Why Do We Learn Seerah? Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Why Do We Call It Seerah?

There are many words in the Arabic language which could be used for history. Why do we call the history of the Prophet's life seerah? A unique answer was given — why do we call it seerah? Because prior to the Islamic inception, they would use seerah as any historical recollection. When they were speaking about anything, it would be called the seerah of something or someone.

How is it so that we coin the life of the Prophet as seerah? The explanation given is the word sala yaseerah, which means to actually travel — and it means to travel following the footsteps of somebody else. So when someone is walking in front of you and you are walking behind them, walking upon their path, this is called seerah.

So the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ was called seerah because he lived his entire life, and we are learning his life for one specific purpose — not for historical recollection, because we could call that hadith, history, general knowledge. But the name of the Prophet's history, which is called seerah, has a unique benefit because within it there is a subtle indication that we learn this history — the life of this man — so we can follow his pathway, so we can continue living our life the way he lived his life. And therefore it was called seerah, and it became coined as seerah.

Now no one can say that I am learning seerah and it refers to anybody else's life, because now it was set and coined for the life of the Prophet ﷺ.

So when we say the seerah of the Prophet, it is not merely the information of the Prophet's life — the facts and the figures and the movements and the historical narrations. That is not seerah. Seerah is learning his life so that there is an application that we can bring into our own life. And therefore the name seerah was used.

The Foundational Importance of Knowledge in Islam

The importance of learning is not just important in our religion — it is the foundational presence of our religion that allows us to become Muslim, because this religion started off with a command of learning and education. So every aspect, education is important. This religion began with a command of iqra — read. The ayah of the Quran is where Allah says: increase me in knowledge.

Knowledge is not only power when it comes to the sciences of this world — knowledge is power for our deen, because it allows us to learn how to live our lives.

The Honor of Adam Through Knowledge

When we think about Adam alayhi salam's creation, his body was formed and crafted for 40 days. It was left there for people to see. So angels came and they saw Adam alayhi salam's body. Iblis came — shaitan — he saw Adam alayhi salam's body. But neither of them were truly impressed by his physical stature, because physically he was present but he wasn't alive yet — his body was there, but neither of them were truly impressed by him.

And then after some time, Allah placed within Adam alayhi salam his ruh. And the moment He placed within him his ruh, was the moment that Allah showed and displayed the honor of Adam over all of the other creation. Then he was presented to the angels — when the ruh was placed within him — and thereafter, he was given an endowment with the blessing of knowledge.

That is what allowed him — when Allah asked the angels — Allah didn't ask the angels: can you run faster? Can you go grab that quicker? How strong are you? To impose the superiority of Adam alayhi salam, Allah used the quality of knowledge. When He said to the angels, tell me about these things. And the angels said, we don't know these things. Then Allah looked at Adam and said: you tell them what all these things refer to. And he responded, and then and there the angels were told to perform sajdah.

So it was knowledge which showed and displayed the superiority of Adam alayhi salam — until today. Not general education, but the knowledge of Allah's deen, which allows us to learn how to live our lives.

Allah says:

Can the people who know be the same as those who don't know?

The Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6518)

Whosoever seeks the path of knowledge — and this is as generic as possible. This doesn't say whosoever commits their life to knowledge, whosoever goes to a boarding school for 12 years. مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا — whosoever seeks out a path of learning knowledge, Allah will make their path to Jannah easy for them.

And we take it at the face value of that. Today we are here for no other purpose but to learn the knowledge of Seerah. And we expect and hope from Allah that this is such a knowledge through which our journey of Akhirah will also become easy for us.