A comparative study on the Medina period of the Prophet Muhammad in the works of 19th-century sīrah writers Mahmud Esad Seydişehrî and Ahmet Cevdet Pasha

This study comparatively examines the works of Mahmud Esad Seydişehrî and Ahmet Cevdet Pasha two prominent figures of nineteenth-century Ottoman intellectual life through their portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Medina period. The research first outlines the historical development of the science of sīra and the trajectory of sīra writing in the Ottoman Empire, before introducing the lives, scholarly profiles, and works of the two authors. The main sources analyzed are Mahmud Esad's Tarih-i Dîn-i İslâm and Ahmet Cevdet Pasha's Kısas-ı Enbiyâ ve Tevârih-i Hulefâ. Within the framework of the Medina period, selected themes are examined, including the use of the city name Medina, the Hijra, the pact of brotherhood (muʾākhāt), the construction of the Prophet's Mosque, the ḥaremgāh, the call to prayer, relations with the Quraysh, interactions with Jews and Christians, social structure, moral exemplarity, political leadership, the Farewell Pilgrimage, and the burial of the Prophet. The findings reveal that both authors, shaped by the intellectual, political, and ideological conditions of their time, emphasized certain similarities as well as differences in their depictions of the Prophet's Medina period. Employing the literature review method within qualitative research and structured through comparative analysis, the study evaluates the texts in their historical context. Ultimately, this research contributes to understanding how the dynamics of change in the nineteenth-century Ottoman world were reflected in sīra writing. The comparative analysis of Medina-period narratives demonstrates the imprints of Ottoman intellectual and political thought on the sīra literature.