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Abstract

New methods of analysing historical events are applied to the study of Seerah by Orientalists and some Muslim rationalists. Sometimes the conclusions drawn from the study of Seerah seem to be in agreement with the spirit of modern age but they often conflict with the very spirit of Islam. Muslim modernists and orientalists often seem to interpret Seerah in a way that endorses their own point of view regarding Islam. In this study, an attempt has been made to analyse the work of those Seerah writers who have tried to portray the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on materialistic grounds, i.e., who have tried to prove that the real purpose of Prophet's struggle was to bring about a social and economic revolution that will end all kind of social discriminations in the world. Such writers indirectly try to undermine the importance of dogma in Islam and over stress the value of social and economic teachings of the Prophet. As a complete code of life Islam addresses all the aspects of human life, however, faith has a pivotal role in Islam and all its teachings are somehow a source of strengthening its beliefs. The writers who try to fit the life and teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the frame of historical materialism, appear to overlook the very essence of his teachings. While applying such ideas to the life of the Prophet, some orientalists even try to slander him by saying that the purpose of all his struggle was to gain power and authority which he finally achieved in Madinah. In this research study the views of such writers (who either try to prove Prophet a social reformer or portray him as a common man, overpowered by his desires) have been analysed in the light of historical facts, Quran and Hadith.