Sirah An – Nababyyah

In the Arabic language the word sīra or sīrat (Arabic: سيرة‎) comes from the verb sāra which means to travel or to be on a journey. A person's sīra is that person’s journey through life, or biography, encompassing their birth, events in their life, manners and characteristics, and their death. In modern usage it may also refer to a person's resume. It is sometimes written as "seera", "sirah" or "sirat", all meaning "life" or "journey". In Islamic literature, the plural form, siyar, could also refer to the rules of war and dealing with non-Muslims.


The phrase al-sīra al-nabawiyya, refers to the study of the life of Muhammad. The term sīra was first linked to the biography of Muhammad by Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, and later popularized by the work of Ibn Hisham. In the first two centuries of Islamic history, sīra was more commonly known as maghāzī (literally, stories of military expeditions), which is now considered to be only a subset of sīra.
Early works of sīra consist of multiple historical reports, or akhbār, and each report is called a khabar. Sometimes the word tradition or hadith is used instead.
Every Muslim should learn and reflect upon the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The followings are some essential benefits that we adopt after learning and reflecting on his life.
 
First and most important: Loving the Prophet (pbuh) is a necessity for every Muslim. Learning and reflecting upon his life will definitely increase your love for him. Love of the Prophet is what differentiates the believers in the perfection of believe. In an authentic Hadith found in the book of Bukhari and Muslim the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: "None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves his children, his parents, and all people." In another Hadith he said: "None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves himself." In a Hadith that is narrated by Anas we find that a man came to the Prophet and said: "Messenger of Allah, I love you more than my family and my possessions. I remember you and I cannot wait until I can come and look at you. I remember that I will die and you will die and I know that when you enter the Garden, you will be raised up high with the Prophets. When I enter it, I will not see you." Allah then revealed:

وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡہِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّہَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ‌ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ رَفِيقً۬ا

"Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they are with those whom He has favored: the Prophets (peace be upon them all), the True Saints, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. Ah! What an excellent company." (4:69) The Prophet called the man and recited the verse to him.
Second benefit: Sirah An-Nabawiyyah helps us in having a better understanding of Quran and Islam. The Holy Quran was revealed in stages and it took almost 23 years for it's revelation to be completed. Many events that happened during the life of Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions are mentioned in the Holy Quran. This Divine book taught the Prophet and his companions how to deal with different events through their lives.