لِمَاذَا نَدْرُسُ السِّيرَةَ

Welcome to this course The Seerah (as-siira an-nabawiyya) is the account of the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: his birth, his mission in Makkah, the emigration (the Hijra), the building of the community of Madinah, the great battles and treaties, the farewell pilgrimage and his death. This course is the adult version of the teenagers' course "The life of the Prophet": it follows the same path, but goes into detail, gives the sources, points out disputed dates, and stops at each stage on the lessons for our lives.

Why study the Seerah? • To know the one we follow: Allah made the Prophet ﷺ "an excellent example" (verse 33:21, below). One cannot imitate someone one does not know. • To understand the Qur'an: many verses were revealed about events in his life (Badr, Uḥud, Al-Ḥudaybiya…). • To love him: the Prophet ﷺ said: "None of you truly believes until I am dearer to him than his father, his child and all people" (Bukhari 15, Muslim 44). • To learn how to live: the Seerah shows patience in trial, how to treat an opponent, family life, and how to lead a community.

The sources • The Qur'an: the surest source; it refers directly to many events. • The collections of authentic hadiths (Bukhari, Muslim) and the other collections (Abu Daawud, At-Tirmidhi, Ahmad…): they report words and deeds with their chain of narrators. • The books of Seerah: the oldest great account is that of Ibn Isḥaaq (died around 150 AH), which we know mainly through the version of Ibn Hishaam (died around 218) [À VÉRIFIER : dates]. Among modern books, Ar-Raḥiiq al-Makhtuum ("The Sealed Nectar") by Ṣafiyy ar-Raḥmaan al-Mubaarakfuuri won first prize in a competition held by the Muslim World League in 1979 [À VÉRIFIER]; it is translated into French and English.

How to read these sources Scholars do not treat all reports in the same way. For the rulings of the religion, they require authentic hadiths. For the details of a historical account (a number, a date, a name), they often accept the books of Seerah, while pointing out the differences. That is why this course marks [À VÉRIFIER] when a date or a number is disputed: it does not mean the event is doubtful, but that its details vary between sources.

Arabia before Islam In the sixth century, Arabia was surrounded by two empires: the Byzantines to the north-west and the Persians to the north-east. Makkah was a trading town, with no king, run by the clans of the tribe of Quraysh. At its centre stood the Ka'ba, built by Ibraahiim and his son Ismaa'iil for the worship of Allah alone; but at that time more than three hundred idols surrounded it [À VÉRIFIER : nombre]. The Arabs had fine qualities (hospitality, courage, keeping their word, eloquence), but also grave ills: wars between tribes, drunkenness, gambling, injustice towards the weak, and sometimes the burying of baby girls alive (verses 81:8-9, studied in the course "Juz 'Amma"). Scholars call this period the Jaahiliyya, "ignorance". A few people, called the ḥunafaa', nevertheless rejected the idols and sought the religion of Ibraahiim, such as Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl.

Exercise: write in one sentence what you already know about the life of the Prophet ﷺ, and one question you would like this course to answer. Keep them: you will reread them in the last lesson.

The text: Surah Al-Aḥzaab (33), verse 21 لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا ﴿٢١﴾

Meaning: "You have, in the Messenger of Allah, an excellent example, for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much." This verse was revealed during the battle of the Trench (lesson 10), but scholars draw a general rule from it: to follow the Prophet ﷺ in his words, his deeds and his character.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Studying the Seerah is not learning an old story for general knowledge: it is getting to know a living model. Verse 33:21 links this example to three things: hoping in Allah, believing in the Last Day, and remembering Allah much. Whoever has these three qualities will naturally seek to imitate the Prophet ﷺ. The method matters as much as the content. Muslims were the first to check reports through their chain of narrators. The Qur'an and authentic hadiths come first; the books of Seerah fill in the details. Recognising that a date is disputed is a mark of honesty, not of weakness. Finally, knowing the Jaahiliyya helps to measure the change: in twenty-three years, a society of rival tribes became a community united around the worship of Allah, justice and mercy.

Lessons to draw from it • Study the Seerah in order to imitate, not only to know. • Prefer reliable sources: the Qur'an, then authentic hadiths. • Accept that there are differences on details, without doubting the essentials. • Keep the good qualities of one's culture and leave what contradicts the religion.

Key points to remember • Seerah: the account of the life of the Prophet ﷺ. • Sources: the Qur'an, Bukhari and Muslim, Ibn Isḥaaq through Ibn Hishaam, Ar-Raḥiiq al-Makhtuum. • Verse 33:21: the excellent example. • Bukhari 15, Muslim 44: loving him more than all people. • Jaahiliyya: the age of ignorance before Islam.

The main message The Seerah is the way to know, love and imitate the Prophet ﷺ: study it with reliable sources, and look at every stage for what it changes in your life.