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This book represents a shift away from the prevalent view that the main value of
s¿ra lies in its utility as a historical source for the life of Müammad. It examines the nature and role of
s¿ra as a distinct genre of the Muslim literary and historical tradition and as an independent scholarly discipline. Beginning with a discussion of contemporary scholarship and approaches to the study of
s¿ra, the book then outlines a number of defining characteristics typical of
s¿ra as a genre, as well as examining the role of the chronological narrative, the textual and functional role of variant reports and the divergences between them, and the centrality of the relationship between the text of the Qur'¿n and
s¿ra. Particular attention is paid to the question of narrativity and historical discourse as it occurs in
s¿ra, and the ability of
s¿ra authors to resort to a number of other scholarly disciplines in order to extrapolate further meaning from their source material.
List of contents
Introduction
PART I: APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF SĪRA
Chapter 1: New Trends in the Understanding of Sīra
Chapter 2: Sīra and Historical and Literary Analysis
PART II: THE GENRE OF SĪRA AND ITS FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
Chapter 3: The Sources and the Case Study
Chapter 4: Problems of Describing Sīra as a Genre
Chapter 5: Chronology and Narrative
Chapter 6: Variants
Chapter 7: Relating Events to Revelation
Chapter 8: Literary Models of Story and History in Sīra
Conclusion
About the author
Gurdofarid Miskinzoda obtained her PhD in the History of the Near and Middle East from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She is currently a Research Associate and Shi’i Studies Coordinator at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London.
Summary
Sīra stands for al-sīra al-nabawiyya, meaning the biography of Prophet Muḥammad, and is one of the earliest types of literature in the Muslim tradition, shaping the identity and content of this tradition as it has also developed alongside it.
This book represents a shift away from the prevalent view that the main value of sīra lies in its utility as a historical source for the life of Muḥammad. It examines the nature and role of sīra as a distinct genre of the Muslim literary and historical tradition and as an independent scholarly discipline. Beginning with a discussion of contemporary scholarship and approaches to the study of sīra, the book then outlines a number of defining characteristics typical of sīra as a genre, as well as examining the role of the chronological narrative, the textual and functional role of variant reports and the divergences between them, and the centrality of the relationship between the text of the Qur’ān and sīra. Particular attention is paid to the question of narrativity and historical discourse as it occurs in sīra, and the ability of sīra authors to resort to a number of other scholarly disciplines in order to extrapolate further meaning from their source material.
Taking an interdisciplinary approach to provide a concise and original insight into the nature of sīra as a distinct form of literature, this book is essential reading for students and scholars interested in the historiography of Islam, and early Islamic history and literature.
