Qurʾānic References to Prophet Muḥammad's Early Life: an Analysis
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QURʾĀNIC REFERENCES TO PROPHET MUḤAMMAD'S EARLY LIFE: AN ANALYSIS OF SELECTED WORKS OF THE THIRD/NINTH CENTURY BY AHMAD SANUSI BIN AZMI A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Theology and Religion School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham April 2017 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This study analyses Qurʾānic references purported to be allusions to the Prophet Muḥammad’s early life. Observations of the use of Qurʾānic references in the early sīra sources substantiate the fact that each of the authors of sīra employed greatly differing numbers of Qurʾānic references. In fact, the use of Qurʾānic references within the work of sīra is occasionally obscure or even, at times, inconsistent. Therefore, the present study seeks firstly to investigate the earliest Qurʾānic references to Muḥammad’s early life recorded in Muslim sources of the ninth century, and further, to explore the ninth century context and early Muslim hermeneutical responses to and understanding of Qurʾānic references to Muḥammad’s early life. Finally, the thesis will analyse for what specific reasons these references were developed, and their various socio-religious contexts. The study is qualitative in nature, and is one in which the researcher will employ both descriptive and source-critical approaches. Its analysis will seek to argue for and confirm the rarity of Qurʾānic references to the Prophet’s early life in the works of ninth century Islamic literature. The study in its findings will argue that the use of Qurʾānic references in constructing the Prophet’s biography is the result of several factors. These include the substantiation of miraculous elements in the narratives, the elucidation of lexical ambiguity in the texts and the ‘Qurʾānisation’ of stories and traditions about the Prophet’s life. It will recommend and extended other areas of future study and analysis of early Islamic literature, in order to explore more deeply the nature of the connection between the Qurʾān and the narratives of the Prophet’s life. DEDICATION To my parents, Haji Azmi Abdul Manap and Hajah Rokiah Abdul Wahid ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Professor David Thomas for guiding me on this research journey. His insightful scholarship, brilliant questions, meticulous accuracy and immense knowledge have assisted me in this intellectual journey. Thank you for your excellent supervision. I am also deeply indebted to Dr Karen O’Rourke (a ‘fellow Malaysian’) for being my proofreader, and Paul Dolan too! Your kind help, advice, motivation and tea-drinking sessions are highly appreciated. My appreciation is also extended to my colleagues who have supported me during my study, especially members of Majlis Ilmu in Birmingham (MCIB). Similar gratitude goes to Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM) for granting me a scholarship and fruitful study leave to spend at the University of Birmingham, and especially to Asst. Professor Dr Adnan Mohamed Yusoff, for encouraging me to pursue this study. Words are not enough to describe my indebtedness to my parents, Haji Azmi Abdul Manap and Hajah Rokiah Abdul Wahid for the endless love and du’a. My beloved wife, Noraslina Abd Rahaman, I love you so much. Thank you for being patient and supportive during this study. My children, Iffah, Zaid, Muaz, Hani and Suhaib. Sorry for my busy time, when you would have preferred me to be in the park and playing with you. And finally, to my wider family members, for their prayers and support. I hope this research will contribute towards shedding some light on the understanding of the nature of the connection between the Qurʾān and the Sīra. Ahmad Sanusi Azmi Birmingham TABLE OF CONTENT CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Statement of Problem 7 1.3 Research Question 9 1.4 Rationale of the Study 9 1.5 Objectives of the Study 11 1.6 Scope of the Study 12 1.7 Thesis Organisation and Research Methodology 14 1.8 Literature Review 20 CHAPTER 2: TAFSĪR, SĪRA AND QURʾĀNIC REFERENCES TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S EARLY LIFE 2.1 Introduction 28 2.1.1 Qurʾānic References in Sīra Literature and the Associated Problems 