伊斯兰历史上最先、也是最受重视的，是先知的传记（Sīrah）以及随后的军事远征（maghazi）。为此，人们依赖的是圣门弟子（Sahabah）、再传弟子（Tabi'een）及其后学者所传述的圣训，内容涵盖先知ﷺ的生平：从出生、早年生活，到他宣扬伊斯兰的使命，再到针对多神教徒（Mushrikin）的圣战与军事远征，以及他的征服。简而言之，这些是关于先知ﷺ从出生直至去世的全部记载。

The first and foremost thing that was given priority in the Islamic history was the Sīrah of the Prophet  and the subsequent military campaigns (maghazi) that followed. For this, reliance was placed on ahadīth narrated by the Sahabah, Tabi'een and those who came after them concerning the life of the Prophet ; from his birth, his early life, and his Call to Islam to the Jihad and military expeditions against the Mushrikin and his conquests. In short, reports concerning the Prophet  from his birth till his death.

先知一生的历史本是所传圣训的一部分。在当年，圣训学家（Muhaddith）会把所接触到的一切传述汇集起来，不加次序和编排地逐一记诵，这类圣训因而较为杂乱。后来圣训按章节分类编排时，有关军事远征的内容被归集到单独的章节中。这些内容随之从圣训中分离出来，并有专门的书籍被撰写，不过圣训学家仍继续将其保留在各自的章节之中。因此，在布哈里的圣训集中有《远征之书》（kitab al-Maghazi），而在穆斯林的圣训集中则有《圣战与远征之书》（kitab al-jihad wa al-siyar）。

The history of the Prophet's life  was a part of the reported ahadīth. Such ahadīth used to be miscellaneous in the days when the Muhaddith would compile all the reports that reached him and learn them without any order or arrangement. When ahadīth came to be arranged according to chapters, the military campaigns were brought together in separate chapters. These then became separated from the hadīth and specific books were written on them although the muhaddithin continued to include them within their chapters. So, in Bukhari there is the Book of Military Expeditions (kitab al-Maghazi) and in Muslim the Book of Jihad and Military Campaigns (kitab al jihad wa al-siyar).

虽然早期已有许多人撰写关于先知传记（Sīrah）的著作，但早期编纂者中现存最早的一部，是伊本·伊斯哈格的《迈加齐》（kitab al-Maghazi）。其作者穆罕默德·伊本·伊斯哈格·伊本·雅萨尔（卒于公元153年/伊历）被认为是与迈加齐（战役史）相关学者中最为著名的一位，以至于沙斐仪曾有言传：“凡想要精通迈加齐的人，应当依靠穆罕默德·伊本·伊斯哈格。” 伊本·伊斯哈格之后，第二位早期作者是瓦基迪。穆罕默德·伊本·欧麦尔·伊本·瓦基德·瓦基迪（卒于公元209年/伊历）被认为对迈加齐有着广博的知识，其造诣接近伊本·伊斯哈格。他在历史和圣训方面都十分精通，不过有传言说他晚年时所传述的内容开始出现混乱。因此，许多圣训学家认为他的传述不可靠，布哈里评价他说：“他的圣训应当被弃置（munkar al-hadīth）。”然而，他们并未否定他在迈加齐方面学识的深广。因此，艾哈迈德·伊本·罕百勒说他：“他精通迈加齐。”他曾编写过一部关于迈加齐的书，伊本·萨阿德在其著作《群体志》（al-Tabaqat，意为“世代”）中讨论先知传记时引用了该书；塔巴里也同样引用过它。 在先知传记的编纂者中，最著名的两位是伊本·希沙姆（卒于公元218年/伊历）和穆罕默德·伊本·萨阿德（卒于公元230年/伊历）。

Though many have written about the Sīrah, the first book that is existent from amongst the early compilers is the kitab al-Maghazi of Ibn Ishaq. Its author, Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yassaar (d.153 A.H.) is considered the most well known of the ones who were associated with the maghazi, to the extent that Shafi'i is reported to have said: ' Whosoever wishes to be an expert in the maghazi, he should depend on Muhammad ibn Ishaq'. After Ibn Ishaq, the second early author is al-Waqidi. Muhammad ibn 'Umar ibn Waqid al-Waqidi (d.209 A.H.) was considered to have an extensive knowledge of the maghazi which approximated to that of Ibn Ishaq. He was very knowledgable in history and hadīth though it is reported about him that in later years he began to get his reports muddled. That is why many muhaddithin have branded him as weak, Bukhari says of him: ' His ahadīth are to be rejected (munkar al-hadīth)'. However they did not impugn the depth of his knowledge concerning the maghazi. Thus, Ahmad ibn Hanbal says about him: 'He is well-informed about the maghazi'. He has compiled a book on maghazi from which Ibn Saa'd quotes in his book al-Tabaqat (The Generations) in his discussion of the Sīrah. Likewise, Tabari also quotes from it. Two of the most famous compilers of the Sīrah are Ibn Hisham (d.218 A.H.) and Muhammad ibn Sa'ad (d.230 A.H.).

