اردو سیرت نگاری میں النبی الخاتم ﷺ کا مقام: مولانا مناظر احسن گیلانیؒ کے فکری و منہجی امتیازات

“AL-NABI AL-KHATAM (ﷺ) IN URDU SĪRAH WRITING: A CRITICAL STUDY OF MAULANA MANAZIR AHSAN GILANI’S INTELLECTUAL VISION AND METHODOLOGY”

Abstract

This article presents a critical and analytical study of al-Nabī al-Khātam ﷺ, a seminal work on the Prophet’s biography by Mawlānā Sayyid Manāẓir Aḥsan Gīlānī (1892–1956), one of the most distinguished Muslim scholars of the Indian subcontinent in the twentieth century. The study is structured into four main sections. The first section offers a concise introduction to the life, scholarly background, and intellectual contributions of Mawlānā Gīlānī, highlighting his role in bridging classical Islamic scholarship with modern intellectual challenges.

The second section examines the stylistic and methodological features of al-Nabī al-Khātam ﷺ, demonstrating that the author does not confine the Sīrah to a purely chronological or narrative framework. Instead, he presents it as a coherent intellectual and philosophical system, centered on the doctrines of the finality of prophethood and the universality of the Prophet Muḥammad’s ﷺ message. Particular attention is given to his deliberate reordering of events and selective omission of certain incidents to preserve conceptual continuity and thematic coherence.

The third section analyzes selected passages from the text to illustrate Gīlānī’s interpretive approach and explores instances where his historical statements diverge from widely accepted Sīrah sources. These divergences are evaluated through a comparative and critical lens, emphasizing that they arise from methodological priorities rather than factual negligence.

The article concludes that al-Nabī al-Khāta ﷺ represents a distinctive model of intellectual Sīrah writing, where philosophical insight, moral vision, and analytical reasoning take precedence over strict historiography, making it a significant contribution to modern Sīrah studies.