An analysis and evaluation of the seventh volume of Caetani's history of İslam

This study aims to analyze the accounts concerning the life of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh volume of Annali dell'Islam, authored by the Italian orientalist Leone Caetani, within the framework of historical methodology. Caetani, distinguished in the field of Islamic historiography by his critical approach and chronological method, evaluates the Prophet's mission of prophethood; his interpretations as well as the sources he utilized are examined in this research. The study adopts a qualitative research method, making use of textual analysis and comparative historical techniques. By consulting the works of classical Muslim historians such as al-Wāqidī, Ibn Saʿd, and al-Ṭabarī, which Caetani employed as his primary sources, the research investigates his perspective on subjects including the Farewell Pilgrimage, the delegations arriving in Medina during the so-called "Year of Delegations" (10/632) to pledge allegiance to the Prophet, the letters sent to tribal leaders, and the relations established with Christians in neighboring regions. His interpretations of these events are critically assessed. Caetani often adopts a reductionist method in his treatment of these events. For instance, he interprets the Prophet's encounters with the Christians of Najrān not as acts of religious proclamation but as political maneuvers. Similarly, he views the activities of the Muslim envoys sent to Yemen not as efforts of religious propagation but rather as manifestations of the Medina-centered political authority. By portraying the Prophet as a local Arab leader, Caetani appears to have sought to restrict the universal dimension of his message. Although the research primarily focuses on Caetani's assessments of the year 10/632, it also takes into consideration his summary of the final five years of the Prophet's Medinan period (5/627–10/632). In this context, the study aims to analyze Caetani's representations of the Prophet Muhammad's final years of prophethood, thereby elucidating the critical stance he adopts toward Islamic history and the limitations of this stance.