直到今天,穆斯林仍然持续投入精力研究《圣训传记》(Sīrah)。《圣训传记》被视为穆斯林应当格外留意的最重要的内容之一,因为它记载了关于使者ﷺ的言行、默许与外貌的叙述;与《古兰经》一样,其中的一切都具有立法的意义。因此,《圣训传记》是立法的构成要素之一,这也是它被视为圣训(文献)一部分的原因。凡是经证实在传述和含义上都真实可靠的、关于先知ﷺ的内容,都被视为沙里亚的证据,因为它源自逊奈,更何况安拉(SWT)命令我们效法使者ﷺ。安拉(SWT)说:

To this day Muslims have continued to devote their attention to the Sīrah. The Sīrah is considered one of the most important things to which Muslims should pay careful attention because it contains reports concerning the Messenger  in terms of his actions, sayings, silence and description; like the Qur’ān all of it is legislation. Therefore the Sīrah is one of the constituent elements of legislation and that is why it is considered part of the hadīth (literature). Whatever is proven to be authentic from it concerning the Prophet , in terms of its transmission and meaning, it is considered as a Sharī’ah evidence because it is from the Sunnah, not to speak of the fact that we are commanded by Allah  to emulate the Messenger . Allah  said:

因此,致力于研习seerah(先知传记)并深入探究,本身就是一项属于沙里亚(Sharī'ah)范畴的事务。然而,前人与后来者在编纂seerah方面的方法有所不同:前人编纂seerah和历史,依靠的是传闻的叙述。史学家从口述传承开始;亲眼见证先知ﷺ的行为或听闻其事迹的第一代人,开始将其传述给他人,此后的一代又承担起传述的责任。其中一些人以杂糅的方式记录圣训,这一点即使在今天的圣训典籍中仍可见到。 直到伊斯兰历第二世纪,我们才看到一些学者开始汇集、整理传记性的记载,并按照叙述的方法将其成文:注明传述者的姓名以及从他那里转述的人,与圣训的传述方式完全一致。因此,圣训学者和批评家凭借他们对传述人及传述链的了解,能够辨别传记性记载中哪些是真实可靠、可以接受的,哪些是虚弱、不可采信的。这正是引用seerah时所依据的程序,前提是其内容真实可靠。这与现代一些seerah作者形成对比,他们只列举事件,却不注明传述者。因此,这类著作不能作为seerah的可靠依据,除非作者在写作时已核实所引用的记载确实出自seerah的可信材料。如果作者没有做到这一点,那么他的陈述就不能被引用,而应将其所提及的事件追溯到以叙述方式流传下来的seerah典籍或圣训典籍之中。这是因为,关于先知ﷺ的圣训性记载,只有在真实可靠的前提下才会被采纳。

Therefore, devoting ones attention to the Sīrah and its pursuance is a Sharī’ah matter. However, the difference between the method employed in compiling the Sīrah by the ancients and those who came in later periods is that: the method of the ancients in compilation of the Sīrah and history used to depend on the narration of reports. The historians started with the oral transmission; the first generation which witnessed the actions of the Messenger  or heard about it and transmitted it began to transmit it to others, the burden of which was assumed by the generation that came after. And some of them wrote down ahadīth in a miscellaneous manner which can be seen in the books of hadīth even today. Not till the advent of the second century (Hijri) do we find some scholars beginning to compile and put together the biographical reports and put them down in writing according to the method of narration, by mentioning the name of the transmitter and the one who transmitted from him, exactly as it was done in the (transmission) of hadīth. Thus, hadīth scholars and critics are able to know the authentic and acceptable biographical reports from the weak and inadmissible ones due to their knowledge of the transmitters and the chain of transmission. And this is the procedure which is relied upon when quoting from the Sīrah, as long as it is authentic, contrary to the modern authors of the Sīrah who only enumerate events without mentioning their transmitters. That is why their books are not relied upon as a source of Sīrah except when the author verifies at the time of writing that the transmitted reports are indeed from the Sīrah reports and are trustworthy. If he does not then his statement is not quoted but the event which he mentions is traced back to the books of Sīrah which have been transmitted according to the method of narration or to the books of hadīth. This is because reports concerning the Prophet  from the Sunnah are not taken except when they are authentic.

历史学家在关注Sīrah（圣传）之外，还有另一个研究领域，即关于穆斯林之间的战争、穆斯林与其他民族之间的战争，以及随之而来的征服和后续事件的历史编纂。一群历史学家因这一研究取向而闻名，其中最杰出的是Abu Mikhnaf Lut ibn Yahya ibn Sa'id ibn Mikhnaf ibn Salim al-Izdi（卒于170年）。他最著名的一些著作包括：《沙姆的征服》（Futuh As-Sham）、《伊拉克的征服》（Futuh Al-Iraq）、《骆驼之役》（al-Jamal）、《绥芬之役》（Siffin）以及《侯赛因之死》（Maqtal Al Hussayn）。显然，每部著作都是对某一特定问题的评述。在被正确归于他名下的著作中，除了塔巴里在其《历史》（Tarikh）中所转述的内容外，已无留存。许多圣训学家因他常转述来自一些不知名的传述人（majhulin）的记载而贬低他。 在著名的历史学家中，有al-Mada'ini。他是'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Mada'ini（卒于225年），一位多产的作家。他撰写了有关先知ﷺ和古莱氏的传闻之书，也写过关于妇女和哈里发们的传闻之书。Tha'lab al-Nahawi这样评价他：“凡想了解蒙昧时代传闻的人，应当查阅Abu 'Ubayda的著作；凡想了解伊斯兰时期传闻的人，应当查阅al-Mada'ini的著作。”另外，圣训学家们也未质疑他的品德正直。著名的人物评论家之一Yahya ibn Ma'in称他是可信的（thiqa）。