An Analysis of the Historiography of the Battles of the Prophet (SAWA) in Research Books on Islamic History from 1979 to 2018 (1357 SH – 1397 SH)

Historiography, in practice, is the process of reporting historical events in the form of written historical narratives, which takes place within the framework of a specific discourse and is accompanied by various methods, perceptions, and perspectives. Historiography types refer to the central themes and subjects upon which a written historical work is based, aligned with the scope of the historian's vision. From its inception, Islamic historiography introduced and experienced two types of approaches and perspectives: the transmitted-narrative (naqlī-riwāyī) and the rational-critical (ʿaqlī-intiqādī). The narrative approach was heavily influenced by ḥadīth and adhered to the characteristic of the ahl al-ḥadīth, namely the isnād (chain of transmission) method. Gradually, moving beyond mere isnād, historiography entered a new stage of rational-critical historiography, which was accompanied by a spirit of inquiry, observation, and criticism. These two types of historiography have left a profound impact on the writing of Islamic history books up to the present day. Following the Islamic Revolution of [Iran in] 1979 (1357 SH), attention to the writing and translation of early Islamic history increased, and authors addressed the events of Islamic history from various perspectives. The subject of battles, the ghazawāt (i.e. the Prophet's military expeditions against infidels) and wars of the Prophet (SAWA), particularly after the Imposed War (Iran-Iraq War), was revisited and cited by researchers and writers, who explained and analyzed this topic from different viewpoints. It should be noted that in the first decade after the Islamic Revolution, few works appeared, but gradually, after the second decade, the number of books on Islamic history increased. Some of these books were written as novels or stories for the general public, aiming to familiarize ordinary people and raise Muslims' awareness of the historical circumstances of the early Islamic period. Works by authors such as Maḥmūd Ḥakīmī and Zabīḥ Allāh Manṣūrī fall into this category. The second category includes books by researchers and authors such as Mahdī Pīshvāʾī, [Seyed Ja'far] Shahīdī, Muntaẓir al-Qāʾim, Rasūl Jaʿfariyān, and others who, through research in historical texts, produced resources for teaching at universities and Islamic seminaries (ḥawzah ʿilmiyyah). The objective of the present article, which is derived from a doctoral dissertation titled "Explanation and Analysis of the Historiographical Method of Early Islamic History Books in Iran after the Islamic Revolution from 1979 to 2016 (1357–1395 SH)," is to analyze the historiography of the Prophet's battles in research books on Islamic history (from 1979 to 2018 / 1357–1397 SH). Accordingly, by examining the historiographical methods and attitudes of authors of Islamic history books regarding the subject of the Prophet's battles in the aforementioned period, this research attempts to answer two questions: How were the ghazawāt reflected in the works of Islamic history authors in Iran? And what approach did authors who wrote on Islamic history between 1979 and 2018 (1357–1397 SH) adopt toward this subject? The research hypothesis is that, due to the influence of the isnād-ḥadīth method on Islamic historiography, most of the explanations of the ghazawāt and battles of the Prophet (SAWA) found in Islamic history books are of the narrative-transmitted (riwāyī-naqlī) type. The investigations, while confirming the aforementioned hypothesis, show that alongside the narrative method, some ghazawāt and battles are presented using a descriptive-analytical method, explained and analyzed from a religious perspective and sometimes in a comparative manner. Meanwhile, the use of the rational-critical (ʿaqlī-intiqādī) method is rarely observed. In the presentation of battles and ghazawāt, a combination of interpretation, description, and analysis has been employed, and the text has been written using transmitted-narrative (naqlī-riwāyī) and descriptive-analytical methods. The sources used in this research consist of two main categories: works on historiography and Islamic history books (research-oriented and primary sources).
These include: Stanford, Michael, An Introduction to Historical Research (2014/1393 SH), who believes that the sequence and repetition of events reveal the nature of history; this book introduces the reader to the basic concepts, theories, and methods of history as well as the problems and issues that arise in its serious study. Rosenthal, Franz, A History of Muslim Historiography (1987/1366 SH), translated by Asadullah Azad, a two-volume work of which the first volume was used in this research.  Rosenthal categorizes the types of Islamic historiography and analyzes religious historiography, believing that this type of historiography was more influenced by theology, with its secular aspect being less prominent. Zarrīnkūb, ʿAbd al-Ḥusayn, History in the Balance (Tārīkh dar Tarāzū) (1983/1362 SH), written concerning the types of historiography in the world; he believes that all the long-standing traditions of the Near East influenced Muslim historiography, but the most significant influence was that of Persian historiography. Sajjādī, Ṣādiq, and ʿĀlamzādeh, Hādī, Historiography in Islam (2010/1389 SH). The authors consider the cultural and political environment influential in the beginnings of historiography in Islam. They regard the Qurʾan and hadith as the first and most evident motivational sources for historiography in the Islamic period. In addition to introducing the types of Islamic historiography, they have also addressed the methods of compiling and organizing Islamic historiography and the trajectory of historiography in Islamic lands.