28 2.2 Qurʾānic References to The Prophet’s Genealogy 30 2.3 The Prophet’s Birth 36 2.4 The Luminous Child 41 2.5 The Opening of The Prophet’s Breast 48 2.6 General Picture of The Prophet’s Early Life in the Qurʾān 52 2.7 Concluding Remark 57 CHAPTER 3: THE BOOKS OF ḤADĪTH AND QURANIC REFERENCES TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S EARLY LIFE 3.1 Introduction 65 3.1.1 The Development of Ḥadīth Literature 66 3.1.2 The Prophet’s Early Life in the Ḥadīth Works 70 3.2 Al-Bukhārī and his al-Ṣaḥīḥ 74 3.2.1 Reference to the Prophet’s Early Life in al-Ṣaḥīḥ 77 3.2.2 Qurʾānic Reference to the Prophet’s Early Life in al-Ṣaḥīḥ 86 3.3 Qurʾānic References in Sunan of al-Tirmidhī 90 3.3.1 The Prophet’s Early Life in Sunan of al-Tirmidhī 94 3.3.2 Qurʾānic Reference to the Prophet’s Early Life in Sunan of al-Tirmidhī 101 3.4 Qurʾānic References in Musnad of Aḥmad 106 3.4.1 The Prophet’s Early Life in the Musnad of Aḥmad 109 3.4.2 Qurʾānic References to The Prophet’s Early Life in the Musnad 116 3.5 Conluding Remarks 119 CHAPTER 4: THE BOOKS OF DALĀ’IL AND QURANIC REFERENCES TO THE PROPHET MUḤAMMAD’S EARLY LIFE 4.1 Introduction 128 4.1.1 The Definition of Dalā’il and Its Names 131 4.1.2 The Origin and Development of Dalā’il Literature 133 4.1.3 Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa in the Ninth Century 138 4.1.4 External Factors 142 4.2 Dalāʾil Works and the Qurʾānic references to Muḥammad 147 4.3 Ibn Rabban al-Ṭabarī and The Book al-Dīn wa al-Dawla 147 4.3.1 The Book al-Dīn wa al-Dawla fī Ithbāt Nubuwwa al-Nabī Muḥammad 151 4.3.2 Qurʾānic References in al-Dīn wa al-Dawla 153 4.3.3 Qurʾānic References to The Prophet’s early life 154 4.4 Al-Jāḥiẓ and his Kitāb al-Ḥujja fī Tathbīt al-Nubuwwa 159 4.4.1 Kitāb al-Ḥujja fī Tathbīt al-Nubuwwa 163 4.4.2 Qurʾānic References in Kitāb al-Ḥujja fī Tathbīt al-Nubuwwa 167 4.4.3 Qurʾānic Reference to The Prophet’s Early Life 171 4.5 Ibn Qutayba and his Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa 175 4.5.1 Ibn Qutayba’s Dalā’il al-Nubuwwa 178 4.5.2 Qurʾānic References in Ibn Qutayba’s Dalā’il 182 4.5.3 Qurʾānic References to Muḥammad’s Early Life 186 4.6 Concluding Remarks 188 CHAPTER 5: QURʾĀNIC REFERENCES TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S EARLY LIFE: AN ANALYSIS 5.1 Introduction 192 5.2 Intellectual Ambience of the Ninth Century 192 5.2.1 Qurʾānic Discourse 192 5.2.2 The Ḥadīth Discourse 194 5.2.3 Sīra Discourse 194 5.2.4 Dalā’il literature 197 5.3 Miraculous Elements and Qurʾānic References 198 5.4 Idiosyncratic Approach and Interpretation of the Scholars 203 5.5 Different Focus and Objective of Composition 207 ANALYSIS 5.6 Qur’anic References to the Prophet Muḥammad’s Genealogy 209 5.7 Qurʾānic References to the Prophet Muhammad’s Birth 220 5.8 Qurʾānic References to the Prophet’s Time as a Suckling Infant 228 5.9 Qurʾānic Reference to the Prophet’s Muḥammad’s Childhood 235 5.10 Concluding Remarks 242 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION 6.1 Introduction 249 6.2 Revisiting the Research Questions 250 6.2.1 First and Second Questions 250 6.2.2 Third Question 252 6.2.3 A Fourth Question 254 6.3 The Nature of the Sīra in the Ninth Century 255 6. 9 Sīra and Qurʾānic Connection in Academic Discourse 257 BIBLIOGRAPHY 260 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION Reading the major works of sīra, one might, within a very short time, come to realise that the use of Qurʾānic references within the work of sīra is occasionally obscure or even, at times, inconsistent. Moreover, the frequency of references taken directly from the Qurʾān itself fluctuates considerably. Observations on the use of Qurʾānic references in the early sīra sources substantiate the fact that each of the authors of the sīra employed greatly differing numbers of Qurʾānic references between the first chapter of their works to the topic of the revelation of waḥy. Ibn Hishām (d. 213/828), for example, employs only fourteen Qurʾānic references between these topics,1 while Ibn Saʿd (d. 230/845) utilised a larger number from his contemporary, with twenty-one references from the Qurʾān.2 A more confusing situation, however, occurs when the later authors of the sīra produced a new and greater number of Qurʾānic references in their work that had never been quoted in the works of their predecessors.