Erzurumlu Kadı Mustafa Darir'in Kitab-ı Siyer-i Nebi'si
Abstract
Siyer, is the name of the works which discuss the biographies of the ProphetMohammed and it is also the name of the main science branch. Siyer inscriptionsbegan due to the eagerness and desire of introducing the Prophet to the generationswhom they had not the chance to see him, and due to the enthusiasm of calling themto obey him since he was introduces as an ideal model in the Koran. The main Siyerauthors are Eban, the son of Caliph Osman and Urve b. Zubeyr. The other twoimportant authors in this field are Ibn Ishak and Ibn Hışam. Siyer books were writtenin Arabic language at the beginning, and then they were translated into Persian,Turkish and other languages. There are many siyer books which were originallywritten in Arabic or Persian. Erzurumlu Kadı Mustafa Darûr was the first author whowrote siyer book in Turkish language in Egypt in 790/1388. The mentioned author?swork had taken its place among the main sources of the Turkish-Islamic culture, andhad served, in the interval which it was written, as a means of supporting the Turksmorally. That is why it gained the wide appreciation of the monarchs and the peoplealike and read with gratification for centuries. In this research Darûr and his siyer wasexamined. The research is made up of three chapters with the exception of the?Introduction? and ?Conclusion? chapters.The ?Introduction? chapter handles the importance of the research, its aim,method and sources.In the ?First? chapter, general information was given in summary about siyerauthors during the initial period with the emphasis on Turkish siyer.In the ?Second? chapter, the political, social and cultural circumstances ofthat period were generally introduced for the sake of better understanding Darûr andhis siyer by way of discussing his life, works and personality.In the ?Third? chapter Darûr?s work which carries the title ?Sûretu?n Nebû?was examined and the studies in relation to its wording, story, copies, sources,method, content and its literary characteristics were thoroughly investigated with theaim of displaying its importance from the standpoint of Turkish-Islamic culture.In the ?Conclusion?, Darir and his work, the sources of our history of culture,its pertinence and its characteristics were evaluated for the sake of shading light onpresent and paving the way for new studies.