majmaʿ al-Malik Fahd li-Ṭibāʿat al-Muṣḥaf al-Sharīf bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
Dirasat Isbaniya lil-Sira al-Nabawiya (Spanish Studies of the Prophetic Biography) is an academic critical study by Muhammad bin Abd al-Qadir Barrada examining Spanish-language literature and Orientalist scholarship on the biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Purpose and Background
The work investigates how the Prophet ﷺ and Islam have been portrayed in Spanish historical, linguistic, and Orientalist writings from the medieval period through the modern era. Barrada, drawing on his academic background and teaching experience in Spain, aims to critically evaluate distortions and misconceptions regarding the Prophetic biography, identify the historical and ideological factors shaping Spanish attitudes toward Islam, and discuss constructive educational applications for Muslim communities in the West.
Structure and Content
The book is organized into two main parts:
Part One: Theoretical and Historical Foundations
- Spanish Lexicography: An examination of definitions in major Spanish reference dictionaries, such as the Diccionario de la lengua española by the Real Academia Española, showing how entries on Islam and the Prophet reflect historical Christian polemical framing (e.g., defining Islam as a secta or using terms like mahometismo).
- The Concept and Historiography of Sira: A discussion of the linguistic and terminological development of the term sira in Islamic scholarship, tracing its early foundational authors including Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Musa ibn Uqba, and Ibn Ishaq.
- Spanish Orientalism and the Sira: An overview of the historical roots of Spanish interest in the Prophetic biography, dating back to the arrival of scholars such as Sa'sa'a ibn Sallam in the ninth century CE. The author identifies key factors influencing Spanish perspectives, including geographic proximity, centuries of shared history in al-Andalus, the influence of ecclesiastical institutions, and Spanish colonial involvement in Morocco.
Part Two: Analysis and Critique of Spanish Writings
- Pre-Nineteenth-Century Writings: A review of Andalusian Muslim contributions—such as those of Abd al-Malik ibn Habib and Abu al-Rabi Sulayman al-Kala'i—alongside medieval Christian polemical literature. A major focus is the 1264 CE Castilian translation of the Mi'raj narrative (Libro de la Escala de Mahoma) prepared by Abraham of Toledo under King Alfonso X of Castile, analyzing omissions and alterations in European manuscript transmissions. It also surveys medieval and early modern Christian authors who wrote against Islam, including Alvaro of Córdoba, Peter the Venerable, Riccoldo da Monte di Croce, San Pedro Pascual, and Juan de Torquemada.
- Twentieth-Century Studies: Critical appraisals of Latin American and Spanish monographs, including Waldo Díaz García's Mahoma y los árabes and Rafael Cansinos-Assens's Mahoma y el Korán. It also examines comprehensive Spanish works such as José de Montero Vidal's two-volume Mahoma: su vida y el Corán (1926) and Álvaro Machordom Comins's Muhammad (1979).
- Textbooks and Contemporary Polemics: A review of field research surveying 168 Spanish secondary school textbooks regarding their portrayal of Islam, alongside modern polemical works such as Serafín Fanjul's Al-Andalus contra España: la forja del mito.
- Translations and Muslim Publications: An evaluation of Western biographical translations circulating in Spain (e.g., Maxime Rodinson's Mahoma) and biographical introductory chapters written by Spanish Quran translators such as Julio Cortés and Juan Vernet. It additionally highlights Spanish-language works produced by Muslim organizations, such as writings by Muhammad Kamal Mustafa published through the Suhayl Islamic Center.
- Practical Applications in the West: A discussion on the social and educational challenges faced by Muslim immigrant youth in Spain, arguing for the production of accessible, accurate biographical literature tailored for Spanish-speaking youth and interfaith understanding.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Barrada concludes that the majority of Spanish-language scholarship on the Sira suffers from polemical bias and secondary reliance on non-Arabic sources rather than classical Islamic historiography. He calls for comprehensive institutional translation projects to produce rigorous, reliable presentations of the Prophetic biography in the Spanish language.
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