The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 43
I - Early Sources of Sīrat & Islāmic History 43 13 Tārīkh-e-Makkah Abul-Walīd Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Karīm Azraqī (Died in 223 A. H. ) An authentic work which comprises the early history of Makkah. 14 Ṣifatu Jazīratil-‘Arab Abū Muḥammad Ḥasan bin Aḥmad bin Ya‘qūb Al-Hamdānī Al-Ma‘rūf bi ibn Ḥā’ik 1 (Died in 334 A. H. ) An authentic work which comprises the early geography of Arabia. 1 This historical treasure is, in essence, the true origin and source of the Sīrat of the Holy Prophet sa and early Islāmic history. Subsequent books are all a derivative of this primary source. However, as mentioned above, all these works are not books of Sīrat , nor are they books of history in the true sense of the word. Since the topics discussed in these books naturally coincide with the life of the Holy Prophet sa and the history of early Islām, these books have been included in the books of Sīrat listed above. As previously mentioned, there are only four early books existent today which are purely on Sīrat. These books are Sīrat Ibni Hishām, Kitābus-Sīrat wal-Maghāzī li Wāqidī, Tabaqāt Ibni Sa‘d and Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī. However, since Wāqidī is often reproached and rejected, practically, there remain only three main sources, namely: Ibni Hishām, Ibni Sa‘d and Ṭabarī. Undoubtedly, if the Holy Qur’ān and Ḥadīth are put to one side, the true foundation of Sīrat is laid on these 3 primary books. A Brief Note on Wāqidī A separate note on Wāqidī was not initially required, but unfortunately, European writers have favoured him to such an extent that for the disclosure of true reality, a separate note has become imperative. As mentioned above, the span of Wāqidī’s life is from 130 A. H. to 207 A. H. Undoubtedly, with regards to his time period, Wāqidī is no less secure in position than any other historian. However, this factor alone cannot alter the personal attributes and habits of an individual. The fact of the matter is that despite the breadth of his knowledge, Wāqidī was absolutely unworthy of reliance and trust, and research scholars 1 Another work by this writer is also named ‘Iklīl’, which is comprised of 10 Volumes. In addition to details of the Ḥimyar tribe and the history of Yemen, it is based on other very valuable information as well. Refer to Kashfuẓ-Ẓunnūn, Volume 1, p. 144, Under “Iklīlu fī Ansābi Ḥimyar”, Dāru Iḥyā’it- Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon