The subjective approach in writing the Prophetic biography: A critical study

Abstract

The study concludes that the subjective approach to writing the Prophetic biography (Sīrah) constitutes a departure from the requirements of a scientific methodology in studying the Sīrah, as it is based on giving precedence to the writer’s personal perceptions and intellectual positions over authoritative narrations and reliable sources. This may lead to distorting the meanings of historical events and reinterpreting them in ways that conform to the writer’s orientations and ideas. The influence of this approach has become evident in a number of modern writings that have addressed the Prophetic biography from intellectual, literary, or philosophical perspectives that are inconsistent with the nature of the Sīrah and its sources. The study emphasizes the need to exercise caution regarding this approach and its effects on writing the Prophetic biography, and the necessity of subjecting narrations and events to the principles of scholarly criticism, referring to reliable sources, and refraining from imposing meanings on texts that they cannot support or projecting modern perceptions onto them. It also demonstrates that the study of the Prophetic biography requires an objective and disciplined methodology that combines the authenticity of narration with sound understanding, while preserving the distinctiveness and status of the Sīrah within the Islamic intellectual heritage. Accordingly, the subjective approach should not serve as the basis for writing the Prophetic biography. Rather, its manifestations should be identified and its effects critically examined, given the potential consequences of distorting the image of the Sīrah or diverting its events from their proper meanings. Therefore, the most appropriate methodology for writing the Prophetic biography is a critical and objective approach based on verifying narrations, understanding them within their historical context, adhering to the principles of scholarly research, and rejecting biases and preconceived notions that may affect the transmission and analysis of events from the Sīrah.