Siyer Yazıcılığında Kronoloji Problemi ve İbn Hazm’ın Kronoloji Tarihlendirmesi
The Problem of Chronology in Sīrah Writing and Ibn Ḥazm’s Chronological Reconstruction

Summary/Abstract: Sīrah writing is one of the foundational disciplines of Islamic historiography, presenting the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) not only as a personal biography but also as a comprehensive socio-political process. The historical accuracy of these narratives has been shaped from the earliest periods primarily through their chronological structure. In this context, sīrah chronology serves not merely to organize events but also to assess the historical reliability of transmitted reports. This study examines both classical and modern approaches to sīrah chronology, particularly focusing on the debates surrounding the practice of nasīʾ and the use of astronomical data in shaping chronological frameworks. In modern literature, discussions on whether the practice of nasīʾ existed have emerged as a central concern in the construction of chronological models, while Western scholarship has problematized the historical authenticity of the Prophet Muhammad and the reliability of sīrah sources. In this regard, Lawrence I. Conrad’s approach, which centers on historical and social perceptions, represents a significant turning point in Western historiography. In the Turkish academic context, chronological discussions began relatively early. Necati Akgür has re-evaluated prophetic reports through astronomical data, while Kasım Şulul has offered conceptual analyses of the causes behind chronological discrepancies in his extensive writings and translated the literature on the chronology of Sīrah into Turkish. The main axis of this article is the analysis of existing literature, with particular focus on Mehmet Apaydın’s Siyer Kronolojisi (Chronology of the Sīrah). While Apaydın’s work makes notable contributions, this study also addresses its critical limitations -specifically, his characterization of the Andalusian scholar Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456/1064) as merely a follower of al-Khwārizmī (d. 232/847), which has led to an underappreciation of Ibn Ḥazm’s independent contributions to sīrah chronology. Ibn Ḥazm’s Veda Ḥajj-centered historical model and his preference for the month of Rabīʿ al-Awwal as the starting point of the Hijrī calendar align with modern astronomical findings and deserve renewed scholarly attention. Ultimately, this article argues that the issue of chronology in sīrah studies must be reassessed not only as a technical matter but also through its methodological and epistemological dimensions.

• Details
• Contents