Modern Approaches to Sirah Genre Fethullah Gülen’s Contribution

This book offers a comparative analysis of contemporary approaches to the sirah genre (biography of Prophet Muhammad). It explores the connection and juxtaposition of the sirah genre with Islamic systematic theology (kalam), particularly in the context of the emergence of Islamic modernism. It also highlights the inherent interconnectedness of the sirah and kalam disciplines. The book presents a careful study of Fethullah Gülen’s reading and interpretation of the sirah within the broader framework of modern debates, investigating his approach through the lens of the kalam discipline and the philosophy of sirah. The author argues that reading the sirah from the perspective of the kalam discipline, kalamisation of sirah, is a novel response to modern debates around the life of Prophet Muhammad. Kalamisation of sirah together with the notion of sirah philosophy, represents a significant advancement in the field, providing new methodological and interpretative frameworks that are likely to define future trajectories of sirah writings. Gülen’s contributions are both ground-breaking and forward-looking, offering novel ways to engage with and understand the sirah for a contemporary audience. This book is an essential resource for scholars and researchers in Islamic studies, theology, philosophy of religion, religious movements, and literature. 

Suleyman Sertkaya is a Course Director and Senior Lecturer in classical Islamic studies at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. His primary areas of interest include the sirah of the Prophet and sirah philosophy, exegesis of the Qur’an, hadith (Prophetic tradition), interpretation of Islamic sacred texts, Islamic theology, Islam and morality, history of the prophets, history of Islam and Muslims in Australia. He is the Managing Editor of the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies (AJIS) and, a member of the Australian Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies (AAIMS) as well as the Centre for Religion, Ethics and Society (CRES).