Terjemet Eḍ-Ḍarīr Ve-Taqdimet Eẓ-Ẓahīr The First Book on the Biography of the Prophet in Turkish

Abstract

The book Terjemet eḍ-Ḍarīr ve-taqdimet eẓ-Ẓahīr of Muṣṭafā Ibn-Yūsuf Ibn-ʿUmar aḍ-Ḍarīr ar-Rūmī al-Maulawī (d.?), is the first written work in Turkish to address the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (sira). This book was translated from Arabic in the year 790 AH / 1388 CE, upon the request of Sultan al-Zahir Abu Said Barquq (d. 801 AH / 1399 CE) in Cairo. Mustafa DARIR spent five years completing the translation, drawing on sources such as the biographies of Abu al-Hasan al-Bakri, al-Waqidi, and Ibn Hisham. Although the book was written in prose, it also includes poetic excerpts. The author employed simple and clear language, which contributed to the book's continued readability for several centuries among the Turks. Its copies spread widely, and it became an inspiration for miniature painters, as well as a model and reference for later works on the Prophet's biography in Turkish. This research, the first of its kind in Arabic, aims to provide a comprehensive introduction and analysis of this pioneering work by reviewing its contents and features, with an emphasis on its impact on society in general, and particularly on the ruling elite, intellectuals, writers, and Turkish artists. This work is the result of the researcher’s ongoing efforts in investigation and inquiry through various libraries in Turkey.