منهج الإمام ابن سعد في كتابة أحداث السيرة النبوية في العهد المدني من خلال كتابه الطبقات الكبرى Imam Ibn Saad’s Approach in Writing the Seerah of the Prophet (PBUH) in the Medinan Period in his Book Al Tabaqat -Ul- Kubra Section Islamic Studies

Abstract

Seerah Nabawiyyah has been the most widely used name for the traditional account of life and background of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In the Ninth century, Islamic literature and biographies of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were enthusiastically developed as a reflection on the needs of the Muslim Community. Among the famous of the extant text composed in the medieval Islamic genre is the book al-Ṭabaqāt-al-Kubrā by Ibne Sa’ad (d. 230/845) who largely compiled it from the works his predecessors, especially al-Wāqidī and al-Kalbī. This book of Ibne Sa’ad named “Al of -Tabaqat” is a scholastic treasury which consists of eight volumes. The first two volumes are specified for Seerah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The remaining six volumes consist of the scholastic, political, military and religious activities of the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and their disciples which covers the first two Islamic centuries. “Al-Tabaqat” has been considered one of the most ancient and very valuable sources of Seerah. Ibne Sa’ad was the disciple of Al-Waqidi. Therefore, his major source of knowledge is Al-Waqidi’s book “Al-Maghazi”, especially the Medinan Era of the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is reliant on upon the said book. This article reflects the complete sociological picture of the initial Islamic age with all necessary details. The present study also aims to explore the style and pattern of historical approach applied by Ibne Sa’ad on the Biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The study is qualitative, in which the researcher employed source-critical approaches where he analyses and extracts the approach used by the authors in writing Seerah Nabawiyyah (PBUH).