1851.] On the earliest Biography of Mohammad. 395 



On the earliest Biography of Mohammad. By Dr. A. Spkengkr, 

 Secretary to the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 



In comparing the different accounts regarding Mohammad we find 

 that all authors agree on certain points (more particularly on his mili- 

 tary expeditions) not only in the sense but even in the expressions. 

 These accounts must therefore be derived from one common source. 

 It appears on further enquiry that this source is a work of Zohry, I 

 have therefore collected passages bearing on this subject. 



" Zohry said, The study of the military career of the prophet is con- 

 ducive to the good of this world and of the world to come. Zohry was 

 the first man who wrote a work on the Biography of the prophet. 

 Some authors say, The first Biography of MoAammad written in the 

 Islam is that of Zohry." These are the words of the author of the 

 Insdn aVoyun. They run in the original ^bu &l)\ $»aU (Sj^j-h J^ 

 Jjl f&axi d$j&Jt(J <-ail^A5 Jj^Aj Bj-^\j U^Jl^L (^jUJl JU ^5 

 C57*yi irl*> f^U^Jl <y ^&Jl *hu* In Ibn Sa'd the Secretary of 

 Waqidy, is the following passage regarding Zohry. " Calih b. 

 Kaysan relates, I met Zohry, and we were both students, and we 

 said to each other, Let us write down the Sunnah (traditions which 

 are precedents in law) of the prophet ; and we agreed to do so, and 

 wrote down what came from the prophet. Then Zohry said, Let us 

 also write down what comes from the followers of the prophet, for it is 

 equally Sunnah. I answered, No, it is not Sunnah, let us not write it 

 down. Zohry wrote it down, and I did not write it down." 0^x&>! 

 ^ixi Ulaj ^U/f v-JLki ^j^jl^ U'l o**Ia.| J 13 &l~*f &> Jl* 

 *U U ujJ&J JUL j Jl^'JLj <UU •sdJl^io ,-AiJt^* *UU> tial& J Is ^juJi 

 fc-*Ifl */j i^iCs Jljl <ul& Hi <U«*j uhx} Iji oJi Jli &«» <*Ai *jl«^| ^c 

 Calih b. Kaysan died shortly after A. H. 140. He is a great 

 authority in the Biography of Mohammad and frequently quoted by 

 Waqidy and others. 



Ibn Qotaybah says of Zohry " His name was Mohammad b. Moslim 

 b. 'obayd Allah b. 'abd Allah b. Shahab b. 'abd Allah b. al-Harfth 

 b. Zohrah b. Kilab. His greatgrandfather 'abd Allah b. Shahab fought 

 at Badr, on the side of the enemies of the prophet and he was one of those 



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