Sahih al-Athar wa Jamil al-Ibar min Sirat Khayr al-Bashar (PBUH)
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- Editions
- Institute of Scientific Research and Revival of Islamic Heritage at Umm Al-Qura University
Sahih al-Athar wa Jamil al-Ibar min Sirat Khayr al-Bashar (PBUH) (صحيح الأثر وجميل العبر من سيرة خير البشر ﷺ; lit. 'The Authentic Reports and Beautiful Lessons from the Biography of the Best of Mankind') is a university textbook on the prophetic biography (al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah) co-authored by a team of scholars at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca .
Background and Commission
The book was commissioned after the university council of Umm al-Qura University established the prophetic biography as a mandatory curriculum requirement across all academic disciplines beginning in the 1416–1417 AH academic year . To meet the curriculum's educational goals, the university president issued a directive on 7 Shawwal 1425 AH appointing a committee of specialists from the Department of History and Islamic Civilization in the Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, as well as the Department of Da'wah in the Faculty of Da'wah and Usul al-Din, to author the textbook .
The draft was examined and approved by a five-member academic review committee comprising Abid ibn Muhammad al-Sufyani, Abd Allah ibn Umar al-Dumayji, Abd Allah ibn Husayn al-Shanbari, Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah al-Sallumi, and Khalid ibn Abd Allah al-Qurashi, each of whom submitted an independent evaluation report . The authors concluded the work in Rabi' al-Awwal 1428 AH, and it was published in a single volume by the university's Institute of Scientific Research and Revival of Islamic Heritage in 1431 AH (2010 CE) .
Authorship and Division of Chapters
The text was jointly written by four faculty members, who divided the material as follows:
- Muhammad ibn Samil al-Sulami: Prepared the preliminary introduction (Tamhid), Chapter One, and the opening portion of Chapter Two up to the public proclamation of the prophetic message (al-Jahr bi-l-da'wah) .
- Abd al-Rahman ibn Jamil Qassas: Authored the remainder of Chapter Two and the whole of Chapter Three .
- Khalid ibn Muhammad al-Ghayth: Authored Chapter Four .
- Sa'd ibn Musa al-Musa: Authored Chapter Five .
Structure and Contents
The work consists of an introduction and five chapters organized around the chronological progression of the Prophet Muhammad's life and mission:
- Preliminary Introduction (Tamhid): Defines the prophetic biography, outlines the objectives, sources, divisions, and benefits of its study, and provides a concise geographical survey of the Arabian Peninsula, the sacred precincts of Mecca, and the political, religious, and social state of the Arab tribes prior to Islam .
- Chapter One: Covers the period from the Prophet's birth up to the beginning of his mission, concluding with the harbingers and portents of prophethood (irhasat) .
- Chapter Two: Treats the Meccan period from the initial reception of revelation to the migration (Hijrah) to Medina .
- Chapter Three: Focuses on the migration to Medina, the consolidation of communal affairs, institution building, and the societal organization of the nascent Muslim community .
- Chapter Four: Details military expeditions (saraya), treaties, battles (ghazawat), and confrontations with the polytheists .
- Chapter Five: Examines the broader spread of Islam following the Conquest of Mecca, the arrival of tribal delegations in Medina (notably in the ninth year after the Hijrah), the Farewell Pilgrimage, and the Prophet's illness and death . The chapter concludes with descriptions of the Prophet's physical characteristics, moral conduct, a brief survey of his wives (the Mothers of the Believers), and the wisdom behind his multiple marriages .
Method
The authors adopted an approach that combines historical narration with educational, behavioral, and legal deductions (al-durus wa-l-ibar) . The methodology relies strictly on evidence drawn from Quranic verses, rigorously authenticated hadiths, and verified historical reports, maintaining that educational emulation (al-iqtida' wa-l-ta'assi) must rest on verified source material .
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