Modern Approaches to Sīrah Genre
Fethullah Gülen’s Contribution
Suleyman Sertkaya
Religion / Islam / General
This book comparatively examines modern approaches towards the sīrah genre (biography of Prophet Muhammad). It explores the connection and juxtaposition of the sīrah genre with the Islamic systematic theology (kalām), particularly since the emergence of Islamic modernism. It sheds light on the interconnectedness of the sīrah and kalām disciplines as scholarship on sīrah and prophethood is inherently relevant. The book presents a careful study of the reading and interpretation of the sīrah genre as penned by Fethullah Gülen from a broad perspective of modern debates and investigates Gülen’s approach to sīrah based on kalām discipline and philosophy of sīrah. The author argues that reading sīrah from the perspective of the kalām discipline (kalāmisation of sīrah) is a novel response to modern debates around the life of Prophet Muhammad. Kalāmisation of sīrah together with the notion of sīrah philosophy is a significant contribution to sīrah writings in terms of methodology and approach and it is likely to define future trajectories of sīrah writings. Gülen’s contribution is ground-breaking and innovative, paving the way for new perspectives to read and interpret sīrah in a modern world for a contemporary audience. This book is of interest to scholars and researchers of Islamic studies, religion, religious movements, philosophy of religion, theology 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 sīrah of the Prophet and sīrah philosophy, exegesis of the Qur’an, hadīth (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).
| Publication Date: |
30 April 2026 |
| Publisher: |
Springer Nature Singapore |
| Imprint: |
Springer |
| ISBN-13: |
9789819624621 |
| Format: |
Paperback / softback |
| Page Count: |
232 |