التوظـــــيف التــــــاريخي لحـــركات الردة ومدعي النبوة(11-12ه/632-633م) ومواجهتها وفق ضــــــرورات العــــــــــصر

Abstract

A close examination of the contents of historical sources and references reveals that the in-depth study of the Prophet’s biography (Sīrah) constitutes one of the most significant subjects that continue to attract the attention of Muslim historians and scholars. This importance stems from its firm foundation in consolidating the principles upon which the Islamic state was established. From a historical perspective, it represents a vital link in the chain of Islamic history, having become a comprehensive constitution that Muslims follow in all aspects of their daily life. Based on these considerations and the profound historical importance of the topic, it is necessary to examine and analyze the most critical challenges that confronted Muslims during the early stages of their history. These challenges posed an existential threat to the very entity of the Islamic community. Among the most prominent of these challenges were the Apostasy Wars (Ḥurūb al-Riddah), also known in the juristic tradition as the movement of those who withheld zakāt, accompanied by the rise of claimants to prophethood. These movements sought to divert the course of the nascent Islamic state from the path of righteousness and represented a new and unforeseen turning point—one that neither the Prophet (peace be upon him) nor his Companions could have anticipated. The magnitude of these movements’ consequences necessitated decisive measures by Muslims to bring them to an end. Hence, this study addresses the movements of apostasy and the claimants of prophethood collectively referred to as the Apostasy Wars. It is essential to examine these movements as interconnected phenomena that arose from a common cause. The study seeks to shed light on their nature and dimensions, as discussed extensively in Islamic sources and references, while delineating their religious and political aspects in sequence.