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This paper classifies three recent Sirah works in English according to the typology in Tarif Khalidi's Images of Muhammad. By looking at the treatment of the Najran story in the Sirah works of Tariq Ramadan, Martin Lings, and M. A. Salahi, the paper concludes that they are shaped by the approaches of the "late medieval" to "contemporary" authors of Sirah. This makes the works either encyclopedic or highly selective, with the material arranged in order to appeal to a specific audience. Such a treatment of the sources is neither satisfactory nor credible for a scholarly or critical audience. Muslim scholars of today may need to take a cue from Western methods by wedding theological reflection with historical criticism. The paper suggests that it is possible to draw positive theological messages from classical Sirah narratives that appear, at first glance, to be problematic.
This paper started with the desire to investigate the manner in which some of the recent Muslim Sirah literature in English engages one specific incident in the life of the Prophet: the visit of a Christian delegation from the south Arabian community of Najran to Madanah.1 The account of the Christian delegation of Najran to the Prophet has been outlined in academic reference literature such as the Encyclopaedia of Islam and Encyclopaedia of the Qur'in.2 The Prophet's treaty with the people of Najran has been presented in W. M. Watt's notable Muhammad at Medina.3 There seems to have been some interest in the story for interfaith dialogue in Pakistan in the 1970s, as indicated by the publication of two articles, one in this very journal and the other in a journal devoted to the study of Christian-Muslim relations.4 Another recent article in a journal on Christian studies has tried to look at the story with careful consideration of the sources in order to assess its broader implications for today.5 I have chosen to focus on this particular event in the life of the Prophet because it has a lot to offer, whether one is interested in theological reflection, interfaith dialogue, or historical criticism of the sources. One would expect such an incident in the life of the Prophet to be particularly relevant for modern Muslim S?rah literature in the West...